Official Luthiers Forum!

Do you all feel there's a huge difference sonically between the two? So far I've found the difference very subtle compared to say the difference between Sitka and Engelman...

I can say my adi is far louder then my sitka. but I made my adi guitar and my sitka is a martin.

There's simply so much overlap between properties of various spruce species in terms of stiffness and density that generalizations are relatively useless.

I've personally heard knowledgeable folks state that ADI takes years to open up while Sitka opens up much quicker. Seems to me this would be related to building to a dimension instead of matching the top thickness to the stiffness of the plate. What are your thoughts?

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

As Mattia has said lots of variation in individual pieces of wood. In general Sitka has less overtones and RED is a bit more complex. Much easier to get visually pleasing material in Sitka.That does not translate into better tonewood.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Everything?

Jeez, I can get most single malts to open up in less than a minute...

Seriously though, generalizations are useful and necessary as reference points, and I believe all woods have their inherant general characteristics. That's why we choose them. Why are necks so often mahogany? Cause generally it's stable and easy to carve. Except the pieces that ain't. But next time you make a neck, you'll probably start with your mh stash instead of going to the lumberyard and starting at 'A'...You know what I'm saying.

I guess the angle I'm coming from is this...
I keep talking folks out of expensive Adi upcharges cause I don't really feel the price is really worth all the hype. Sure Adi's nice, but you can get IMO better Sitka for the same or less money, unless you're paying huge dosh...

Do you have both tops in your shop?
I have some Lutz that is more Sitka than White Spruce.
Plus they were cut by Shane & have NO runout.
They sound great -good taptone-etc...
Tight grain -I have some with small figuring.

Adi -is NOT worth the price .
I have some real Adi-tops-I live in the foothills
of the Adirondacks.
The quality is just not worth the price.

Lutz looks great also.
plus it weighs less than Sitka!
Want to swap one for a good singlemalt?

Mike

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Mike Collins

Ha ha!

No thanks. I actually prefer Sitka over everything. The Lutz is a nice bullet point though...

I'm familiar with Sitka and Lutz but not White spruce. What is White like?

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

From what I've heard over the years, Adi (red spruce) and white spruce are virtually the same. If you don't see their bark and leaves, you have to take the cutter's word for it.
Once it's cut at a mill, you can't tell the difference.

Lutz is a hybrid of Sitka and White spruce, and sometimes Engelmann, although I've been told that the trees large enough for tops are typically found too low in elevation to have any Engelmann component.