Spruce

European spruce is the traditional wood for guitar soundboards, although quality material is in short supply. We bring in only small quantities of the best material, hand selected by a noted builder from split logs. Runout, which is quite common from most commercial suppliers is kept to an absolute minimum. The European we offer is mostly Swiss and is harvested by hand in the winter. It's priced a little higher because of hand

Only a handful of mills can handle logs this size these days.

selection, but the costs end up being lower to you because whatever you get, you will want to use.

Soundwise, European is known for its complex overtones and quick response.

Engelmann Spruce

Our Engelmann spruce comes from Canada where conditions seem to be ideal for this species (Picea engelmanni). Generally a little heavier and stronger than Engelmann from the states, it's been sold as European spruce for years by some. (I spent some time with a gentleman in Spain who showed me his stash of beautiful "European" spruce, but the markings clearly

came from our company. How many hands it passed through before getting to him, I don't know, but imagine the handling fees!) It's becoming a wood of choice for many of the large manufacturers of less expensive guitars, because the mill ends up cutting thousands of lower grade tops to get a few hundred of the better grades. At the moment better grade tops are plentiful, but shortages are not infrequent.

Sitka Spruce

Most of the Sitka spruce comes from Canada and Alaska, these days. This has become the traditional wood for steel string guitars simply because it is tough and strong, and it's much more easy to get good quality wood from these large trees. As well, many manufacturers have problems with the softer surface of Engelmann spruce or Western redcedar. Their craftsmen have to be extra careful to avoid dings and dents from workbench detritus. That's not to say that good sounding guitars aren't made from Sitka, many prefer it to the other spruces. Comments are often heard about its good midrange brightness and balance.

In the classic world, it's rarely used, but among a few of its devotees are fine classic builders John Gilbert and his son, Bill, and Grit Laskin uses Sitka on his classics, too.

Adirondack Spruce

Considered to be the holy grail in top woods, Adirondack or Red spruce is one of the most difficult woods to obtain in decent quality. With a very high stiffness to weight ratio, it's said to combine all the best qualities of the various spruces. The tops we offer are Northern Red Spruce from the mountains of Maine and New Hampshire. Our supplier chooses only prime logs growing without lean or bend, with centered hearts and regular growth. He tests acoustics at the source with a sledge hammer and uses only "singers" for musical instruments. The rest go to lower uses. In centuries past in the Italian Alps as the logs came down the snow-slews, the turners helping the logs around the corners would tag the ones that "rang" or "sang." At the bottom those would go to the violin-makers. Our supplier accomplishes the same task with their sledge hammer. You'll find all of the grades to have a sweet, clear voice.

We would like to say that we grade red spruce according to objective standards and not according to Adirondack standards. However, the trees are so limited in size and availability that an AAA in Adirondack or red spruce is more like a an AA grade in any other AA grade spruce top, be it Sitka, European, or Engelmann.

Red Spruce from the Carpathians Mtns.

Carpathian red spruce logs await processing at the plant in the Ukraine.

A couple hundred years ago, the story goes, a visiting monk took back some pine cones from the Adirondack range and with their seeds added to the other spruces of the Carpathians in the Ukraine. UPDATE: there was a lively discussion about this spruce on the Acoustic Guitar Forum, Luthier's discussion group, and it was decided that it's probably Picea abies, or possibly even Balsam fir. And there are even more stories to add to the misology!
It seems very much like the Adirondack that we see from the States and Canada, perhaps fewer knots and defects, but when well quartered seems as stiff as the Adirondack spruce. Like most Adirondack spruce the grain of this Carpathian spruce tends to be coarse, but in a recent shipment the grain was fairly typical of most Euro spruce. We're hearing very good things about this reasonably priced red spruce.
Mark Blanchard commented on a first shipment to him that he feels it's going to be a great top wood. "Less dense than Adirondack, with a higher stiffness to weight ratio."

Click Part No. to Add to order and/or to see info andEuropean Spruce
Click on Part ID to add to shopping cart
PART No.	Description	Price Ea.	6 - 12	13 - 24
WSEUJ4A	Steel string, best	$150.00
WSEUC4A	Classic, best	$140.00
WSEUJ3A	Steel string, fine	$120.00	$100.00
WSEUC3A	Classic, fine	$110.00	$90.00
WSEUJ2A	Steel string, good	$75.00	$60.00
WSEUC2A	Classic, good	$70.00	$60.00
Engelmann Spruce		Price Ea.	3+
WSENJ4A	Steel string, best	$80.00		—
WSENC4A	Classic, best	$75.00		—
WSENJ3A	Steel string, fine	$60.00	$56.00
WSENC3A	Classic, fine	$60.00	$56.00
WSENJ2A	Steel string, standard	$32.00	$28.00
WSENC2A	Classic, standard	$32.00	$28.00
WSEN2	Steel string/classic, 2nd (export grade)	Inquire
Sitka Spruce
PART No.	Description	Price Ea.	6 - 12	13 - 24
WSS4A	Steel string, best	$80.00		—
WSS3A	Steel string, fine	$60.00	$57.00
WSS2A	Steel string, good	$35.00	$31.00
WSS2A	Steel string, 2nd, export grade	Inquire

Adirondack Spruce		Each	6 - 12	13+
WSADJ3A	Steel string, fine	See Weekly Special
WSADC3A	Classic/00, fine	$80.00	$65.00
WSADJ2A	Steel string, good	$95.00	$80.00
WSADJ1A	Steel string, standard	$70.00	$65.00
Carpathian Red Spruce		Each	6 - 12	13+
WSCRJ4A	Steel string, best	$130.00
WSCRJ3A	Steel string, fine	$95.00	$90.00
WSCRJ2A	Steel string, good	$75.00	$65.00


SPRUCES