Wallace looks for salvageable lumber amongst Detroit blight and turns it into guitars. (Photo: Courtesy Mark Wallace)
Wallace Detroit Guitars founder Mark Wallace says “Chevrolet is a foundational element in the story of Detroit.” He says using the wood was an attractive opportunity for a “company that honors the history of Detroit in every instrument we make.” Plus, he says, the maple is “gorgeous” and provides a sound “unlike any other instrument.”
Source: Wood from Chevrolet plant going into Detroit-made guitars
Mark Wallace of Wallace Detroit Guitars
The reclaimed wood used to build Wallace Detroit Guitars — salvaged from buildings in the Motor City — dates as far back as the early 1800s. The handmade guitars are therefore being built with the same vintage, slow-growth wood as instruments made in the golden era of the 1920s, said Wallace Detroit Guitars founder Mark Wallace. “That wood went into guitars, and my wood went into houses,” Wallace said during an interview at Architectural Salvage Warehouse, the nonprofit where he sources maple, ash, walnut and pine. “There’s something fundamentally different about the wood that went into those [vintage] guitars, and that’s what I’m tapping into.”
Source: Wallace Detroit Guitars Use Reclaimed Motor City Wood For A ‘Cadillac’ Sound | Benzinga
Aged Maple and Pine Salvaged from Floor of Old Detroit Landmark Inspires
Twelve One of a Kind, Timeless Instruments
The first guitars released from the firehouse wood will be a pair made of pine and featuring a brand new offset body shaped, designed by Wallace Detroit Guitars. Eye-catching and comfortable to wear, the smoothly rounded dual ‘horns’ cut a classic profile on-stage or in the studio. “Pine is a lighter, softer wood with more air inside of it as compared to common guitar lumbers like ash or poplar,” says Wallace. “That allows it to resonate a bit more for a nice prolonged tone.” Pine has only begun to see wide use in guitar making within the last ten years, so these guitars present a unique opportunity to own a pine guitar with the sound and feel of vintage wood.
Source: Wallace Detroit Guitars Announces Limited Edition ‘Firehouse Series’, Handcrafted with Reclaimed Wood from Iconic Detroit Firehouse | Guitar Girl Magazine
Mark Wallace, owner of Wallace Detroit Guitars, makes his instruments from reclaimed wood salvaged from Detroit buildings. Musician Stewart Francke vouches for their quality.
“It’s a beautiful guitar. It makes you feel good to hold it. It makes you feel good to play it,” says Francke, 58, who’s recorded with Bruce Springsteen, toured with Bob Seger and opened with the guitar for Joan Jett at this year’s Arts, Beats and Eats festival. “I’ve got 25 guitars, but this one is the one that I play the most live, and it sounds probably the cleanest.”
Source: Sound investment: CEO turns reclaimed wood into original guitars
Reclamation Administration: News and Research on Building Material Waste Prevention