We are specialized in the highest quality concert guitars as well as historic guitars from around the world. But I also enjoy my Red Cedar Classical Guild for the low mid tones too. Cedar. Guitar strings have limited potential energy and can move only so much mass successfully. And for good reason. I love cedar for its warmth and attenuated highs. Another focus is to work closely with established and young, largely unknown luthiers. ( Log Out /  It has a broad dynamic range, a clear defined sound and goes with all manner of back and sides woods. This is often used on classical guitars but also sometimes on steel string acoustics. Rather than fixating on the cedar vs. spruce question, I would say: Just play, and eventually your ear will work it out for you. I've narrowed it down to the seagull S6. I'm wondering which one you guys prefer and if you guys have suggestions recommending other acoustic guitars, that would be good too. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Spruce is a stronger wood than cedar, so is more durable. My Sitka Spruce guitars have the most dynamice range (to my ears). People like different things. ( Log Out /  31, Germany LIGHTED BY NYTA: https://www.nyta.eu/en/‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ ►►ANA VIDOVIC https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWOAHYyavpQhzY5wkpHE0_AGu72x7JjdN►►J S BACHhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWOAHYyavpQiRD8C05bGImSEXp5KLpMSk►► ALBUMS \u0026 CONCERTShttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWOAHYyavpQj1YvhqLIO5EGz9ikpYTc2m ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ Classical guitars are our passion! You will also find almost all the classical music composers that wrote for the classical guitar. The age of the wood and the seasoning process will determine its quality. Best regards, Great podcast. Cedar Tops have a soft attack, and are sensitive. Once again, having a solid-top should be the minimum requirement for anyone wanting a nicer acoustic and should be … With that said, classical guitars are traditionally made out of certain types of tonewood. Discounting the different techniques luthiers use in bracing the top, or the thickness of the soundboard, it is generally agreed that a spruce top guitar will sound brighter than a cedar top guitar. Spruce is a good example of this and is one of the most commonly used tonewoods for acoustic guitar soundboard construction along with Cedar. ( Log Out /  Some generalizations about spruce & cedar soundboards: Guitar Salon – The differences between cedar and spruce: The most noticeable and most obvious difference is in appearance. Without getting into the details of graduating (differential thicknessing in various parts of the soundboard), the overall thickness of spruce must be less than cedar in order to keep the aggregate mass of a spruce soundboard less than a cedar. ( Log Out /  Spruce is light blonde in color, almost sometimes with a honey/amber tint, while cedar is darker and appears in various shades of brown. Most classical guitars are made with Spruce or Cedar for the soundboard. “I’m a cedar guy” or “I’m a spruce gal.” Cedar is more forgiving than spruce. In this series, there are 6 different guitar types: Crossover, Lefty, Parlor, Acoustic cedar top, Acoustic spruce top, and Acoustic-electric. The have a ‘warm’ mysterious tone. Very loud & expressive. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. And I like both of them. Change ). Spruce top guitar or Cedar top guitar?. Hi all, I'm in the process of purchasing my first acoustic guitar. Some believe that the difference between Spruce and Cedar guitar is the sound, where cedar has a more mellow sound, while cedar has a darker sound. This discovery was later adopted by, practically all guitar manufacturers in the world, although, at the beginning it was highly criticized because of its innovative nature. I've been looking at some and realized there's a significant difference in tone between Cedar and Spruce. Spruce guitars typically have a quite direct sound with a bell-like tone. They have a wider tone palette with more tonal complexity. The additional midrange with cedar really makes the guitar's voice more "present." That is also applied to Cedar tops. As an example my cedar/rosewood nylon-string Taylor is much, much brighter than my sitka/maple true classical guitar. Spruce Tops generally are more trebly, they sound more punchy and bright, for some people they are too bright. Softwoods are dented fairly easily by guitar picks. I you choice is Cedar, i think you should go for it. Cedar is typically warmer and responds very well to the lighter touch, Sitka is very snappy or lively and IMO is a brighter sounding wood. Sharon Isbin, in her “Classical Guitar Answer Book,” had the following answer to the question, “do you prefer a guitar with a cedar or a spruce top?”: I sometimes find that the spruce tops are more versatile than the cedar tops in their ability to perform well for all typed of repertoire. Not to long ago while in a music store, I played a pair of Taylor, rosewood GSs, one with a cedar top and one with sitka spruce. Sometimes with a slide. This wood is traditionally used on classical instruments but is becoming an increasingly popular choice for steel strung flat top constructions too. Additionally, you might find that over time, your preferences for which wood you prefer change. Rosewood is the most popular of these wood options. I believe the woods account for some note decay at different rates as well, both are super. (guitarfromspain.wordpress.com) […], Hola Manuel ! The use of Cedar tops in Classical guitars started with Jose Ramirez III in 1965. All guitars are at risk of extreme climate, temperature swings and dryness, so you still have to be careful with a $500 guitar or a $5000 all solid-wood rosewood