Philosophy of Wood

So, about these instruments. And wood. Distinguished by innovative style and technology, each one of our instruments is still built upon solid tradition, refined and updated to reflect our many years of collective experience. And while this can be said of many fine makers, one very distinct difference, folded into every Troublesome Creek instrument, is our proud use of regionally-sourced materials.

Our research into the many applications of Appalachian tonewoods in the industry is helping to write a new chapter in the story of American guitar.

Not only does each alternative tonewood solution take us another small step back from tropical deforestation, but every time we buy from a local sawmill, it helps to bolster our mountain economy. And the results have been outstanding!

We build tonally brilliant, highly functional instruments from stunning, figured woods, such as Black Walnut, Black Cherry, and Maple of all sorts. We also utilize a variety of woods not normally seen, such as Osage Orange, Black Locust, White Oak and Hackberry. When we say spruce, it is almost always Adirondack, or Red Spruce, usually sourced here in the Appalachian Mountains. Other domestic spruces, such as Engelmann or Sitka, can be custom ordered as well.