So what’s the deal with Adirondack?

[GGJaguar]

Yes, red spruce has "certain" characteristics, but I've played very open and 3-D sounding guitars with red spruce as well as some that were a bit 2-dimensional, but they all had those "certain" characteristics in common. A couple of other things to consider with regard to wood is that most factory-made acoustic guitars are built to a specification. The wood is pre-selected and cut, often by CNC to a certain size, thickness, shape, etc. Then all the pre-cut pieces are glued together by a technician. Other than some basic trimming, there often isn't much going on in terms of optimizing the carve of the bracing. The tone of the guitars produced this way usually fall on a bell-shaped, where the majority are in the middle (average, but good sounding), but some are on the left tail of the curve (less the average sounding) and some are on the right tail of the curve (exceptionally good sounding). However, master guitar builders can produce really good sounding guitars based on the quality and characteristics of the wood. They know how to shape and place bracing, determine optimal top thickness based on the feel and sound of the woods they've selected to build that specific model guitar. They will tap tune and use chladni patterns to help guide them. So there's science, art, and professional experience going into a luthier-built guitar. They can consistently make some pretty spectacular sounding guitars using the usual Sitka spruce top and Indian rosewood body (or any other wood for that matter), while the factory-made versions fall on that bell-shaped curve.

 

[merlin6666]

Amati and Stradivari got their (red) spruce from the Nothern Appelachians.
There ain't nothing that can even be compared...

Ah good one yeah each weekend they were swimming across the pond to select a suitable tree for logging.

 

[cutrofiano]

Ah good one yeah each weekend they were swimming across the pond to select a suitable tree for logging.

Damm', you are right, they must have gotten the stuff from elsewhere

 

[West R Lee]

West

 

[howardjeffreymusic]

I have a 2011Martin D18 custom that I bought in 2013 with an adi top. It really took a long Time to "calm down" the high end. She is opened up now and sounds fantastic. My Guild F47R (2012) custom is also adi and always sounded fantastic. Probably the rosewood back and sides have something to do with that.

 

[Jimbasi]

My f40 has an Adirondack top and bracing. It can be very loud. Each note is exceptionally clear and overall balance is great. It stands out in ensembles.

 

[PAPADON]

This spruce, that spruce some other spruce. I don't worry about species because they are all capable of sounding great or not so great

 

[Br1ck]

As a natural skeptic when it comes to measures taken by builders to sell guitars, I've had experiences that have tempered this skepticism. Firstly, I had the pleasure of playing a '39 J 35 and got hooked on old Gibson tone. I went looking for something I could afford. None of the new Gibsons had that tone, until I played a J 45 vintage. Torrification can do this? Holy ****. So I expanded my budget and started playing 60s Gibsons, only to find my tone in a 65 Texan. But I'll never discount cooked tops again, but evaluate on a case by case basis.

Now regarding Adirondak, I built a mandolin two years ago. Strung it up and was quite pleased. It was very bright and loud, but lacking in warmth and fullness. Well, I'll call it a sucess. Met my goal of being better than anything I could have bought for the $1200 I invested. Over the first six months, the low G string warmed up a bunch. It lost the brittleness that plagues the low string of most imports. By the end of the year it became fatter across the board. Will it ever be a warm, resonant mandolin? No, but I've got a Silverangel for that. What it will do is battle it out with banjos. Two years in, and I think it's still changing, but less so. Adirondak is not a wood to buy for the impatient, or ever if you don't like the end result. It's a different not better scenario. But I do believe it breaks in over time.

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

The thickness of an Adirondack top will be a factor in how long it will take to open up.
I have two custom guitars with Adirondack tops.
One has a thinner top and sounds fantastic [.Built this year]
The other guitar has a thicker top and is several years older.[but sat in a closet for 5 years]
It still needs to open up.

Older guitars like Martin guitars with Adirondack tops, generally sound very good
as they have had time and playing to help open them up.

I'm a believer and fan of Adirondack.

 

[midnightright]

Did the Orpheum models that Mr. Ferguson designed after the pre-war / golden era of guitar building come with Adirondack?
(Just thinking out loud. . . )

 

[General Dreedle]

I have a Gibson Nick Lucas L100 Maple that has an Adirondack top and it has an amazing sound. Clear and has a great deep bass notes. For whatever it's worth I also have Martin HD 28 VTS, and was able to compare it at the local GC to an HD 28 V, an HD 28, and a D28. For me it was the Goldilocks of the three, loud but not too boomy like the HD 28 V, drier sounding than the other two. A fantastic guitar

 

[chazmo]

Did the Orpheum models that Mr. Ferguson designed after the pre-war / golden era of guitar building come with Adirondack?
(Just thinking out loud. . . )

My OOO-SHRW 12-string has an Adirondack top (well, red spruce, that is, which I think is Adi). I think all the Orphea used Adi, but I'm not 100% sure. You can check out the specs here: https://guildguitars.com/archived-models/

 

[midnightright]

Wow! I bet those are both impressive instruments... I know I would call my Bourgeois Vintage D, as having had a very warm and clear tone as well, with lots of pop &/or sparkle-- It had really good note to note string balance as well, as apparently Dana B. preferred to only scallop one side of the braces on his Dread's (a t least one's like this!), in order to i suppose reduce the bass somewhat.~
Interestingly, over the course of the winter, I had the chance to briefly own a several year old Eastman with an Adirondack top (kind of like a J-45); i forget if it was called a E 10 SS SB, something like that - but anyway, while I'm not at all suggesting that they are the same thing, or even very much alike. I d say for anyone seeking something like this out (that is, bourgeois on a budget & that budget being lesser than a Martin), they're worth checking out...
Do Guild currently produce anything with a top like this? It'd be interesting to see them throw one on a D-55, but they'd probably have to rename it or something-

 

[F312]

Wow! I bet those are both impressive instruments... I know I would call my Bourgeois Vintage D, as having had a very warm and clear tone as well, with lots of pop &/or sparkle-- It had really good note to note string balance as well, as apparently Dana B. preferred to only scallop one side of the braces on his Dread's (a t least one's like this!), in order to i suppose reduce the bass somewhat.~
Interestingly, over the course of the winter, I had the chance to briefly own a several year old Eastman with an Adirondack top (kind of like a J-45); i forget if it was called a E 10 SS SB, something like that - but anyway, while I'm not at all suggesting that they are the same thing, or even very much alike. I d say for anyone seeking something like this out (that is, bourgeois on a budget & that budget being lesser than a Martin), they're worth checking out...
Do Guild currently produce anything with a top like this? It'd be interesting to see them throw one on a D-55, but they'd probably have to rename it or something-

It'd be interesting to see them throw one on a D-55, but they'd probably have to rename it or something.

That would not be a problem, in the least.

Ralph