The present invention concerns soundboard apparatus for a musical instrument, the apparatus comprising a soundboard substrate formed of composite fibrous resin bonded material having a thickness of between 0.75 mm and 3 mm; and an outer layer formed of ultra-violet light blocking material having a thickness of between 0.5 and 0.9 mm. Further, the present invention relates to a method of forming a soundboard apparatus, the method comprising the steps of: bonding multiple layers of woven or straight stranded fibrous material in a resinous matrix to form a soundboard substrate, wherein the soundboard substrate is formed such that it is oversized with respect to final soundboard substrate dimensions; and finishing the soundboard substrate to form the final substrate, the finishing process being constrained to ensure that the final substrate dimensions are not compromised.