Advance Guitars: Inoue’s Monologue
Episode 3: “Things You’re Too Embarrassed to Ask About Adirondack”
Introduction
Hello. I’m Inoue, the store manager at Advance Guitars.
Lately, I’ve had more opportunities to write articles for music magazines.
As I’ve written more and more, I’ve gradually accumulated a list of topics I’d like to explore in greater depth—things I couldn’t fully cover in my articles.
Also, as I interact with customers every day and observe guitars themselves,
I often find myself pausing to wonder, “How does this actually work?”
Is there a way I can talk about the questions and insights I have in those moments in a freer, more spontaneous way?
That’s how I started my “Solo Talk Series” on YouTube.
In this series, I cover a wide range of topics related to acoustic guitars, focusing primarily on things I personally find “interesting.”
In this article, I’ve summarized the series while adding details that are hard to convey through video alone.
I hope you’ll enjoy exploring the world of acoustic guitars from a slightly new perspective.
Part 3: “Adirondack: Too Late to Ask Now?”
What exactly is Adirondack spruce? How does it differ from red spruce?
This time, we’ll be discussing the top woods used in acoustic guitars.
Spruce, cedar, and mahogany are commonly used as top woods for acoustic guitars, but I’d like to focus on spruce.
Specifically, the type of spruce known as Adirondack spruce.
For fans of vintage acoustic guitars, this might be considered the quintessential wood.
Adirondack spruce is said to have been used in pre-war Martin and Gibson guitars, and it’s still used in high-end and authentic models today—it’s essentially the king of spruce in the acoustic guitar world.
This Adirondack spruce actually has another name.
That name is red spruce.
Those familiar with current Gibson models may have heard this name before.
In this post, I’d like to explore what Adirondack spruce actually is and what red spruce is.
First, regarding red spruce, its scientific name is Picea rubens.
In Japanese, it is called “Aka-touhi.”
It is an evergreen conifer belonging to the genus Picea in the pine family.
“Picea” refers to a group of evergreen conifers in the pine family, and “rubens” comes from the Latin word for “red”—it’s also the root of the word “ruby,” the red gemstone.
It’s called Picea rubens because it’s a pine with red bark.
Incidentally, Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) is also commonly used.
It is still an evergreen conifer in the genus Picea of the pine family, and “sitchensis” apparently refers to Sitka.
Sitka is the name of a port town in Alaska.
While “Red Spruce” derives its name from the color of its bark, “Sitka Spruce” is named after a place name.
As I researched, I discovered that this place name becomes important when considering Red Spruce and Adirondack Spruce.
Adirondack Spruce is, strictly speaking, a type of Red Spruce.
As for Red Spruce, it appears to be found primarily in the northeastern United States.
I’ve created a map to illustrate this.
On the other hand, Sitka spruce is primarily found along the Pacific Northwest coast of North America.
Alaska, which came up earlier, is located in North America, northwest of Canada.
So, it’s easier to understand if you think of Adirondack and Sitka as being divided between the east and west.
Since we’re talking about red spruce and Adirondack spruce, I’d like to focus on the northeastern region.
The Appalachian Mountains stretch across this region, and records show that Martin, which has used red spruce since its early days,
relied on several companies located in this northeastern region as suppliers of spruce.
The Adirondack Mountains also extend across northern New York State,
and the red spruce harvested there was primarily used during Martin’s “Golden Era,” roughly from 1933 to 1941.
Given that it was used during the Golden Era,
I believe the notion that Adirondack spruce is used in the very finest guitars has become widely accepted.
Since Martin guitars from this period are all truly magnificent, I think even guitarists would have to agree with this view.
Strictly speaking, “Adirondack spruce” refers to red spruce harvested in the Adirondack Mountains; however, Martin did not, understandably, keep records for each individual instrument specifying exactly which mountain the spruce came from.
As a result, the sources of spruce for Martin guitars built before 1945 were quite diverse.
First, the 1800s.
