rECOtimber in a few words

rECO series
Sustainability and sound It was September 1998 when Gunther Reinhardt first met with a university professor in Finland who told him that under a microscope thermo-treated wood looks just like wood from Stradivarius’ time. This comment inspired what would turn into the rECOtimber project: prioritizing sustainability without compromising on sound.
An innovative process Partnering with the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, we’ve developed a process which exposes the local woods to a minimum heat of 150° C for several hours. Effectively this causes the wood to dry out and become brittle. The success of this process hinges on finding the exact ratio of heat and duration in order to achieve the optimal degree of modification for different types of wood.
Backed up by science The science behind this project is what enables us to reduce the error rate. By performing quantified sound analyses our team of scientists have examined the vibration behaviours of both native and modified woods: concluding that with the right process, we can improve the acoustic properties of all types of woods used in guitar making.
Our vision The project has been developed with the aim to eventually replace the practice of using tropical species such as mahogany or rosewood in guitar making with local woods- all while achieving the same sound quality.

Schwäbische Gitarren aus heimischem Holz: Unternehmer Gunther Reinhardt aus Tübingen entwickelt mit seinem Team hochwertige Instrumente aus thermisch behandelten Klanghölzern.

Jan Scheper, enorm magazin

rECOtimber

How we thermally modify timber

view video