Mulberry wood strips
Body strips from mulberry wood, one of the strongest and most durable wood that is highly reliable in adverse weather conditions (heat, cold, humidity). It is no wonder that we still see aged wooden beams –over 500 years old- in old houses, in excellent condition, without any maintenance and with much better mechanical strength than the contemporary ones. The only discernible difference is the black color that has been acquired due to age –which, of course, we truly love.
In my view, mulberry wood is one of the best kinds of wood in the musical instrument making, as it is easy to bend, it doesn’t crack and it provides an excellent tone quality. It is a kind of wood that dries relatively easily and, if cut in thin pieces, it can be made into a musical instrument with a fine tone, even if it is dried naturally (a process that lasts 3-4 years). It can also be used to make a carved musical instrument, just like ashwood or plane tree wood, with very good results.
Cretan lyras (about 80%) are made from mulberry tree wood and so are a lot of lute, mandolin and bouzouki bodies. There are a lot of mulberry species: the black mulberry (many people mistake it for cranberry), the white mulberry, the fruitless mulberry (it does not produce berries) and the wild mulberry with the thin leaves. All species can be used for the making of musical instruments. The only difference one may notice is the color. As far as density, durability and tone quality are concerned, all species are similar.
