Burl

A growth of tangled dormant buds on a tree trunk, sliced into veneer for its dense, swirling figure.

A burl forms where a tree produces masses of undeveloped buds, so the grain runs in every direction at once and a slice of it shows a chaotic field of eyes and swirls. That structure makes the wood beautiful and weak in equal measure: it checks easily, tears under tools, and thin slices are normally glued onto a stable substrate rather than used alone. It is commonly described as sounding soft and slightly damped compared with straight-grained timber, because the irregular grain does not carry vibration cleanly. Burl caps and headstock faces are therefore chosen for appearance more than for tone.

Example: A burl headstock veneer or body cap makes an instrument instantly recognisable while contributing very little to the way it sounds.

typical use: Thin decorative caps, veneers, headstock faces and inlays.

Burl

See also