You can't go wrong with an Adirondack spruce top.
Adirondack Spruce or Red Spruce (Picea Rubens) is a wood that grows near the northern Atlantic coast of America. From Nova Scotia to North Carolina, it gets its name from the mountain range where it commonly grows. They are majestic trees, some of them centuries old.
The adirondack spruce has achieved mythical status among makers as the wood used in most "pre-war" instruments. These guitars, especially those of the Martin and Gibson brands, have defined the ideal guitar sound for decades to come. This combination of sonic qualities and association with legendary instruments is what makes Adirondack spruce one of the most sought-after woods for acoustic tops. Think of the instruments of people like Neil Young, David Crosby, Tony Rice... Adirondack is present in all of them.
Adirondack spruce is somewhat different from other spruces in that its growth rings are more widely spaced and more pronounced than in other spruce species. Therefore, it is normal to find tops with more widely spaced rings than in similar categories of other spruces. In spite of this, the classification is based on the same criteria and takes into account factors such as the hardness of the top, the presence or absence of defects such as knots, resin deposits, etc.
Therefore, in the AAA grade tops you will find tops with the growth rings closer together and somewhat more marked than in the Master grade. Free of defects or with these outside the contour of the finished top. Cut at 90º or with little variation and uniform color.
Finally, don't forget that in addition to Adirondack spruce at Maderas Barber you can find a wide selection of other woods for the top of your instrument.
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