Do spruce top guitars sound better with age?
Spruce is a highly flexible, yet stiff material, and it is for this reason that it has become such a prized and essential component in the building of classical guitars. Spruce ages beautifully, like fine wine. As the top stiffens and dries with age, the sound of a spruce top guitar will slowly evolve and mature.
Is spruce top solid top?
Here’s the trick: if it’s a solid top, they will always describe it as solid spruce or solid [insert top wood]. If it just says “spruce top” beware because it’s most likely a ply, laminate top.
Is spruce or cedar better for a guitar?
Spruce guitars typically have a quite direct sound with a bell-like tone. They seem to be more clear, balanced and sometimes have more sustain. Cedar however, makes the guitar sound darker, warmer and generally fuller. … Cedar always matures sooner than Spruce.
What is Sitka spruce top?
The most commonly used wood for guitar tops, Sitka generates a broad dynamic range and accommodates numerous playing styles, from aggressive strumming to fingerpicking. As a guitar soundboard, or top, Sitka spruce is the tonewood standard of the modern era.
How do I know if my guitar is solid top?
Look at the grain of the wood on the top of the guitar. Pick a line within the grain and follow it to the sound hole. If the top is sold, the grain will flow over the edge into the sound hole. If is not solid it will stop.
Which wood is best for guitar?
Spruce. This evergreen, found in northern temperate regions of the globe, is literally top choice: the ideal wood for the soundboard, or top, of an acoustic guitar. Its look — light in color, even in grain — is appealing though somewhat plain; what sets it apart is its beautiful tonal properties.
Why is spruce used for guitar tops?
Spruce is the most popular wood used for guitar tops, and recognisable by its pale colour and (usually) understated figuring. The reason for its popularity is because it has a tone that makes it a very good ‘all-rounder’. … Spruce is a common species of wood, adding to its guitar material credentials.
Is Sitka spruce top good?
Sitka Spruce: (picea sitchensis)
It is a very stiff wood, durable and strong. Flamenco guitarists also prefer this top wood, because it can produce less “sustain” (a sharper note) than cedar or other spruce tonewoods.
What are spruce tops?
Spruce tops (also called spruce tips) are the foot long evergreen tops of a small spruce tree. … Grown in this manner, spruce tops have the form and foliage of more mature trees, often bearing cones at a very small size.