The Woods: Wood for Synthesizers

Starting in the 1950's and continuing up through the 1970's, the vast majority of electronic appliances produced were designed with wood cases and side panels.  TVs, Radios, HIFIs, Clocks, Speakers, and notably synthesizers.

By the 1980's the use of wood was mostly abandoned for more mass production friendly materials like plastic and aluminum.  The reason for this was simple: wood is a challenge to use in manufacturing because of its non-uniformity...that is, it's uniqueness.

From a broader view, wood isn't really a product at all.  It is the remains of a living organism.  And with that, it has all the randomly magic and unique properties that life brings about. 

From a product engineering standpoint, wood is a real challenge to work with.  It never stops moving. It's density, strength, looks, and other properties can vary wildly from board to board, or even within the same board.  Simply put, to work with wood effectively, it takes human interaction.  Real woodworking is by it's very definition a custom art.