Records indicate that for a time in the latter half of the 1800s, Martin purchased spruce from a company in Pennsylvania, where the Martin factory was located.
Later, around 1900, the spruce came from the White Mountains in New Hampshire, and around 1910, Ohio and West Virginia appear to have been the main sources.
I imagine this spruce is collectively referred to as “red spruce.”
As I mentioned earlier, since it’s not possible to keep records for each individual instrument, I believe the term “Adirondack spruce” is now used in a broad sense.
It might be best to view the terms “Adirondack spruce” and “red spruce” in a broad sense.
I’ve prepared two Martin D-28s.
One is a Sitka spruce D-28, and the other is a D-28 Authentic.
2017 Sitka Spruce D-28
2015 D-28 Authentic
The Authentic model uses Adirondack spruce.
Adirondack spruce is often said to have a wide grain, and when compared, the difference in grain width is striking—so I think there’s some truth to that claim.
On the other hand, if you look at pre-war spruce wood, the grain isn’t necessarily this wide—you can also find wood with a much denser grain.
So while it’s true that Adirondack spruce is often described as having a wide grain, looking at its long history, I now think that might not always be the case.
As for this wide grain, I believe climate and environmental factors play a major role.
As I mentioned in the first installment, this difference in grain width stems from growth rate.
A wide grain indicates that the tree grew quickly.
Judging by these two trees alone, Adirondack spruce grows faster than Sitka spruce.
This is just my personal speculation, but I was curious, so I looked up the temperature trends around the Adirondacks and the annual temperature trends in Sitka, Alaska.
*Average temperature in the Adirondack Mountains
*Average temperature in the Sitka region
It turns out that the Adirondack region experiences greater temperature fluctuations compared to the Sitka region, with temperatures ranging from colder to warmer.
I think the fact that summers are warm there is key.
Tree rings are divided into earlywood and latewood, and earlywood is the part that grows during warmer periods.
The wide growth rings of Adirondack spruce originate from the part that grows in summer—the so-called earlywood.
So I think the temperature difference between the Sitka region and the Adirondacks is reflected in the width of the grain in this way.
On the other hand, since Sitka spruce experiences relatively stable temperatures, I think it tends to have a uniformly tight grain.
When I consider that a single type of wood used for acoustic guitars is packed with such a rich history, I realize more and more that it’s a product with endless charm.
There’s no bottom to this—I’m getting more and more hooked.
It’s also a great way to learn about culture, history, geography, and biology. While using it as an instrument is obviously part of the appeal, I personally think one of the best things about acoustic guitars is being able to enjoy discussions like this.
Going forward, I hope to continue talking broadly about acoustic guitars like this, without setting too many limits.
Until then, please look forward to the next update.
Thank you very much.
Author: Inoue, Store Manager at Advance Guitars – Vintage Guitar Expert
An expert who has been playing instruments since childhood and has been involved in the appraisal and sale of over several thousand vintage guitars. He maintains strong connections with collectors and dealers overseas. Guided by the belief that “the history of a guitar can change based on a single color or stamp,” he strives to provide in-depth and passionate commentary.
Qualifications and Experience: 8 years as a musical instrument appraiser; contributor and supervising editor for Guitar Magazine and other publications
▶︎Click here for articles
Ren Ferguson Montana Rivers Masterpieces #3
Ren Ferguson Co. × Advance Guitars Signature Lineup
Shin-Okubo: The Forest of Martin D-45s
Terry Nakamoto’s Legend: Yamaha’s Four Heavenly Kings
Art Born in the 1800s: The Allure of Antique Guitars
A Trusted Companion: Gibson J-50
Gibson J-45 The Magnificent Square-Shoulder Gibson Dove
Gibson’s Former Master Luthier, Ren Ferguson
Peter Fonda’s 1944 Martin D-18 The Great Train Robbery Special: Martin D-28 TRAIN
MOSSMAN SUPER CUSTOM by Baxendale, Carrying the Spirit of Warner Bros.
The History of the Ultra-Rare Gibson Hummingbird
If you found this article helpful, please show your support!