Adirondack? Appalachian? Red spruce? All three terms evoke strong
feelings in the acoustic guitar aficionado because of the mythic
status achieved in guitars using this wood. In the misty dawn
of American guitar-making, Red spruce was king. A legendary species
(picea rubens), it had all the qualities ever asked for in top
tone. There was a liveliness, a musicalness to it. Luthier
TJ Thompson has said that even a beginner could make a great-sounding
guitar using this wood. It once grew in abundance from Georgia,
up the Appalachian Trail, into Canada. Guitar factory records
only state that those mythic guitars of the past were equipped
with a wood called "Red" spruce, without designating
at the time if they considered it Appalachian or Adirondack "Red"
spruce. We know it was mostly harvested from forests south of
the Canadian border, though. Regardless of what it is called,
years after it was almost wiped out from overuse (and cold stress
made worse from acid rain) the ban on it has been lifted and the
major guitar factories have returned to building with this prized
wood. The U.S. Forestry rangers though still protect standing
trees, as well as downed logs, in managed forests. There remains
some question as to the authenticity of some of Canada's "Adirondack"
Red spruce, though, because of possible cross-breeding of the
trees in the north. The only way to be 100% sure that is it is
the legendary Red spruce is to use the wood cut in the United
States of America. Mythic Guitar's Technology Series guitars are
equipped with Adirondack spruce tops exclusively. Mythic Guitar's
Standard Series and Glory Years Models use Sitka spruce as standard
with "Appalachian" Red spruce as an option, while only
the Vintage Reproductions use "Appalachian" Red spruce
as standard.
In spite of the notoriety of the name Adirondack spruce, this
Appalachian is the same "Red Spruce" used almost exclusively
in the Golden Age of Guitarmaking (including true Adirondack spruce,
of course) before the changeover to Sitka occurred around 1949.
This particular wood is not really a renewable resource, so prices
are much higher down South. Mythic Guitar's Southern source for
Appalachian Red spruce acts within the law, in conjunction with
the authorities, to remove long-dead trees. The Forestry rangers
occasionally allow a very small amount, one tree at a time, to
be removed by private citizens, but only after much time and negotiation.
Once the usable part of the tree is identified, it is sawn into
logs and removed. This is currently the only way to verifiably
assure 100% the same wood as used in antiquity for high quality
Red spruce guitar tops. Suppliers to the major guitar factories,
Mythic Guitar's Northern source for Adirondack Red spruce also
assures us their wood is authentic and comes from the United States.
A beneficial arrangement is to offer the Adirondack Red spruce
as standard on Mythic Technology Series models. This "Adirondack"
spruce costs me a bit less than the "Appalachian" spruce
and we are happy to pass along the savings to those wishing to
take advantage of the tremendous value found in the Technology
Series. All Mythic guitars have access to Appalachian spruce,
or Adirondack as an option. Subjectively, the difference
may be negligible. Other top woods are also available, from European
spruce (from Germany) and Alpine spruce (from Italy) to Sitka
spruce (from Alaska) and Engelmann spruce (from Canada). A luthier
can help guitarists find their ultimate sound through combinations
of top and back woods. For those interested in that vintage
sound, Red spruce is the most satisfying tonewood in the luthier's
bag of tricks.
Please Note: Mythic Vintage Reproductions use Appalachian
Red spruce. All guitars in the Mythic Technology Series
use Adirondack Red spruce.
