Moon Spruce... Moon wood...?

[hengbokdl7]

Moon Spruce.

I've been researching, but can't find any definitive information on it. Is it just referring to the logging of the spruce at a very specific and particular time which is conducive to even drying, etc. So it's just standard spruce of whatever species with a particular logging characteristic.

As I've been reading I've found that all tonewood logging is moon wood. At least all high end tonewood that upper end 900 and P series Taylors, and R Taylors use is all moon wood. Can anyone confirm this, and/or comment on differences or sound or tone.

[banpreso]

commonly known as swiss alpine spruce, me thinks

[strangeman]

Is that like the surface of a chair upon which one sits wearing only their birthday suit?

[Mr. Bill]

The legend is that Stradivari used spruce for his violin tops that was harvested when the moon was in its final quarter. Supposedly the resins were at their least active point, promoting stability in the wood, allowing for a thinner top. Correct me if I'm wrong, knowledgeable ones.

[tsaidog]

Originally Posted by hengbokdl7

Moon Spruce.

I've been researching, but can't find any definitive information on it. Is it just referring to the logging of the spruce at a very specific and particular time which is conducive to even drying, etc. So it's just standard spruce of whatever species with a particular logging characteristic.

As I've been reading I've found that all tonewood logging is moon wood. At least all high end tonewood that upper end 900 and P series Taylors, and R Taylors use is all moon wood. Can anyone confirm this, and/or comment on differences or sound or tone.

Moon Wood? Sounds crazy. The 900 series guitars usually use engelmann spruce. If we are talking about moon spruce (alpine spruce), Taylor has never used that on their production line guitars, 900 series or presentation series.

Alpine spruce (moon spruce) fits your description in the first paragraph. It is very hard to find and it is always rare. The only place you can get it is on R Taylor custom guitars though.

[eastcoastnme]

it is harvested in the swiss alps above 5000 ft, and then stored there, then cut and brought below 5000ft after a certain amount of time...and yes, it is also known as swiss alpine spruce.

[surfoxy]

Cue JeffM.

[Jeff M]

Originally Posted by hawgadi

Cue JeffM.

TA DAAA!!!

Thanks for the introduction.
"Moon Spruce" otherwise known as "Markitus gimmicus", is a VERY RARE wood that is harvested just ONCE A YEAR at midnight during a FULL MOON on the SPRING EQUINOX.

The tradition goes back to the days of the early pagan vikings, when they noticed that certain wood they used to burn virgins at the funeral pyre of their cheiftans made them scream in a very melodic way.

The tradition carry downs to today...albeit without the burning...where the trees are harvested at midnight surrounded by a chorus of scantily clad virgins () and drunken loggers singing rowdy viking pillaging songs.

The felled tree is then massaged with aromatic oils by said virgins which is said to increase it's girth () (BTW, this is where a certain term was coined re; "woody" ) and carried on the back of a team of Clydesdales to the local certified "Moon Spruce" mill, where it is rendered by hand to the appropriate sized blanks.

From there, it is sent on a 5 year around the world cruise aboard a reproduction of an authentic Viking ship for "seasoning", and shipped to it's end destination!!

(In reality, "Moon Spruce" (ie "Alpine Spruce") is the same species as "European Spruce" aka "Italian Spruce" aka "German Spruce" aka "Bosnian Spruce" aka...pick your European country. A link to a site disusing the issue;
http://www.lutherie.net/eurospruce.html)

[dante]

More on "moon wood" here: http://www.tonewood.ch/moonwood.html

[Herb Hunter]

Originally Posted by Jeff M

TA DAAA!!!

Thanks for the introduction.
"Moon Spruce" otherwise known as "Markitus gimmicus", is a VERY RARE wood that is harvested just ONCE A YEAR at midnight during a FULL MOON on the SPRING EQUINOX.

The tradition goes back to the days of the early pagan vikings, when they noticed that certain wood they used to burn virgins at the funeral pyre of their cheiftans made them scream in a very melodic way.

The tradition carry downs to today...albeit without the burning...where the trees are harvested at midnight surrounded by a chorus of scantily clad virgins () and drunken loggers singing rowdy viking pillaging songs.

The wood felled tree is then massaged with aromatic oils by said virgins which is said to increase it's girth () and carried on the back of a team of Clydesdales to the local certified "Moon Spruce" mill, where it is rendered by hand to the appropriate sized blanks.

From there, it is sent on a 5 year around the world cruise aboard a reproduction of an authentic Viking ship for "seasoning", and shipped to it's end destination!! ...

Below is an opposing view on the subject.

Originally Posted by Herb Hunter

A couple of things: First, the Swiss virgins no longer accompany the guitars down the assembly line. The practice was discontinued when a video surfaced on the internet clearly showing one of the Swiss gals in a situation calling into question here inexperienced status. Around the same time, the INS was able to demonstrate that two of the girls were Latvians with forged Swiss passports adding to the embarrassment and further encouraging suspension of the ritual.

Second, there is some misunderstanding as to the importance of the harvest time. The moon phase is only significant in that it corresponds to the times when wolves are most likely to howl. It is the spruce's sympathetic vibration in response to the howling at the moment of cutting that locks in the sought after tone. Since wovles are virtually extinct in Switzerland, the benefits of felling the trees during specific moon phases are now non-existent. There have been experiments using recordings of wolves with mixed results. Critics point out that the recordings used were of North American grey wolves deemed to have a tin ear whereas the Eurasian wolves (Canis lupus lupus) are reputed to have perfect pitch. They also point to the use of a Bose PA system to serenade the spruce trees and the fact that Bose doesn't publish performance specifications. The decision to try additional recordings of different wolf species using PA equipment with an extensive specification sheet was suspended due to a lack of funds and the rising popularity of Ilimani spruce from Bolivia.

[hengbokdl7]

LOL, markitus gimmicus... lol... that is the winning phrase, lol.

[Jeff M]

Originally Posted by Herb Hunter

Below is an opposing view on the subject.

Ahhhh yes..
Well, there are different legends about how the tradition was started.

[Kevin A]

Another déjà vu moment here on the AGF...

Wasn't there some pithy discussion on the whole Moon Phase/Harvest/Vestal Virgin/Fine Corinthian Leather Ultimate Spruce Top Thread on this topic a bit ago.

Seems like only yesterday...

[Jeff M]

Originally Posted by Kevin A

Another déjà vu moment here on the AGF...

Wasn't there some pithy discussion on the whole Moon Phase/Harvest/Vestal Virgin/Fine Corinthian Leather Ultimate Spruce Top Thread on this topic a bit ago.

Seems like only yesterday...

The lore has been delved into with gusto on several occasions.
The most recent topic on top woods was a variation on a the theme.

All kidding aside, has anybody ever done double blind studies where wood from the same region "randomly" harvested was tested against wood harvested under the magical moon beams?
Built multiple "identical" guitars ......half out of "non-moon" harvested wood, the other half "normally" harvested, not told the builders/players/listeners which was which, and then tested the results??

[banpreso]

Originally Posted by Jeff M

"Moon Spruce" otherwise known as "Markitus gimmicus", is a VERY RARE wood that is harvested just ONCE A YEAR at midnight during a FULL MOON on the SPRING EQUINOX.

you made me laughed out lould in the office

but yeah.... just call the darn thing swiss alpine spruce already.. call it moon is a bit too much marketing IMO

what's next? african sunshine mahogany? (not real mahogany btw)