Recently, I started a series of limited edition Vintage Ship Wood electric guitars and basses, made of 100-200 years old Danish ship wood. This series is more than ordinary guitars; they are a piece of Danish history.
I have succeeded to acquire pieces of wood from historical Danish wooden ships. The wood has an excellent sustain and stability.
Firstly, the natural resin in the wood has after many years crystallized, making pores open to vibration. The tree has set itself. Fresh wood is relatively unstable, and can therefore cause over the years.
commercial factory made guitars are made of fresh wood stored for a short period and oven-dried. This means that only the water content is reduced, while the natural resins are still preserved, and it reduces the guitar ability to vibrate. It is among other one of the reasons that the original old solid body guitars from the 50s and 60s swing more alive than newly built guitars.
Many years of stay below and above the water has furthermore given the ship timber a contain of now crystallized salt, which just reinforces the strength and stiffness.
In addition to the technical qualities of the wood, each Vintage Ship Guitar bears physically a unique story inside it.