Stix

Many other didgeridoos on the market are made from freshly cut trees that have had little or no time to dry. This means that the timber is full of sap and moisture. Some didgeridoo makers even soak the logs in water to make them easier to work with. The outside of these didgeridoos are often painted with glue to reduce moisture loss. It is hoped that these didgeridoos will lose moisture slowly through the inside of the instrument. Unfortunately this is not always the case. Didgeridoos end up in all sorts of environments and conditions, for example; inside cars on hot days, next to fire places, in the cargo hold of air crafts, and inside heated houses. These situations can lead to a rapid loss of moisture in a green or wet didgeridoo, which in turn can lead to splitting or cracking .

“Sourcing our Didgeridoos”

A lot of time is spent sourcing the raw product. Before going into the bush and selecting a tree for cutting, it is checked for hollowness, shape and natural defects such as holes and cavities. Trees are only cut that meet a high standard. This practice significantly reduces the amount of trees that are cut and is a environmentally sustainable.

When sourcing didgeridoos from the bush, STIX holds a current Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission permit which allows cutting of timber in approved areas only. Currently this is the only legal way of cutting didgeridoos. Some of the  other didgeridoos on the market have been illegally taken from the bush.  In the last SEVEN years we have been cutting timber on properties which are to be cleared for commercial and residential purposes. The clearing of these properties has already been approved by the government. We get in before the trees are cleared and take whatever didgeridoos are there. This makes good environmental sense as we are salvaging trees which were going to be knocked down and burnt anyway.

If you are like many didgeridoo players, playing becomes a passion (if not an obsession!). I am only to happy to answer any questions that you have about your STIX didgeridoo. And if you are ever in Darwin, Northern Territory I would welcome a visit so you can see where your didgeridoo was made.