Engelmann spruce

A high-altitude western spruce, lighter and softer than Sitka, used for fingerstyle-oriented soundboards.

Picea engelmannii grows in the Rocky Mountains, often high up and in dense stands, so it tends to be slower grown, paler and more even in grain than Sitka. Makers choose it when they want a top that answers a light touch rather than one that shrugs off a heavy pick. It is commonly described as warm and rich, with a strong overtone content but less headroom than Adirondack, which makes it as much a fingerstylist's wood as a strummer's. Its weakness is that same softness: it can be overwhelmed by hard playing, and it dents easily.

Example: A small-body acoustic with an Engelmann top sounds open and full under bare fingers but loses focus when strummed hard.

typical use: Soundboards, especially on small-body and fingerstyle instruments.

Engelmann spruce

See also