California State University, Northridge Tonewood
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CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE TONEWOOD: AN ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Master of Arts in Geography By Lisa Rae Black May 2013 The thesis of Lisa Rae Black is approved: ________________________ __________ Dr. James W. Craine Date ________________________ __________ Dr. James J. Hayes Date ________________________ __________ Dr. Ronald A. Davidson, Chair Date California State University, Northridge ii DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my beloved mother Beverly Black who supported my efforts in continuing my education. And to my father Jerry Black who sat with me frequently and spoke of his love for the forests and the varied species of timber within them. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Very special thanks to Toni Valenta-Pencille for her continued support, moral and otherwise, without which I could not have completed this thesis, and also to Carol Rosenthal for her inspiration and continued support of my work. Special thanks to Fren Askir, Rebecca Apodaca, Joe Bonamassa, Paul Boutin, Sylvester Bowen, Rob Canny, Leo Coulson, Dr. James Craine, Clint Davidson, Dr. Ron Davidson, Pierre de Beauport, David Deis, Chris Elliot, David Ellis, Edwin Fountaine Jr., Eric Garcia, Jeff Hanna, Dr. James Hayes, Susan Hyatt, Gary Kaluza, Kate Lewis, Terri Ludmer, Meredith MacArthur, Cynthia Luchia, Ricky Mahler, Troy Richardson, Marty Rifkin, Larry Rosen, Larry Rousseve, Dan Salfer, Adam Steinberg, Chris Stenko, and Toni Valenta-Pencille for their willing participation in this study, I have the utmost of respect for each of you, it is an honor to know and work with you all. iv Table of Contents SIGNATURE PAGE ___________________________________________________________________ii DEDICATION_______________________________________________________________________ iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ______________________________________________________________ iv LIST OF FIGURES ___________________________________________________________________ vi ABSTRACT ___________________________________________________________________vii CHAPTER ONE - INTRODUCTION______________________________________________________ 1 1.1 - RESEARCH PROBLEM_____________________________________________________________ 1 1.2 - RESEARCH QUESTION AND HYPOTHESIS ______________________________________________ 2 1.4 - PURPOSE STATEMENT ____________________________________________________________ 6 1.5 - SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY ______________________________________________________ 7 1.6 - LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY _______________________________________________________ 7 CHAPTER TWO - BACKGROUND ______________________________________________________ 9 2.1 - INTRODUCTION _________________________________________________________________ 9 2.2 - THE GIBSON RAID _______________________________________________________________ 9 2.3 - ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ________________________________________________________ 11 2.3.1 - CITES ___________________________________________________________________ 12 2.3.2 - THE LACEY ACT ___________________________________________________________ 13 2.3.3 - THE FARM BILL ____________________________________________________________ 18 2.4 - COGNITIVE DISSONANCE ______________________________________________________ 26 2.5 - LUTHIERY ____________________________________________________________________ 35 2.6 - TONEWOOD ___________________________________________________________________ 35 2.6.1 - BRAZILIAN ROSEWOOD, THE ‘HOLY GRAIL’ ______________________________________ 37 CHAPTER 3 – DATA AND METHODOLOGY ____________________________________________ 46 3.1 - INTRODUCTION ________________________________________________________________ 46 3.2 - ETHNOGRAPHIC AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH________________________________________ 46 3.3 - TONEWOOD DATABASE-QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH ____________________________________ 47 3.4 - RESEARCH METHODS ___________________________________________________________ 47 CHAPTER 4 – RESULTS AND CONCLUSION____________________________________________ 50 4.1 - INTRODUCTION ________________________________________________________________ 50 4.2 - QUALITATIVE RESULTS __________________________________________________________ 51 4.3 - QUANTITATIVE RESULTS_________________________________________________________ 53 4.4 - CONCLUSION __________________________________________________________________ 54 WORKS CITED _____________________________________________________________________ 56 APPENDIX - A - SURVEY ___________________________________________________________ 61 APPENDIX - B - TONEWOOD DATABASE _______________________________________________ 64 v List of Figures FIGURE 1: MUSICIANS WHO