Freelance Writing.

The Tonewood from the native Hawaiian Koa tree (Acacia koa) is highly prized for its use in creating acoustic guitars. The sound generated by the wood of this majestic tree is warm, rich and remarkably bright especially in the treble ranges of the spectrum with the bass tones keeping a strong, clear background. The colour ranges widely “ from an orange-blonde to deep reddish-purple and [the wood] has a tendency to have a pronounced ‘flash’ or ‘luster’“ states Mr. Bart Potter, miller of Hawaiian grown tonewoods and long time koa regeneration advocate. It is this striking luminosity of the koa that is one of the main reasons the tonewood is so highly sought after in lutherie circles. “ Standard descriptions like ‘fiddle-backed curl’ and ‘birds-eye’ give way to adjectives that strongly reflect the local obsession with the material: ‘mother-of-curl, compression headache, burls-on-curls, crushed broken velvet and spalted blond micro-washboard are but a few.’”  It is the acoustic properties of the wood and this visually strong personality that create a big demand for the timber with luthiers world wide. Bart tells us that “ only about 20% of these few logs have curl or figure that would qualify as being remarkable, and the wildest, densest, quatersawn, free-from-runout, knock your socks off Koa probably totals only 1% of the merchantable resources recovered.”  The oldest trees can live to around “ 300 years old with a more average lifespan thought to range from 75-100 years,”  growing to a respectable 30 metres or 100 feet in height.
Koa has been used for centuries by the islands natives, “ early Polynesian settlers who gave Hawaii its name around 750 A.D,”  who would take trees to carve canoes and paddles that can seat several dozen people at one time. The natives would whittle away branches to form solid wooden surfboards complete with fins that were used to carve swathes of foam in the waves of the famous North Shore, back when surfing as we know it was first being discovered. These solid wood boards today can fetch up to $10, 000 in the U.S. marketplace. Masks were fashioned for ceremonial use and warfare and when Captain Cook dropped by during his travels in the 1700’s, westerners were introduced to the attractive tonewood that was almost instantly championed amongst woodworkers and luthiers alike. “Records documenting trade in koa lumber in the 1830’s indicate that even then it was apparent that koa was too valuable to use as a building material and it enjoyed a reputation as a fine wood for craft and cabinetry.”
The monumental sonic discovery was first made about the time when that native living a life of luxury in paradise on the beach found such contentment they seeked to express it in the form of one of the worlds smallest chordophones, the ukele. Pronounced “oo-ka-la-lee” the good old uke or ‘flea’ as it is literally translated has been touched by the koa since it was first made. Between the uke and the koa one might say that these two created the sound of Hawaii, the sound that the big man Brother Iz [Israel Ka’ano’i Kamakawiwo’ole] captured so remarkably in his famous rendition of ‘Somewhere of the Rainbow’, may he rest in peace. Stable, solid and  remarkably attractive both in colour and texture, the resonance and sustain of the timbers’ microstructure gives life to a sound that is both deep and piercingly bright while maintaining a rich warmth highlighted by the syrupy chocolate colours and textures of light sound. Five stars.

