What you are seeing are the medullary rays in the wood. They tend to show up when the wood is perfectly quartersawn. Quatersawn wood will tend to have the greatest strength along the gain lines. They do not inherently make the wood sound better. But, the "silking" is a good visual indicator that the wood you are getting is going to be the highest quality cut that the specific, unfortunate, tree could donate to your fine instrument, and for your listening pleasure.
From Wiki:
In botany, medullary rays (pith rays or wood rays) are sheets or ribbons extending vertically through the tree perpendicular to the growth rings. The cells in each ray are elongated and horizontal. These are living cells, unlike the dead cells of the wood xylem. The rays allow the radial transmission of sap.
__________________
"Lift your head and smile at trouble. You'll find happiness someday."
|