[Arthur Blake]

I am relatively new to this forum - so I hope this type of post is permitted.
I read this about a year ago, and it influenced my decision to purchase an Adirondack topped guitar more than anything else I found.
It was posted elsewhere - may have even been here - if someone recognizes it, let me know.
Seems to cover the entire ground very well: (copied)
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Every rule is meant to be broken, even suppositions that might become so-called general knowledge. Which is why there is really no way to determine in advance if one species of spruce is actually better than the other. You gotta play them and let your ears make the call.

But with that said ...

Many of the guitars I've played with Adirondack tops have been very appealing to me, even though the majority of the instruments I've owned have been Sitka. Which may have just as much to do with the time frames when I was actively shopping, (for most of my life, Red Spruce simply wasn't available for factory guitars), as anything else.

As of now, my favorite guitar is topped with Red Spruce, and none of the guitars I've owned in the past (or currently own) that were/are Sitka can keep up with it. Is this due to primarily to the the type of wood, or is it the bracing, the build quality, the design philosophy of the builder etc? Yes, undoubtedly ... and on all fronts. But without an outstanding piece of wood to begin with, the rest might not be quite as important, IMHO.

I've had Sitka-topped guitars that I was fairly well convinced were exemplary. Beautiful pieces of tonewood, with a sound that could move most folks to tears.

A builder might be able to make you a fine guitar with a pretty piece of wood, for instance, and using their skills, give you something to admire, that will probably sound good enough to satisfy most customers. But with great wood, in the right hands, even if the stuff is a far cry from being highly rated on a cosmetic scale, when it comes to sheer tone, the sky might be the limit.

With this Red Spruce guitar, there are certain aspects of the tone that stand out to me, such as a lack of boominess in the bass, despite the guitar being a big ole dread. Warmth, depth, power - yes, but no mud. Seriously good note articulation - nothing ever gets lost in the mix. Strong fundamentals. More overtones than with my Sitka guitars. A piano-like flow in the sound, with excellent sustain, but not so much that chords run into each other, so muting is minimized.

I can fingerpick on this guitar and produce a round, lyrical tone ... strum with a rich, full tone, or back off towards the bridge, play lightly, and get much more bite without losing the bottom end, or choke up on a pick and chicken pick like I'm playing a Telecaster.

And although I've heard that Red Spruce needs a heavier hand, I don't see that with this guitar. The response is very quick, and I can feel with my fretting hand how little tension is needed to create sound, which allows me to have am excellent range of dynamic control, as it is true enough that the top can also handle extremes in the other direction without becoming messy or over-driven.

I've had some Sitka guitars that were nearly as good in some respects, but not in everything that this one can do.

When I bought it, I got it for one thing -- flatpicking. That's what it seemed to do best, and I was satisfied with that. Cosmetically, it wasn't much to look at, and due to the width of the grain, a few friends wondered why I would buy something that in terms of simply being attractive, kinda wasn't. A plain Jane, more or less, with a top that appeared to be better suited for furniture.

Several years later, with a custom gauge of strings, an action height that is unusually low, compared to guitars I've played in the past, great frets, a heavy pick, better technique, and lots of bonding ... I gradually began to realize that this guitar was nearly wasted by pigeon-holing it as something that was meant only for Bluegrass. It was capable of so much more, and because of it, I actually started making strides as a player in directions unforeseen.

I don't make adjustments around this guitar, to avoid things that it doesn't do well. I've done this with every previous guitar, regardless of the cost or brand name, ever since I first owned a guitar.

But not anymore. It's nearly a bad thing, in a way, as I am not nearly as willing to work around another guitar's specific tonality (or lack of), or adjust to a different action set-up. My wife says that I am now permanently spoiled. She may be right!

For the first, and only time, whatever I'm capable of playing, this guitar can do it, without hesitation. And sometimes, because of that, I find myself playing and reaching for levels of skill that were previously only part of my imagination. You can't get bored with a guitar that can consistently take you *there*. If there is anything I like about the guitar the most, it would be that.

Would this guitar be as impressive if it was Sitka? Maybe. The company has a fine reputation, with what appears to be high levels of quality control, from what other people have said who own something similar.

But would it be different? Obviously, yes. Would it be as good, for my purposes? Something tells me, probably not.