The trees were once naturally found on five of the biggest islands in the Hawaiian chain but sadly, due to a massive swelling of the population, a sharp increase in the demand for this valuable tonewood and major landclearing for livestock and pineapples the trees have retreated almost completely to the Big Island, known by its formal name; Hawaii. Here they remain in their uninterrupted habitat nurtured by the National Parks and native rangers that maintain a constant vigil over the trees, protecting them from poachers and ensuring the naturally fallen trees are cleared to make way for the growth and maturing of new seedlings.
At one time it was deemed inappropriate for the fallen logs to be removed. It was thought that disturbing the fallen trees and  dragging them from the forest to be recycled would disturb the natural ecosystem of the forest as described by our xylophile mate Bart, who fills contracts for several leading guitar manufacturers including Taylor guitars.
The pockets of trees were monitored carefully before the scientists and researchers decided that the regeneration rate of the natural forest was too slow. This point and the fact that the forests were probably becoming more damaged by the teams of poachers that traipsed through the undergrowth to nab logs that can allegedly fetch tens of thousands of dollars on the black market, led the forest industries to begin selectively clearing the fallen trees with a two fold benefit. First, the trees were recycled, helping to ease the pressure on the forests and second the seeds in the topsoil laying dormant were allowed to germinate, sometimes bringing several to stand where one king had fallen. “ Koa seed can lie dormant yet remain viable in the ground for more than 50 years and depending on the elevation and rainfall can produce trees that grow up to an inch in diameter per year.”
The search for the tonewood of this particular tree is such that “its harder to get than drugs these days.” states John Bonk, owner/operator of ‘Ko’olau’ Oahu’s  largest guitar and ukele manufacturing company. The business has taken its name from the Ko’olau mountain range, one of the regions where the koa were originally found and can still be seen thriving majestically in their native habitat. Together with his sons including head luthier Noa they produce a range of chordophones with the native koa wood that are both beautiful to see and amazing to hear. With most types of models catered for and a custom shop for those that aren’t a visit to Ko’olau will set you back a pretty penny, all well worth it. The Bonks craftsmanship is highly sought after both on the islands and overseas. The guitars and ukes have become a favourite amongst some of Hawaii’s top international performers. Noa states “They (the artists) prefer the koa guitars to record with.” Apparently the koa guitar is sought after for use in the studio giving life to the sound on tape that other tonewoods may not. Of course this is a subjective opinion yet one that is obviously apparent to these artists I can only guess on the identity of. The ‘birds’ tell us that Oahu native resident Jack Johnson may have at least one Koa guitar in the collection being used to record in his famous Mango Tree studio based somewhere on the island. But at this stage all is rumour and the truth is carefully guarded by those who know.
Chatting with one of the lads at the Hawaii Music Supply shop we touch upon the roots of this ancient Hawaiian sound. “ The Koa lap-steels tend to be tuned down to an open or drop D.”  Hawaiian  lap-steel virtuoso Joseph Kekuku is widely accredited with the introduction of the modern lap-steel guitar. Fittingly many of his guitars were made with Koa. Not only does the wood have its own signature sound but its use has given rise to a movement of music based upon the tonal qualities of this particular wood. Hawaiian lap-steel.
Our search for this elusive Koa tree begins on one of the larger islands of the Hawaiian group; Oahu. Flying into Honolulu and scouring the phone book lead to the discovery of one music shop on the other side of town. Hmm, our search for the koa may prove a little trickier than first expected. Grab the car and head out of town bowing our heads past Pearl Harbour in loving memory as we swing through Kalihi and up the Pali Highway to the north-east corner of the island, aiming for a township called Laie (pronounced ‘lie-ee-ay’). This town holds its legend in the dawning of the modern lap-steel guitar. Perhaps we’ll find some koa there? A quick stop at the local nursery Waiahole Botanicals yields thousands of brightly coloured Ti-trees but sadly no koa. Winding around the coast we find a small community market day and a luau from the local musicians and dancers. Chatting with the guitarist about his Epiphone leads no answers and after the native farewell and good blessing ‘Aloha’ we continue on our way. Arriving in Laie we immediately hook-up the road to local ’Hukilau’ surfshop for board hire and koa questions. Surfboards? Guitars? But still yet to see a glimmer of Koa. Back in the car and across the deserted peninsula spotted with famous Kahuku shrimp vans, fish farms and the crazy bric-a-brac shop to the legendary North shore surfcoast. Sunset, Pipeline and Waiamea breaks by before coasting through the Haliewa snow cone blitz and finally pulling into the Waialua Sugar Mill. We are getting close. The birds told us of a surfboardmaker here who was using koa to make hollow wooden boards. Perhaps he would know where the koa ukele sound could be found? Lon Klein of Haliewa Surfboards is gentle old soul weathered by the endless summers of Hawaii. A retired architectural fittings designer he moved here from California with the dream of making boards and surfing them. Wether a blessing or a curse good doors proved hard to find in Hawaii and before long his time was taken up in the thriving business metropolis that Oahu is fast becoming. Thankfully Lon was more than happy to chat about these self-styled creations made with koa, merbou and other exotic lightwoods similar to balsa. The boards retail for around $16,000 U.S. and have graduated from being merely a surfboard into full blown art with incredible patterning complementing the contrast in different wood colours. Great design. Still searching for that sound. So to visit Derek in the coffee and chocolate mill. Green bean, roasting, bagging and enjoying a fresh cacao bean from the pod. After chatting amicably and turning to leave he mentions casually “ Oh if your looking for koa guitars there’s a place up in Wahiawa on the right after the bridge. They’ll know where they make the Koa guitars.”  Bingo. Thanks Derek. Straight up the highway. And that’s where we find the Ko’olau boys. Noa kindly hooks up a meeting with Bart and we were getting close. “ If anyone could tell us I reckon its this bloke.”  I spin to no one in particular as we head back before setting off again.
And sure enough growing behind one of the sheds are two strong Koa saplings. The grail. Standing roughly 2-3 metres high (8 feet) these white smooth barked trees have leaf patterns astoundingly similar to the Australian Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon). This increasingly popular Aussie tonewood is even actually “ sometimes sold under the misnomer ‘Australian Koa.’”  Bart kindly shows us around the mill park packing the massive “Polvsen bandsaw mill which has 5 foot wide… kerf blade powered by an Isuzu diesel engine.”  This bandsaw is capable of cutting the trunks into smaller slabs that are then milled on a different saw  and stacked to dry under shelter in the average 29 degrees that each day in paradise brings. It was a field of guitars growing steadily in their well-tithed earth.
Finding the saplings out the back of the wood shed was the end of one journey and the beginning of another. Where to find the old kings and queens in their element, shacked up in the hills remote on the rainforest crag gazing steadfastly out to sea and relishing the slowly dissolving natural environment? Humming the tune, oblivious to the rampant demand for the tonewood. And may they continue to gaze until our children and our childrens children see the rightful restoration of this great Hawaiian monarch.

2,007 words.

Bibliography.

“Long Live King Koa!” by Bart Potter.
American Lutherie #38, 1994.

Growing Koa.
A Hawaiian Legacy Tree.
Kim M. Wilkinson and Craig R. Elevitch.
Permanent Agriculture Resources. (PAR)
2003
P.O. Box 428 Holualoha.
Hawaii 96725
par@agroforestry.net

Guitar: An American Life.