Weber Mandolins: Alaska Specialty Woods Sitka Spruce

[darylcrisp]

Sitka—the majestic sound of everyone’s favorite mandolin top:

https://webermandolins.com/blog/sitk...eid=4d22c68a23

[mingusb1]

Cool video. I worked on POW Island in 1996 and there was a guy I'd see on an old landing doing just this--salvaging music wood. He was using just hand tools, no chainsaw. Only gripe with the video is that kid shouldn't be running the saw without some PPE.

Cheers,
Z

[j. condino]

I've had four separate transactions with Alaska Specialty Woods:

Two were positive and they supplied very nice wood, for a premium price.

The other two were very unprofessional such that I feel an obligation to warn everyone about their business and I do NOT recommend them.

1) I bought a $300 archtop billet that had a giant knot inside once I cut it open. They refused to warranty it, send out a new one, or offer any sort of discount for another one. Almost every other supplier in the business backs up their product and will at least be courteous and try to make some kind of offer. This guy got all up in my face, was a belligerent complete jerk, and refused any compromise or refund or attempt to.

2) I tried to buy a couple of giant double bass size billets; they are expensive to ship, oversized, and fragile. I agreed to meet him at a trade show in Seattle (3000 mile drive from my place each way!). We met the first day, he asked to keep them on display at the show so he could have product on display and I would take them at the end of the weekend when the show was over. He though business was too slow, left the following day without any contact, and proceeded to b!#@$ me out like it was my fault that he left early and took the wood with him. I drove 6000 miles with an empty truck that I specifically brought to drive the spruce back to my shop...

There are plenty of reputable companies that are great people to work with who supply excellent Pacific Northwest materials, such as Bruce Harvey of Orcas Island Tonewoods or Bruce Creps of Notable Tonewoods on Lopez Island.

[Rob Roy]

Wow, Mr. Condino your treatment is unfathomable! They obviously didn't want your business and should have just come out and said so. I've only built five mandolins but all my spruce billets came from Bruce Harvey, a great guy to work with. My memory is getting worse, but I think the first time I bought from him he didn't even expect me to send payment until after I'd received the wood and was happy with it. Businesspeople of his demeanor are rare in these times. Thanks Spruce!

[Russ Jordan]

I didn’t realize Sitka was everyone’s favorite top wood.......

[darylcrisp]

I didn’t realize Sitka was everyone’s favorite top wood.......

that's what that article was labeled as, looks like I mentioned that as my own thought but its not. I can't change it now-lol

the main reason I posted the video was the beauty of that area-amazing, would love to go there some day and just look at it all.

d

[Russ Jordan]

Yep, I knew that was title of video!

[Peter Barnett]

I once bought a Tacoma guitar with a Spruce top that was recovered from a lake. The tree had fallen into the lake 900 years ago. Total age around 2000 years old.

It was a really nice guitar. But, the intonation was only OK. It was over priced but I am a wood guy so I foolishly fell into the ancient wood story.

Having been bit once, I’ll wait and see.