About Us
OUR WOOD
At MSC we specialize in the production of Engelmann Spruce, (picea engelmanni). It is regarded for its amazing tone combined with a beautiful white appearance. Firmly established of its own merit in the world of instrument building, it is also a common replacement for German Spruce. Thought by many to be stiffer lateral to the grain than other species, this is likely the result of its cross-grain cell structure and the source of Engelmann's outstanding medullary rays. Whiter than all other spruces it meets the top two priorities sought after in a soundboard: Beautiful tone and striking appearance.
It provides everyone at MSC great pleasure being able to offer some of our finest products directly to you. As you look around, you'll probably notice many of our products are extremely rare finds, perhaps not even seen before. We produce a large volume of expertly manufactured soundboards every day, and what you see is the pinnacle of our production. To supply the inventory we offer here has literally taken years of full-time production, perhaps this represents the top 0.01%... no kidding. Its so rewarding to be able to provide some of natures rarest gems for finishing into the projects you create. We'd love to see them once complete!
EXPERIENCE & PASSION
A story in the making for over 20 years, MSC’s founder, Daryl Bjarnason, has worked with tonewood in both luthier and manufacturing roles. Various roles in the lumber industry, but especially log scaling, gave him a first introduction to the species' unique qualities. A craftsman at heart, it was while building his guitar and cedar strip canoe projects that Daryl developed a respect and fascination for tonewood-grade Spruce. His early days of hand-splitting rounds into billets with a wedge and maul gave him his start in acquiring a strong appreciation for every step involved in making a precision instrument.
Fast forward over two decades where, along with friends, family and a truly skilled group of employee's, Music Spruce Canada has grown to supply hundreds of thousands of soundboards for instrument makers around the world. The inborn fascination with the trees, the forests they grow in, and the exacting skill it requires to successfully cut into soundboards is what keeps us going. Targeting excellence, stewardship, and high quality are not just necessary but fulfilling for the members of the MSC team. At a pace where quality can be maintained, our growth will continue. It has been fueled by the genuine interest of our people and an inborn passion for the wood we produce. We continue to explore the source of this amazing voice and carefully steward it from original birthplace of centuries past into the hands of an eager musician you likely know.
An exciting recent development is the merging of Kootenay Tonewood with MSC. In 2018, the process of bringing together two of BC’s highly talented tonewood personalities began. Today, you receive the direct benefit of this strong relationship, which combines both Daryl’s and Graham’s expertise. It’s been rewarding working together, and we look forward to the future, operating under the MSC name. For those of you who have worked with Graham for years, that will continue and you’ll see very little change other than a different name on the paperwork.
QUALITY & STRENGTH
We service both wholesale and retail clientele. Our products are manufactured into the instruments we commonly see being played by our favorite musicians and indeed, by us all. Our focus is, and always will be the recovery of maximum quality from the wood we process. We approach our work with an appreciation for the rare resource that we steward. If any industry made place for care in production, this is it. To us, the story begins long before the times we each know. In cities or farms we may call home. Places where time is measured in not in years, but centuries. Where mankind does often not track, where time rolls on in serenity, and is yet completely untamed. The alluring voice we’ve referred to is the result of a unique interplay of physics being reproduced each time we pluck a string, press a key or draw a bow. Different materials offer different flavours in this recipe of sound, and the combination of these sounds produces the music we hear. The most fundamental component in this recipe is the soundboard. If you’ll look carefully, each instrument we’ve referred to has this key component and it is the source of the tone we perceive.
BEAUTIFUL TONE & STRIKING APPEARANCE
In order to be suitable for a soundboard, material must efficiently transmit the energy of a vibrating string into the air surrounding it. It is this “vibration” or rapid pressure fluctuation transmitted through air that we perceive as “sound”. Of course, it is always a strong priority to be visually appealing in the process.
Throughout the course of time, testing and the experience of luthiers and music lovers; Spruce, in its various forms, has risen to become the undisputed master of this role. Enter Music Spruce Canada…
