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 A small Hawaiian Island of 624 square miles, Kauai's diverse micro-climate varies from a desert-like conditions on the leeward coast to lush rain forests located on the Northshore. At the center of the Island, Mount Waiale (5,148 feet) and the Alaka'i Swamp receive more than 440 inches of rain a year. This region of Kauai has the distinction of being the "wettest spot on Earth"....... |
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Commercially
grown of
Kauai, Albizzia was planted by the U. S. Forestry Service in emerald
green valleys located in lower elevations where the trees
flourish. Here, the annual rainfall is between 80 to120 inches of
rain a year.
The appearance of Kauai
Albizzia
is silver white with some yellow highlights. The grain is
straight
and slightly interlocked. It is a lighter wood with a specific
gravity
of 0.32. Some guitars bodies made from Albizzia can weigh as low
as
2 1/2 pounds, making it an ideal alternative to basswood, swamp ash and
honduras mahogany.
Other factors besides the clear straight grain and light weight characteristics contribute to the unmistakable tone-wood qualities. Stability and reduced shrinkage of Albizzia compare very favorably to that of Engleman Spruce. A porous and extremely strong wood, considering density, Albizzia produces full tonal characteristics similar to honduras mahogany and koa. Guitars made from Albizzia are loud unamplified and have a bell like frequency curve. Tucker Guitars of Hanalei, Kauai offers the only Albizzia electric guitars in the world. The woods are sourced and naturally air dried on Kauai. Major Guitar companies are contemplating the diminishing supply of Tropical Tonewoods required to recreate the vintage sounds. Tucker Guitars is committed to introducing rare alternative woods to the market. “Piercing Winds” TM Albizzia Select: Much of Kauai's Albizzia supply was threatened by Hurricane "Iniki" (Piercing Winds) on September 11, 1992. Considered the worst Hurricane to approach the Hawaiian Islands in 100 years, Iniki packed maximum sustained winds of 145 miles per hour. When the Eye of the Hurricane passed over the center of Kauai, the wind stopped and then gusted to 227 miles per hour, devastating much of Kauai's foliage. The Albizzia trees were significantly damaged and stripped clean of the thin horizontal branch system. Many trees died, while others stood dormant for several years before any kind of foliage returned. The strong, surviving Albizzia timbers are a special tone wood resource. Seasoned by the "Piercing Winds" of Hurricane Iniki and then suspended by Mother Nature for years, until life returned, these trees voice a special heritage. We think there is special mojo in
Albizzia trees which survived Iniki. It can be seen in certain
sections of
the trunk. We use those Albizzia crotch pieces as |
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