泰勒吉他的广告功能
Given the ecological challenges surrounding Hawaiian koa, you might think that泰勒introducing two new models almost completely made of the stuff is folly – but thanks to new sustainability ventures, the future of the wood is looking a lot brighter than ever.
We spoke to both Jim Kerlin, the editorial director of Taylor’sWood And Steel博客和泰勒（新任命的）首席吉他设计师，首席执行官兼总裁安迪·鲍尔斯（Andy Powers），以了解更多有关该品牌可持续性承诺背后的内容以及700系列中KOA的独特性质。
有很多方法可以解决可持续性问题，但也许没有什么比泰勒的方法那么直接。2015年，它与Pacific Rim Tonewoods合作，为新的合资企业 - Siglo Tonewoods。但是，该计划不仅仅是为KOA建立新的分销商，正如吉姆（Jim）所解释的那样：“我们的愿景是帮助恢复夏威夷本地森林并种植KOA，以在未来的乐器中为乐器创造持久的木材供应。
“We adopted an innovative stewardship contracting approach that was first implemented by the US Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy, which addressed the significant costs associated with forest restoration.
“Instead of paying a landowner for logs or harvesting rights, Siglo would be allowed to cut a select number of koa trees from a compromised forest area and in exchange would invest the dollar-for-dollar value of that wood into forest improvement projects on that land.”
从本质上讲，该合作伙伴关系是扩大和大大加强夏威夷KOA森林的巨大投资。现在，七年后，我们看到了这项投资的果实 - 722ce盛大的音乐会和724ce礼堂，都完全由KOA制成。
您可能会注意到，即使与其他KOA吉他相比，这里看到的谷物具有惊人的特征，这是Siglo Tonewoods的独特情况，这是一个幸福的事故。“Through that direct arrangement, we’ve been able to cut into more koa logs ourselves, and in the process, discover wood with a broader range of colours and visual character than we’d previously encountered in dealing with suppliers,” Jim tells us.
Powers adds: “In the past, we were familiar with the wood that sawyers offered us, but we didn’t get to see all that a Hawaiian forest could provide. We would typically see the extreme end of the koa wood spectrum – the outrageous, highly figured koa since that is the timber many sawyers would target for guitars, while most other koa trees were directed toward other uses. Once we began working closer to each log and could see all of these beautiful hues, it felt as exciting as the first time we realised ebony could have variegated colour. The reality is that a lot of fantastic-sounding koa wood comes from trees that don’t have deeply figured grain.”
A connection to the wood
So how exactly is this koa different to that which Taylor has used in the past? “In contrast to the super figured koa we’ll use for our Koa Series, this koa is more straight-grained. It’s similar to the genetic variable that makes some hair curly, some wavy and some straight,” Jim explains.
直晶谷物不仅是美学上的怪癖 - 它改变了木材在声学上和结构上的工作方式，在设计新的700系列时，动力考虑了一些事情。吉姆告诉我们：“与我们现有的KOA系列相比，安迪（Andy）以不同的方式以不同的方式对待这种KOA，并设计了具有独特美学和音乐个性的全纤维木吉他，该系列传达了丰富，豪华的美学。”
安迪补充说：“那些KOA系列吉他是为了反映出这种超精美，抛光，光滑的美学的。”“They’re rich and sweet – I was thinking about this guitar from the outside in. I wanted to start by focusing on a tactile connection to the wood to emphasise the directness of the response – when you touch the body, you can feel the actual wood texture, the grain structure, the pores. There’s less between the player and the wood, to such a degree that the player feels the warmth of the wood surface.”
做好自己的锻炼
当然，支撑是原声吉他设计中非常重要的一部分 - 在新的KOA设计时，安迪·鲍尔斯（Andy Powers）的标志性V级支撑也经过了调整以适合木材。
吉姆说：“安迪（Andy）的V级支撑的美丽是，它提供了一个发声平台，可以根据吉他的身体形状或音调来改善该平台，以更好地区分每个模型的音乐个性。”“而且它不仅仅是支撑 - 它确实是一系列因素，它们是整体发音食谱的一部分。当然，它从木材本身的自然特性开始。在这种情况下，安迪（Andy）对背饰进行了一些微妙的修改。”
“Another difference maker was the choice of an ultra-thin, open-pore matte finish. As a result, there is less damping, so the sound is a little less filtered, a little livelier, than the sound of our Koa Series guitars, which have a somewhat thicker (by comparison) gloss finish that creates more of a damping effect.”
这种较薄的表面是让吉他具有更“诚实”的声音的一件事，反映了可能会丢失的触觉微妙之处。
“这些吉他保留了我们与由KOA制成的吉他（尤其是那个美丽的中端）相关的独特甜味，但具有更直接，更强烈的攻击和自然反应，”安迪补充说。“这种表面的薄度并不能造成太多的阻尼或压缩。您会听到更多的演奏触觉元素 - 更多的指尖，触摸弦的挑选，吉他手自然声音的微妙细微差别。我认为这是KOA吉他的玩家反射版本 - 您可以更好地控制自己的声音。”
种植未来
Sustainability is obviously a huge part of Taylor’s future, and the use of this non-conventional koa is one aspect of a much bigger picture. “It was our stewardship contracting sourcing model that brought this koa to our attention, so the value of the koa we are allowed to cut is reinvested, dollar for dollar, in various forest restoration projects,” Jim explains. “This helps to create a circular economy that supports the regeneration of native Hawaiian forests.”
“Additionally, Siglo Tonewoods is sponsoring ecological research with partner organisations like the Hawaiian Agricultural Research Center (HARC) and the US Forest Service Tropical Tree improvement Program. This led to the launch of a seed selection program in 2021, which aims to help reforest Hawaii with the genetics of superior koa trees.
These hardier trees – known as “plus” trees – stay healthier for longer. Seeds have been collected from 42 of them, and are currently being grown as seedlings. “The research has also identified many more “plus” trees whose seeds researchers will eventually be able to collect,” Jim adds. Through Siglo Tonewoods various planting initiatives, it has a plan in place to plant more than 150,000 trees over the next decade.
那么，这种特殊等级的KOA的未来是什么？吉姆说：“目前，这个年级（我们称之为选择的等级）主要用于700系列。”
当然，700系列并不是吉姆提醒我们的唯一方法：“我们知道玩家喜欢KOA作为音调，我们在吉他线上的各个地方都使用它。除了我们的高级KOA系列外，我们还提供200系列的KOA模型，其中包括GS Mini和Baby Taylor。我们很高兴能够在各种型号，价格点和审美套餐中提供KOA吉他。”
And with how much work Taylor is doing to increase the sustainability of Hawaiian koa, it’s unlikely that the koa found across Taylor’s lineup – and acoustic guitars in general – is going anywhere anytime soon.