acoustic. These genres require a guitar that is geared towards the unique techniques involved, and ‘normal’ steel-strung acoustics simply wouldn’t provide enough finger real-estate in which to work your magic. Spruce appears to give the guitar a clear and balanced sound, while Cedar produces a darker, warmer and fuller sound. […] Spruce top or Cedar top Classical guitar? These are the two main choices for classical guitar tops. I’m glad that its been useful for you. We also recorded pieces for many great composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Astor Piazzolla and Isaac Albeniz (Asturias). At Guitarfromspain.com you can choose the top in practically all guitar models and because they come from factory you can apply that change and others to the guitar of your choice. It is a very versatile wood. The age of the wood and the seasoning process will determine its quality. I really appreciate this post. He compares a spruce Armin Hanika 1a Torres classical guitar with a cedar Armin Hanika 1a Torres classical guitar.Spruce top: https://bit.ly/2zTW2VrCedar top: https://bit.ly/36f1cHy‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ Support our channel and become a SiccasGuitars Member with exclusive classical guitar nerd perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR39sLAZ5wS_vrMo4tRylHw/joinFollows us on: ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siccasguitars/ ► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/siccasguitars/ ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/siccasguitars WEBSITES:► https://ohguitar.com/► https://siccasmedia.com/► https://www.siccasguitars.com/ NEWSLETTER:► http://bit.ly/SiccasGuitars CONTACT US:► info@siccasguitars.com ► 76137 Karlsruhe, Roonstr. Spruce tops have been used for generations in spanish classical guitars and flamenco guitars. One often hears about the characteristics of spruce vs. cedar but hearing a luthier on the subject is especially interesting. Reblogged this on TheRumplestiltskinReBlog. You may be surprised what wood combinations work best for you. On classical guitars, the most common used soundboard-woods are Cedar and Spruce and there is an everlasting debate on which seems to be better. Comparison of SPRUCE vs. CEDAR classical guitar sounds made by Cim Frode at Siccas Guitars. Press Esc to cancel. Most spanish guitar makers know that and that’s why they store a large amount of quality wood seasoned at the mediterranean climate for years. Many guitarists prefer one or the other. You will find models where the top of the guitar is either cedar or spruce. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. If I can add a question for the next podcast – what is Gary Lee’s opinion on string length, e.g. It’s an old guitar question: Cedar or spruce? Does not have a wide tone palette, not tonally complex. Thanks. There are also differences in the type of spruce used, from the very tough Sitka, to softer species such as Engelmann. Cedar vs Spruce Tops. From what I know about the characteristics of cedar, the song sounded rich, warm and comforting. The Cordoba C10 is a classical guitar series created by the very popular and well-respected Cordoba brand. If you’re looking for a nylon-string guitar specifically, as opposed to a general purpose acoustic guitar, then the chances are that you play either classical or flamenco styles. That is also applied to Cedar tops. Emy marquez, […] review covers the spruce top version of the Alhambra CS3CW but there is also a cedar top version of the guitar that you can […]. Posted at 18:16h in Guides by paul. I am finally thinking about buying an acoustic guitar after playing electric for 4 years. Hardness adds to the sustain as well as the guitar’s ability to project sound across distance. I'd be using it for mostly blues and folk. Sitka spruce is by far the most common top wood for acoustic guitars today. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. I'd like to know the differences, the advantages, and disadvantages of owning each. Whilst Spruce is more traditional and has been used in the industry more, Cedar has gained popularity starting in the mid-1960's. For cedar guitars, the good cedar is usually more affordable than good spruce. Many people have asked me the same question for years and there is a lot of information out there about this subject. Some spruce top guitars have a very warm, mellow sound, while many cedar top guitars are characterized by brilliance and clarity. The place to buy Classical Guitars, Acoustic Guitars and Flamenco Guitars made in Spain with passion, love and dedication, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Blogger (Opens in new window), Condition Critical – Operational Hazard | Metal Is Power, Alhambra Crossover CS3CW Review | Guitar From Spain. The conventional view is that cedar produces a warmer, fuller, mellower sound, and spruce produces a sharper, brighter sound with more clarity. Spruce top guitars have a wonderful blooming tone, with bell-like trebles and basses that are low and full but tend more toward the mid range. Just play as many guitars that you can, hear what sounds best for you & the type of music you play. 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The soundboard tonewoods for acoustic guitars, the older the wood and the process. Are often made Out of certain types of spruce woods and different qualities: German spruce is by the... Your Google account classical guitars are spruce top or cedar top classical guitar series created by the popular. Series created by the very popular and well-respected Cordoba brand what is Gary Lee ’ an! By the very popular and well-respected Cordoba brand hardness adds to the seagull S6 on classical guitars and flamenco.... Can, hear what sounds best for you down to the seagull S6 what i know about the characteristics spruce!