• Unique Australian Instrument Timbers

  • Otway Tonewoods has been supplying high quality timber for musical instruments to local and international luthiers since 1985.
  • Low-impact harvesting

  • We use extremely low-impact, selective harvesting techniques to reduce our footprint

Unique Australian Instrument Timbers

Otway Tonewoods has been supplying high quality timber for musical instruments to local and international luthiers since 1985. Learn More

Low-impact harvesting

We use extremely low-impact, selective harvesting techniques to reduce our footprint

Unique Australian Hardwoods

View collection
new yorker OM carson crickmore guitar otway blackwood top back and sides
selective harvesting otway blackwood murray kidman ukulele instrument timber

What we're about!

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From the Sticks to the Stage - Maton Official Promo

Clients

  • maton guitars australia
  • cort guitars
  • octigan guitars
  • ruben guitars
  • wheeler guitars
  • gilet guitars

Testimonials

new yorker OM carson crickmore guitar otway blackwood top back and sides

"A treasured resource that is so skilfully procured by the Kidman family."

- Phil Carson-Crickmore -

Carson-Crickmore Guitars
maton guitar otway tonewoods blackwood

"Murray and James Kidman have been supplying Maton with Blackwood since the beginning of our journey with this wonderful tonewood.

They are as passionate about their craft as we are about ours and nobody cuts Blackwood better for guitar making. It comes to us exactly as we want it, in terms of quality, grain direction and size.

We also take pride in the fact that they are one of the most sustainable tonewood suppliers on the planet. We look forward to many more years of making great instruments with Blackwood supplied by Murray and James."

Pat Evans - Maton Guitars

Maton Guitars
hollow body electric guitar octigan otway tonewoods blackwood

"Building musical instruments in Australia it is important to me to have access to a reliable source of  AAA - Mastergrade tonewoods. Otway Tonewoods supply luthiers here in Australia and overseas with timber that is sustainably harvested in the Otway ranges. Some of the beautiful Blackwood and Satinbox tonewoods that Otway Tonewoods have supplied have been used to create some of my most eye catching builds."

- Rod Octigan -

Octigan Guitars

Find out more

octigan guitars otway tonewoods fiddleback blackwood electric

Petition

The Victorian government has put forward a plan to “phase out” all sustainable native timber harvesting practices. To find out more and show your support go to our Petition page....

Petition
otway tonewoods stump flame blackwood

Figuring Out Timber

Figuring out timber takes some experience but we take the hassle out of it. If it’s instrument timber you are after then you have come to the right place.

Due to the way timber moves and the need to rely on it’s strengths, grain direction is everything.

See our figure grading examples from A-AAAA (mastergrade)….

Timber
otway tonewoods satinwood satinbox instrument timber

Species selection

We select timber from a number of different species including Blackwood, Satinwood and Mountain Ash. Check out our species section for details on timber properties and getting the right tone for your instrument.

Species
  • Sustainable harvesting for a sustainable future

Sustainable harvesting for a sustainable future

Keep up-to-date with the Victorian Forestry Plan

Trees, Conservation and Contribution

Conserving our natural world is by far more important than using it for it's resources. We are an advocate for protecting natural values and planting trees. We support a number of not-for-profit conservation organisations and are proud members of the Otway Agroforestry Network. Let us know if you are building something for charity and we'll chip in too.