Stu, FYI, I think the D-40 "Bluegrass" models from Tacoma and New Hartford have red spruce (Adirondack) soundboards, as compared to all the D-40s from Westerly which (I think) were all Sitka.
YES.
(In spite of multiple discussions and requests,
I've never seen any credible evidence that Westerly used Adi.)
They just had a particularly skilled buyer/grader in Willie Fritscher. Just take a close look at almost any Westerly top you can find on the net, they're all nice and tight grained with at least a little, if not a
lot of silking.
As far as I know Guild never said a word about using Adi until Tacoma, and neither has Hans that I know of.
And the availability of Adi was supposed to be so low in the Westerly years that
that tends to support the unlikelihood they ever used it as well.
:friendly-wink:
You may want to explore sonic differences before you decide which model and era you like. I don't know if it matters all that match when partnered with mahogany back/sides, but I do know that the D-50 models have similar distinctions, and (to me) they sound very different (with rosewood b/s, that is).
Yes surprisingly enough Adi is supposed to have a reputation of being so "tight" that it takes longer to open up, and doesn't really show off its capabilities until/unless "pushed hard", but it can be played harder/louder without "breaking up" or "choking".
I'll never forget Twocorgi's story of selling his NH D40BJ because he just wasn't bonding with it and suspected he couldn't wait around long enough for it to open up.
Food for thought.
And don't overlook Corona's, either.
Mine just took ten years to open up, itself.
NOW it sounds like the Richie Havens model it is.