Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis)

Sitka Spruce is the most widely used wood for acoustic guitars soundboards. It offers an excellent balance of light weight, stiffness, and elasticity, creating a high velocity of sound. The color is creamy white with a pink hue, that gradually tans to honey or amber shade along with time. The grains are tight, straight and even. In some cases, the grain exhibits some characteristic figurations where the pattern of the wood resembles the clawing of a bear, hence the name ‘Bear Claw Spruce.’
Sitka Spruce tops deliver strong fundamental notes, and by consequence, a powerful, direct tone, with a remarkable headroom, that helps in maintaining clarity with all playing styles, even the most energetic. Considered a very versatile soundboard wood, it guarantees a wide dynamic response and a full-bodied, punchy tone either when strummed or flatpicked. By contrast, the strong component of fundamentals in the tone provides a delicate attack when played fingerstyle, with a lighter touch. Often used also for jazz-oriented semihollow and hollow body guitar tops, because of the natural resonance and less pronounced attack, that allows for warmer and sweeter tones than maple tops.