Half-and-Half Tops

by Harry Fleishman

Originally published in Lutherie Woods and Steel String Guitars, 1997



About five years ago I made a significant change in the way I make my guitars. For twenty years, or so, I had used Sitka spruce exclusively for both classical and steel-string instruments. I had good supply of nice wood and had become accustomed to the tone of the guitars I made with it. After reading several articles about makers using cedar and even redwood for their tops, with their glowing reports of quick response and interesting tone, I decided to try and experiment of my own.

I built two instruments as identical as I could, using the same rosewood for the sides and back, as well as bracewood and neck material, respectively, from the same boards. When the guitars were strung and played in a bit, it was instantly noticeable that the redwood guitar had a warmer, more intimate, darker tone that was both inviting and extremely pleasing. The spruce, by contrast was sharper, brighter, and more clear in its upper partials, and had better projection. It lacked the warmth, but excelled in volume. Each guitar was missing what the other possessed.