My own personal view is that there is very little that a good set of spruce can't do, and I've played very few non-spruce tops that do a whole lot for me. The fact is that spruce is extremely versatile and is the gold standard for a reason. I've played a few guitars with redwood and found them to be ok, but spruce is a safe bet for the most part and is certain to please. There's a reason spruce is the gold standard for acoustic steel strings.
As for pernambuco, I've played 2 or 3 guitars with this back/side wood, all by Bruce Sexauer. Its basic character is like rosewood and I was extremely impressed by the tonal quality. Bruce has described it as one of the very best tone woods available. If the quality is good, I would highly recommend this wood.
That being said, the top wood is definitely going to be your number one decision, and it all comes down to what you thought of the ones you played. My personal preference would be spruce/pernambuco of the two you've narrowed it down to.
|