Quote:
Originally Posted by matthewpartrick
Colorado Blue Spruce, Mike is basically the only luthier that offers it
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Just a quick correction Matthew ... There are two other builders that I am aware of, both on this forum, who offer it, the builder who harvested the wood when he lived in CO and myself, who managed to coax a few sets from his stash
IME I believe it to be very similar to Picea engelmannii but I have no scientific evidence to back up that hunch.
My favorite tops are similar to Mark's specs; I look for tops that have the highest stiffness to lowest weight ratio, regardless of species, prominent cross grain silking, zero run out, split or cut as near to 90* as possible, wider but consistent grain across the face and finally it has to have excellent musical potential in its tap tone.
My personal favorites to build with, in no particular order are:
Red Spruce
Carpathian Spruce
1959 Sitka Spruce
Lutz Spruce
Choosing a top, IMO, is one of the most critical factors, when designing a guitar for an individual player. As others have mentioned the back and sides should be considered but more importantly I have to consider the player's string attack and the tonal target which they are hearing in their head. Accurate communication between us is key to hitting this goal.