Engelmann Spruce questions

[HSI]

Recently, I bought a 3 year-old Collings MT mandolin, and I am not very familiar with Engelmann tops. Red Spruce - yes, but mainly in regards to my Collings D-1A and its propensity to take a little while for the top get sounding a little warmer and to be able to take a hard strumming and sound, well... breath taking.

When it comes to mandolins, since the tops are so much smaller, is this common for Engelmann and Red Spruce to need a little warm up period ? It does seem that my mando takes a good 5 minutes to wake up. I might add that I don't think this mando was played all that much. As it gets played more and more - to my wife's chagrin, since I am doing just that !! - should I expect less, or perhaps none of this warm up period ?

Also, I have heard that Engelmann tops can't be pounded on like Red Spruce before they break up. I play very hard - don't know why, maybe just the Rock & Roller in me - and my Engelmann doesn't suffer a wit. Is this, once again, due to the size differential of the two instruments (guitars more susceptible than mandos), or are we into urban - or should I say country - myths terrritory here ?

[Kevin Briggs]

From reading responses written by the very knowledgeable luthiers that post on this forum, I gather there is no concrete data to support major differences in various types of spruce. The most dominant factor in the way a top responds is the luthier.

That aside...:
Typically red spruce is portrayed as the workhorse; the longer youw ait the better it sounds. The more you play it the better it responds. Engelman has gained a reputation for being very responsive, having a shorter break-in period, and for not being able to handle a heavy hand (your experience tells you differently). Sitka has gained a reputation for being a middle of the road spruce, but that's probably more due to its availability and frequent use.

[sgarrity]

The best you can do here is speak in broad generalizations. Remember that the luthier has as much or more to do with the eventual tone than the species of spruce does. With that said, red spruce tends to give you a more dry, fundamental, cutting tone. I you have a D1A, then you know what I'm talking about. Englemann tends to be warmer with a thicker, rounder tone.
I play an Englemann topped mandolin and it definitely doesn't take a back seat to red spruce mandos.

I do think top wood makes a little more difference in guitars than it does mandolins. I tend to prefer adi on guitars but I had a Martin D-18 David Crosby model with an Englemann top and it was as good of a guitar as you could ask for. One of the best new guitars I've played was a Bourgeois Bryan Sutton model slope shoulder dread. And it had a sitka top.

Wood choices color the tone but the luthier ultimately determines how the instrument will sound.