- Individually photographed - the top in the photo is the top you will receive
- Top for an acoustic or classical guitar
- Master Grade
- Includes two bookmatched halves
- Straight grained and quartersawn
- Dried and ready for use
- Minimum 560mm x 230mm (22-1/4" x 9-1/16")
- Thickness sanded to 4mm (5/32")
German Spruce (also known as European Spruce) is one of the most prized tonewoods for the tops of acoustic and classical guitars. It gives a guitar a sweet, balanced, open and loud sound.
The grading is based purely on aesthetic considerations and lower grade tops can make just as good a sounding guitar as the high grades. The higher grades have more even, close grain and an even colour with less streaks.
German Spruce has been favoured as a top material on stringed
instruments for many centuries. It has become the staple top material
for violin-family instruments and is also commonly used for soundboards
on classical, acoustic and archtop guitars.
Quality - We have several grades of German Spruce tops available.
Regardless of the grade all the tops we sell are dry and stable,
quartersawn and straight-grained, capable of producing a fine
instrument.
Look - This timber is white with slight pink to yellow hues. The
grain lines are red/brown with the stiffer pieces having more pronounced
grain lines (redlines). Higher grade tops have a fine, even and
straight grain and are free from the small visual imperfections that may
be present in lower grade tops.
Sound - The sound of these tops is second to none - fundamental
and clear but also with a beautiful and brilliant tone. This top
material makes a good combination with almost any back and sides
material available.
Price - High grade tops are relatively expensive compared to
other timbers. Low and mid grade tops are worth considering when sound
and price are the most important priorities.
Availability/Renewability - German Spruce isn't strictly only
from Germany and is harvested from the mountains of European countries
near Germany. High quality guitar size pieces are becoming more rare
every year as the large trees are logged.