Interview Maderas Barber: “The future of guitar making will require new, sustainable woods — whether we like it or not”

In the world of guitars, wood is fundamental. Maderas Barber has earned global recognition for their expertise in tonewood. We sat down with their CEO Antonio Minguez to learn all about the wood that gives guitars their sound.

Maderas Barber works from Valencia, Spain, providing wood to luthiers building classical, acoustic, and electric guitars.

They’ve been doing this for decades, and guitar makers trust them to pick the best materials. That’s why we at FretboardFrenzy.com wanted to tell their story.

Maderas Barber has been in the tonewood business since 1957. What have been the main changes in the wood market over these decades?

There have been many changes since then, but the main ones could be: The wood, the scarcity of many species, and the required controls for imports.

The customers. Production in Asia comes into the picture, completely changing the rest of the markets and manufacturers.

The increase in luthiers is more significant every day, and in many cases, mass production in European countries is reduced.

Your company stocks over 90 different wood species. Which ones are currently most in demand among guitar builders?

For acoustic and classical guitars, Indian rosewood remains by far the most popular, and rightly so. It is the queen for quality, performance and price.

The demand for tops and wood has not changed; it has remained the same for over 70 years. For electric guitars, traditional woods remain, but the market is now looking for new woods; the more exotic, the better.

Could you explain your wood quality classification system, from AAA to C quality? What distinguishes each level?

This is very relative depending on the wood in question. Not all woods are classified in the same way. You can have a look at the picture (see below, ed.) for a quick explanation.

You can also find an explanation on our website.

You personally travel to source locations to select wood pieces. What specific characteristics do you look for when choosing tonewood?

Yes, we travel around the globe looking for options that are both already known and may include a species. We look for sustainability, continuity, density, properties, and aesthetics.

After these values, we decide whether it is possible to introduce it to the market or not. There are cases where this is achieved successfully, and others go unnoticed.

How do environmental regulations like CITES and FSC certification impact your business operations?

Nowadays, for us as importers and exporters of wood (not instruments), it is no longer a problem to work with wood included in the CITES appendix since it is always more legally controlled than other woods that are not included.

As for FSC wood, I think there is still no awareness on the part of manufacturers and luthiers; we have very little demand for FSC wood compared to non-FSC-certified wood.

Can you tell us about your MB Exclusive unique pieces? What makes a piece of wood qualify for this premium category?

These pieces are selected from the total obtained, and each piece’s main points are valued. It is always a very small amount of the total classified, due to the few pieces obtained from the total.

The company offers wood calibration services. How important is proper wood calibration for guitar building?

There are several reasons why when we talk about luthiers. In some cases, our methods and services are much better and less expensive at the luthier level, thus saving time that, in many cases, helps luthiers have a higher production rate.

These services are not popular for chain builders.

Climate change is affecting forests worldwide. How does this impact the availability of traditional guitar tonewoods?

It’s having a huge impact. The worst thing about this is that people are unaware of this problem. When I talk to my clients, I realize I offer FSC wood, and they are not interested if they are not certified.

You explain to them the problems that exist today and that are becoming more serious every day, and they do not want to hear them either. Only a very small percentage is involved in these changes.

An example is ebony. Every day, it becomes more complicated and expensive. We try to introduce new materials with the same function or better, but people are very reluctant to use these new, more sustainable and controlled options.

Your website mentions that European Spruce tops are becoming scarce. What alternatives would you recommend to luthiers?

The truth is that it is complex today. There are other options, such as American spruce (Engelmann), but in classical guitar, luthiers keep using woods that have been used for many years. But well-cut Engelmann can give excellent results.

The problem today is that European spruce, Engelmann, sitka or cedar are already scarce.

Could you explain your wood drying service? Why is proper wood drying crucial for guitar building?

I always recommend natural stabilization, but most clients do not have a stock to stabilize, they buy and use the wood practically on a daily basis.

In these cases, there is no other option than artificial drying. We have two systems: vacuum drying, in which all medium-hard to hardwoods are dried, and a conventional air dryer, where we can dry woods of lower density, such as cedar, fir, and mahogany.

How does your partnership with Tree Nation align with sustainable tonewood sourcing?

We collaborate with Tree Nation, with a contribution for each order placed. Tree Nation is responsible for managing the collaboration in different projects. In many cases, it is not related to tonal wood but to planting trees that regenerate the footprint caused by logging on a global level.

What role do you see for alternative or lesser-known wood species in the future of guitar building?

For me, it is necessary, and in the not-too-distant future, it will be mandatory. As I mentioned before, since they are not aware of it, they will be forced to use it.

Can you explain the differences between your wood bending services for acoustic and electric guitar sides?

Currently, we do not offer side bending service for acoustic guitars. We only offer CUT-WAY and normal bending service for classical guitars.

Your company works with both artisan makers and industrial manufacturers. How do their tonewood needs differ?

The demands of luthiers (artisans) are much higher because they do not have the same problems as large-scale manufacturers.

They can meet their supply needs with smaller quantities, and they do not have the same number of models as large manufacturers, who can classify their purchases for each model or price range they manufacture.

Your catalog features woods with striking visual patterns, like the tiger stripes in Zebrawood and the ‘spider webbing’ in Madagascar Rosewood. How much do these natural patterns affect the price, and do they influence its sound quality?

The sound quality is not affected by these patterns, but it does affect the price since, in many cases, these patterns are very rare.

The most important thing for the sound, the finish, and the instrument’s durability are other patterns, which not all customers take into account.

What inspired your “purchase by picture” service, and how has it been received by customers?

Our clients’ visits are welcome at our facilities, but due to distance or time spent on visits, many of our clients are not always able to come and select the wood themselves.

Because of this, we were overloaded with taking photos so the client could see which piece they were buying. This took time, which ultimately resulted in an added cost.

For this reason, it was decided to offer this service in advance, and many clients are already regular users.

How do you ensure consistent quality when cutting wood to custom sizes for different guitar makers?

We have clients with regular schedules; we know their preferences, and we work according to their preferences. This leads to a large number of pieces being rejected.

These pieces are then sold as clearance or liquidation at much lower prices, even below cost.

Your company emphasizes gender equality in the lutherie sector. How are you promoting this in practice?

We would like to emphasize this, first of all with our workers, who are more than a third of them women.

We collaborate with female luthiers and give them visibility on networks, not only for justice but also because they are a very well-qualified sector, in many cases with much more tact and finish than the male sector.

In Valencia, we had many guitar companies in the 70s, and in most cases, it was women who varnished with shellac, only women.

My wife varnishes with shellac, not because she is my wife but because I know her work and that of other male varnishers. The care I see in their work I do not see in many other cases of men.

In recent years, we have seen a tremendous increase in women in this profession, which makes me very happy.

Could you share some insights about your wood storage methods? How do you maintain optimal conditions?

In many cases, we manufacture and sell, not stock. In certain woods, the most delicate items are stocked in places with controlled humidity, but this is not possible for all our stock volumes.

Therefore, we try to make them accessible and protected and avoid constant changes in temperature or light as far as possible.

What emerging trends are you seeing in tonewood preferences among modern guitar builders?

More than trends, it is availability. At the same time, electric guitars are more open or use more exotic woods, with sudden changes, striking colors, and crazy designs.

While it is true that these woods give added value to the instrument and in the eyes of the final buyer, who in many cases is not aware of many points when buying a guitar.

Of course, there are always people who are up to date on what is best for an instrument, but not in most cases.