Spruce

The traditional soundboard wood for steel-string and classical guitars, valued for stiffness along the grain combined with low weight.

That ratio is what makes a plate usable: it must resist the pull of the strings without being too heavy to be set moving. Spruce starts life relatively stiff and tight, and it is generally the material expected to improve most as an instrument is played over years. The common varieties differ in stiffness and colour, and a maker will tap and flex each piece before deciding how thick to leave it.

Example: a stiff, straight-grained spruce top on a large-bodied instrument gives the clarity and headroom needed for flatpicking and hard strumming.

Spruce

See also