Southern Live Oak

Quercus virginiana. Janka Hardness: 12,920 N

Revered for its strength and durability, Southern Live Oak is a light-colored, close-grained hardwood that boasts a Janka Hardness score of 12,920 Newtons, making it an ideal choice of wood for the fittings on a fine instrument. The wood was famously used in the construction of the USS Constitution, a warship from the times of President George Washington that adopted the nickname “Old Ironsides” for its ability to repel cannonballs off the side of the ship. As a testimony to the wood’s permanence, the USS Constitution remains the oldest ship of any type in the world still afloat to this day. The Southern Live Oak tree grows abundantly throughout the southeastern United States, reaching 80 feet in height with a branch spread of 170 feet in diameter, and can live upwards of 500 years.

Uses: Tailpieces, Pegs, Chinrests, Endpin, Binding, Guitar Back Plates and Ribs, Rosettes, Fingerboards, Guitar Bridges