how to tell what type of spruce?
 

I have a custom guitar that has a highly figured spruce top. Is there a way to tell what kind of spruce it is just by looking at it? I will try to post pics but I have had no luck before. DaveKell sold me this guitar and I think there are pics on here somewhere. Dave, do you know? if not can you ask Dr. Conant if he remembers what kind of spruce the top is?

To post pics open a free Photobucket account, upload your photos, copy the IMG code and paste into your reply.

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/t...g?t=1367141603

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/t...g?t=1367141585

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/t...g?t=1367141567

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/t...g?t=1367141539

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/t...71/custom3.jpg

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/t...71/custom2.jpg

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/t...71/custom1.jpg

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/t...71/custom4.jpg

Looks like bearclawed Sitka to me.

Me too....

That was my guess also.

Add me to the list.. Sitka :)

Looks like a really nice dred. Sitka is the most common guitar top and most commonly found with figure in it, and is most often found with that yellow hue. Having said that, it could be any type of spruce.... Sitka also is most often related to a warm open sound, versus a tight brighter sound. It probably has a tinted toner on it. I would try googling images for bear clawed Sitka for some examples...

What type of spruce?
 

The grain looks similar to my D-35, which is bearclaw Sitka solid spruce. :up:

One more for Sitka.

sounds like Sitka it is. my 614ce has figuring but nothing like this guitar. the more time I spend with it the more I like it. it was not cheap but in a way since it has lots of dings and wear it really frees me up to dig in and "play it like I stole it" to steal a hot rod phrase.

It is an amazing guitar that is so opened up that when I am listening to music on the computer and shut it off suddenly, the guitar strings are literally singing just from the small speakers I have here on the desk.

I am hoping Dave pipes up and lets me know for sure but Sitka is cool. I was kinda thinking it might be Adirondack since it is such a loud guitar but I don't really know that I have seen many guitars made from that spruce.

Dave just sent me an email and it is as all you guys thought, bearclawed Sitka Spruce. Nice to belong to a site that has so many guitarists and/or luthiers willing to help out.

Unless one does DNA testing, the best one can hope for is an educated guess.

Correct. A botanist told me that without needles, cones, etc. there's no other way to identify specific spruces, except Sitka. Apparently there's something about Sitka that makes it possible to do an accurate identification from the wood alone -- but it probably requires taking a sample.

Visual i.d. by itself is never scientifically acceptable.

On the other hand, that's bearclaw Sitka for sure ...