Adirondack spruce

The eastern North American red spruce, the original soundboard wood of the pre-war American acoustic and once again in demand.

It grows slowly in the Adirondack and Appalachian mountains, which gives it a high stiffness for its weight and a wide grain, and it was the standard top wood of American acoustics until supplies were exhausted in the mid twentieth century. Today it comes largely from small, salvaged and slowly grown trees, so it is expensive and carefully graded. It is commonly described as louder than Sitka and richer in headroom, with a punchy attack and a strong bass that suits hard rhythm playing. It also takes longer to open up, and a stiff example can feel tight for years.

Example: A dreadnought with an Adirondack top takes a heavy flatpicked attack without compressing, in a way a softer top of the same thickness will not.

typical use: Soundboards on high-end steel-string acoustics.

Adirondack spruce

See also