SIGNED THE PLEDGE ______________________________________________ 5 FIGURE 2: ROSEWOOD FRETBOARD _______________________________________________________ 20 FIGURE 3: ‘MAGELLAN’ JOE BONAMASSA'S 1959 LES PAUL STANDARD __________________________ 32 FIGURE 4: JOE BONAMASSA'S GUITAR COLLECTION __________________________________________ 34 FIGURE 5: MARK TWAIN’S 1835 MARTIN GUITAR ____________________________________________ 41 FIGURE 6: C.F. MARTIN AND CO., PRICE LIST FROM 1931 ______________________________________ 41 FIGURE 7: MAP OF BRAZILIAN ROSEWOOD (DALBERGIA NIGRA) COLLECTION AND OCCURRENCE________ 42 FIGURE 8: MATURE BRAZILIAN ROSEWOOD TREE (DALBERGIA NIGRA)____________________________ 43 FIGURE 9: MAN STANDING ON ROSEWOOD STUMP ____________________________________________ 44 FIGURE 10: MARTIN 0-28 GUITAR (1894) WITH SPRUCE TOP, BRAZILIAN ROSEWOOD BACK AND SIDES, SPANISH CEDAR NECK, EBONY FRETBOARD, IVORY BOUND BODY ___________________________ 45 vi ABSTRACT TONEWOOD: AN ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE By Lisa Rae Black Masters of Arts in Geography For centuries, guitar players and luthiers (guitar makers) have counted on Brazilian rosewood to provide superior tone in the construction of acoustic and electric guitars. Due to deforestation, the species is now threatened by extinction and subject to trade protection under international environmental law. In a rare collision of music and environmental regulation, musicians and luthiers now find themselves on the wrong side of environmental law (the Lacey Act). Shockwaves were sent through the music world in 2011 following a raid at the Gibson Guitar plant in Nashville for violating the Lacey Act. The raid culminated in the confiscation of illegally harvested ebony and rosewood. A group of twenty-five musicians who support laws designed to protect the environment were surveyed for this study. Interviews reveal that less than half of the group support the Gibson raid and that enforcement of the Lacey Act has placed their musical sensibilities at odds with their environmental sensibilities. Challenges to their values system have resulted in trivialization of the Gibson raid, for example blame was placed not on the illegal use of endangered woods, but on political and personal views of the Gibson’s CEO. According to Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance, trivialization of a value or belief not consistent with a behavior may result in future avoidance of similar issues. I argue that a poorly written 2008 amendment to the Lacey Act penalizes a small group of people, guitarists who support environmental policy, and that future support of environmental policy from these musicians is in jeopardy. Revisions to the Lacey Act are needed to exempt guitars from all travel restrictions built prior to 2008 when the law was passed. vii Chapter One - Introduction 1.1 - Research Problem For centuries, guitar makers (luthiers) have used Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra) to craft superior guitars. Threatened by extinction, due to deforestation, Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra) is now legally restricted from trade and international transport. In 2008, The Farm Bill (the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act) amended the Lacey Act, a United States environmental law, prohibiting the trade and transport of Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra) in any form, including guitars. Considering that it’s the foundation instrument upon which rock and roll was built (Hall 2009), it’s hardly surprising that guitars are so loved and held dear to those who play them, own them, fix them and build them. Most of the world’s great guitars, whether made in America, Spain or Japan have been built in part, with Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra). Therefore placed at odds are the environmental and musical sensibilities of several musicians and luthiers. Known by luthiers and musicians as the holy grail of tonewood ethical use of this precious commodity is at the heart of this study. A problem exists when musicians who support laws designed to protect the environment trivialize enforcement of the Lacey Act in order to cope with the fact that tonewoods such as Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra) are near extinction. Analyses of this group’s perceptions are needed to aid in future development of effective environmental policy. What happens when musicians and luthiers who support laws designed to protect the environment consider themselves on the wrong side of the law? Trivialization, or cognitive dissonance (Festinger 1957) may occur, leading to future avoidance of environmental issues resulting in apathy and/or avoidance. 1 Several species of tonewood (woods used to make guitars) are now endangered and protected in CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). Some guitarists are tempted to dismiss the issue of vanishing wood as hysteria and marketing hype. “That