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Thread: European Spruce and its variants

  1. #26
    Registered User sunburst's Avatar
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    Default Re: European Spruce and its variants

    Little bit of bearclaw in the euro, Bruce. Most of it carved away though.

  2. #27

    Default Re: European Spruce and its variants

    There was some wood that Collings picked out himself (yes, Bill) several years ago. That supply is probably long gone, but there was some maple that was harvested there, specifically for violins from what I was told, that was acquired on the same visit.
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  4. #28
    Adrian Minarovic
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    Default Re: European Spruce and its variants

    One of my friends acquired a few sets of spruce for guitar tops from one of the known italian (or perhaps german) suppliers. Beautiful tight staright grain and perfect color but... one of the set still had original stamp/sticker of US dealer specializing in Engelmann...
    So whenever I see such nice "European" spruce set I am really skeptic about its real rigin. European spruce rarely grows older than 350 years even in good conditions - most trees die naturally before hey are 300 - so anything that is above 20 gpi for guitar size is suspicious at least.
    I've heard about spruce for guitars being imported from caucassian mountains which is likely different species from european.
    Adrian

  5. #29
    wood butcher Spruce's Avatar
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    Default Re: European Spruce and its variants

    Quote Originally Posted by HoGo View Post
    One of my friends acquired a few sets of spruce for guitar tops from one of the known italian (or perhaps german) suppliers. Beautiful tight staright grain and perfect color but... one of the set still had original stamp/sticker of US dealer specializing in Engelmann...
    I ran into Hans Fuchs (a well-known German tonewood supplier) in a logyard near Liverpool, picking out about 5 truckloads of English Sycamore to be milled into what would be called "German Maple" by the English violin makers when they bought it back...

    He made no bones about traveling the world in search of wood that would eventually carry the German tag, and he's right...
    It wasn't his company who called it German--it was the tonewood re-sellers and luthiers who gave it that moniker...

    ...and yes, he loved Engelmann...

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  7. #30
    Loarcutus of MandoBorg DataNick's Avatar
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    Default Re: European Spruce and its variants

    Quote Originally Posted by Spruce View Post
    I ran into Hans Fuchs (a well-known German tonewood supplier) in a logyard near Liverpool, picking out about 5 truckloads of English Sycamore to be milled into what would be called "German Maple" by the English violin makers when they bought it back...

    He made no bones about traveling the world in search of wood that would eventually carry the German tag, and he's right...
    It wasn't his company who called it German--it was the tonewood re-sellers and luthiers who gave it that moniker...

    ...and yes, he loved Engelmann...
    Holy Smokes!

    So I guess the conclusion of all this is that if the thing (instrument) plays and sounds great, count your blessings and don't bother with tonewood provenance as it where!
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  9. #31
    wood butcher Spruce's Avatar
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    Default Re: European Spruce and its variants

    Quote Originally Posted by DataNick View Post

    So I guess the conclusion of all this is that if the thing (instrument) plays and sounds great, count your blessings and don't bother with tonewood provenance as it where!
    Provenance...oh boy...

    What's really weird are all the vintage instruments for sale (several in our own classifieds) that state the species of spruce that is in the instrument, without any proof whatsoever...
    There are quite a few well-known vintage instrument dealers who profess to know what species is in everything, and then that instrument goes throughout it's lifetime with an "Engelmann" or "Adi" label, all based on bogus conjecture...

    Again, under varnish, you or I cannot tell what species the spruce is (with the exception of Sitka which can be ID'd with a 30x hand lens and a bit of practice...)

    ...and yeah, I'm on record as stating that the Loars are all Adi, but I sure as hell wouldn't bet my house on it...
    It's just my opinion, and I'd actually be surprised if I was right...

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  11. #32
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    Default Re: European Spruce and its variants

    Thanks for this thread; I found it enlightening. I am in the process of putting together a bouzouki. It is my first build and I am going to do a carved top and have been trying to decide what type of spruce to use. It sounds like without the years of experience it is really a roll of the dice.

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