Spruce Tops For Guitars

Experienced luthiers & guitar players all pretty much agree that a solid spruce top is usually the best kind of wood for Acoustic Flat Top Guitars & Archtop Jazz Guitars. I have been doing a lot thinking & research regarding employing this wood for electric guitars.

Most large companies like Gibson use a laminated or plywood top on almost all of their guitars. These can never resonate as well as a real piece of solid carved wood. Some companies actually steam press the wood into an archtop. Steam pressing damages the cells in the wood and will adversely effect the tonality of the instrument. In most cases a pressed solid top is OK, but you always want to try to avoid the laminated plywood tops. (See Overpriced Guitars)

The front of the guitar is commonly referred to as the "top of the guitar", When I talk about top-woods I am talking about the slab of wood on the front of the instrument. The wood on the  back of the guitar is normally referred to as "the back or backwood".

It all started when we were recently talking to Ted Nugent about building him something very special in an electric solid body guitar. Uncle Ted was voraciously adamant when he requested an electric guitar with a Korina back and a solid spruce carved top. Ted was interested in a macassar ebony neck with a jet black gaboon ebony fretboard (But that's another tech article).

Many solid body guitarists look for a maple top on their guitars. Companies like Gibson, PRS, Hamer, McNaught, Baker, Dean etc have traditionally used Plain, Flamed or Quilted Maple for their topwoods. In my shop I have been offering 42 different kinds of different topwoods for more than 5 years. We have offered Myrtlewood, Koa, Bubinga, Cocobolo, Sequoia, Zebrawood, Ovangkol, Macassar Ebony, Korina & many other different exotic woods. Now we are also offering solid spruce tops on our Quicksilver, Centurion,  & Abstract guitar lines.

Spruce may not be as pretty as some of the exotics. In fact it's kind of boring looking. But we must ask ourselves, Are we looking for looks or are we looking for tone?

If you want a solid spruce top on your solid body custom guitar please let us know!!!!

Spruce Tops on electric Thinline or Slimline Guitars.

As most people know Ted Nugent uses old Byrdland guitars quite a bit. How does Ted get that heavy tone from that guitar? Well first of all remember the Byrdland is thinner than the traditional Jazz Cutaway guitar and I think it's one of the few Gibson guitars that actually employs solid wood in the construction of the top.  That's right, The 175, 135, 335,345,355, Herb Ellis, Howard Roberts are all made from 100% plywood (See Overpriced Guitars)

Most every company that makes an Electric slimline guitar uses plywood in the construction. I am not implying that all companies are overpriced rip off's, many of them put a very fair price on their instruments. Hofner, Guild, Benedetto, Gretsch, Washburn, Ibanez, Stromberg, D'Angelico , Rickenbacker & Heritage.  Heritage 335 guitars can be bought for less than a thousand dollars unless the dealer you are dealing with is gouging you very hard.

The only companies I know of that make an all solid slimline are the Robin, Savoy, & The Ribbecke Testadura. The Savoy is really beautiful but I am lucky to get about 3 a year and they sell for slightly more than $3,000.00. The Ribbecke is even nicer but it costs well above $8,000.00   (Currently, I don't carry the Ribbecke Testadura). Jim Triggs makes a very nice one also but if affordability is part of your equation see the guitar below.