That looks like some of the lower grade Engelmann I have. It's stripey but stiffer than the typical wall paper white stuff.

Did Mario ever reveal the big secret of what this wood actually is or is Katz to forever remain a mystery wood?

Taken to the grave that one. He launched it together with Cumpiano. Maybe someone needs to interrogate him.

I didn't get the impression that Mario was running a "high volume operation". . I could be wrong, though.

There was some suspicion that the wood may have been white spruce or a hybrid thereof... White spruce has earned the nickname "cat spruce" because of the smell... Hence the suspicion with the name "Katz"...

I visited with Bill Cumpiano a number of years ago when I was out that way. He had already purchased tops from me at that time so discussed wood in general. While I was there he asked me if I was cutting Hemlock as he had tried it before and liked the result but wanted more to work with. My time was limited and my order log too large to spend time processing wood that would not, in the short term anyway, see the acceptance that spruce had so I did not look into this. My visit with Bill is one of the reasons that I believe Hemlock is probably the species here. It is definitely one of the two though. There aren't a lot of other options, the price and volume of the wood processed was low so it had to be local (despite Mario's claims) as transportation costs would eat all of the profit and then some. There is no Douglas Fir in the area or larger Pine. We have Spruce, Hemlock, Balsam Fir and Western Red Cedar in commercial volumes. All four species would make a decent sounding guitar but the structural nature of spruce, longer fibre and lower specific gravity, make it the superior choice in my opinion.

Shane

The Katz wood came from Tumbler Ridge BC in the eastern part of the province.

Bob

Likely an Engelmann/White Spruce hybrid then Similiar to the wood sold out of the Kootney's and that Larry Stamm used to produce.

Shane