Adi needs to be driven harder or just need medium strings?

[stephenT]

Sure, medium strings would move the top more/harder than light gauge. Might be a good way to loosen that top a bit,... mediums and play the heck out of it, or lend it to a heavy handed buddy.

Or try a ToneRite treatment. Does wonders for some guitars.

[kizz]

You would think that the whole point of a thermocured/torrified top was that the wood seemed loosened up and you had a guitar that felt played in from the start and you didn't have to sit and struggle with all possible solutions to get it right. As others say, it sounds like an overbuilt guitar.

[gitaryzt1985]

My Banner J45 with an Adi top doesn’t like light strings. Sounds terrible. But when I put Mediums on it just sings.

[sinistral]

Have you considered sanding the underside of the top to make it thinner, or shaving the braces, or both?

There is nothing inherent about red spruce that makes it harder to drive or require heavier gauge strings. There are plenty of guitars built with red spruce tops that are highly responsive. People blame the wood when it’s really the builder.

[Slimt]

Red spruce is a nice top wood. I do think it carries more voice than Sitka. How ever. I have a sitka topped guitar that is every bit as good as red spruce. Then I do have sitka topped guitars that are very tight in tone. . Most of that could be because of the inner bracing and back woods.

I do find though. The heavier the guitar. The lack of tone follows.