Third installment: "Things you're too embarrassed to ask about now: The Adirondack"

Advance Guitars: Inoue's Solo Performance

Introduction

Hello. I'm Inoue, the store manager of Advance Guitars.
Lately, I've been getting more opportunities to write articles for music magazines.
As I continued writing, I gradually accumulated themes that I couldn't fully cover in my articles but would like to explore further.
Also, when I interact with customers on a daily basis and observe the guitars themselves,
I often find myself stopping and thinking, "What's the reality of this?"
Is there a way to talk about the questions and insights that arise in such moments in a more free and uninhibited way?
That's how I started my "Solo Storytelling Series" on YouTube.
In this series, I try to cover as many topics related to acoustic guitars as possible, focusing on things that I personally find interesting.
This article summarizes the series, supplementing aspects that are difficult to convey through video alone.
I hope this will allow you to enjoy the world of acoustic guitars from a slightly new perspective.

Third installment: "Things you're too embarrassed to ask about now: The Adirondack"

What exactly is Adirondack spruce? What's the difference between it and 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 talk about spruce.

Among spruce treesAdirondack spruceThat's what's said.
For those who love vintage acoustic guitars, this might be a classic choice.
Adirondack spruce is said to have been used in pre-war Martin and Gibson guitars, and is still used in high-end and authentic models today, making it, in a sense, the wood for acoustic guitars.King of spruceIt can be said that this is a type of material.

This Adirondack spruce has another name.
ThatRed Spruceis.
Those familiar with current Gibson guitars may have heard this name before.

This time, we'll be looking into what Adirondack spruce and red spruce actually are.

First, regarding the red spruce,This plant has the scientific name Picea rubens.
In Japanese, it is called Akatohi.
It is an evergreen coniferous tree belonging to the spruce genus of the pine family.

PaisiaPicea) refers to a group of evergreen coniferous trees of the pine family, and Rubens(rubens)That seems to be the origin of the word ruby, which comes from the Latin word for red, and is also the origin of the word for ruby, a red gemstone.
It is a pine tree with red bark.These are Picea rubens.

Incidentally, Sitka spruce, which is also commonly used,Picea sitchensis.
It remains an evergreen coniferous tree belonging to the genus Picea in the pine family.skinchensis(Sitchensis) apparently refers to Sitka.
And Sitka is a port city in Alaska.
It's clear that Red Spruce gets its name from the color of its bark, while Sitka Spruce gets its name from a place name.

Through my research, I discovered that this place name is important when considering red spruce and Adirondack spruce.
Adirondack spruce is simply a type of red spruce.

Red spruce is mainly grown in the northeastern United States.
I made a map.

On the other hand, Sitka spruce is mainly found along the northwestern Pacific coast of North America.
Alaska, which was mentioned earlier, is located in North America, northwest of Canada.

So, it's easiest to understand if you think of Adirondack and Sitka as roughly divided into East and West.

Since we're talking about red spruce and Adirondack spruce, I'll focus on the northeastern region.

The Appalachian Mountains stretch out here, and Martin, a company that has long used red spruce,
Records show that several companies located in this northeastern region were used as suppliers of spruce.

And the Adirondack Mountains stretch across northern New York State,
The red spruce harvested here was primarily used by Martin during their Golden Era, roughly from 1933 to 1941.

Because it was used during the Golden Era,
I think the idea that Adirondack spruce is used for the finest guitars became widespread.
Martin guitars from this period are truly superb, so I think it's understandable from a user's perspective.

Strictly speaking, Adirondack spruce refers to red spruce harvested from the Adirondack Mountains. However, Martin doesn't keep records of which mountain each product uses spruce from.

Therefore, the sources of spruce used in Martin guitars before 1945 were diverse.

Let's start with the 1800s.
Records indicate that for a period in the late 1800s, they purchased spruce from a company in Pennsylvania where the Martin factory was located.

Later, around 1900, the main source was spruce from White Mountain in New Hampshire, and around 1910, Ohio and West Virginia seem to have been the primary suppliers.

And these spruceRed SpruceI imagine that's how it's summarized.
As I mentioned earlier, since it's impossible to record data for each individual tree, I think the current practice is to refer to them broadly as Adirondack spruce.
It's probably best to understand the terms "Adirondack spruce" and "red spruce" in a broad sense.

I have prepared two Martin D-28s.
One is a D-28 made of Sitka spruce, and the other is a D-28 Authentic.

2017 Sitka Spruce D-28

2015 D-28 Authentic

Authentic uses Adirondack spruce.
Adirondack spruce is often said to have wide-set eyes, and when you compare it to other varieties, the difference in eye width is obvious, so I think there's some truth to that statement.
On the other hand, if you look at pre-war spruce wood, the grain isn't always this wide; you can also find wood with a tighter grain.
So, while it's true that Adirondack leather is known for its broad grain, looking at its long history, I now think that might not be entirely accurate.

I think climate and environmental factors play a major role in the wide range of vision.
As I mentioned in the first episode, this difference in eye size is due to the growth rate.

Having wide-set eyes means the tree will grow quickly.
Based on these two trees alone, it appears that Adirondack spruce grows faster than Sitka spruce.

From here on, this is just my own speculation, but I was curious and looked into the temperature trends around the Adirondack Mountains and the annual temperature trends in Sitka, Alaska.

*Average temperature in the Adirondack Mountains

*Average temperature in the Sitka region

As a result, the Adirondack region experienced a greater temperature difference compared to the Sitka region, becoming both colder and warmer.
I think the fact that the summers are warm is an important factor.
Tree rings are divided into earlywood and latewood, with earlywood being the part that grows during warmer periods.
The wide grain of Adirondack spruce is due to the part that grows during the summer, the so-called earlywood.

Therefore, I think the difference in temperature between this region and the Sitka region is reflected in the wide-open appearance of the eyes.
On the other hand, Sitka spruce tends to have a more stable temperature, so I think it has a tendency to have a more uniformly dense grain.

When you consider that such a rich history is packed into just one type of wood used in acoustic guitars, it makes you realize just how endlessly fascinating these products are.
Because there's no bottom, you just get sucked deeper and deeper into it.
While it's certainly useful as a tool for learning about culture, history, geography, and biology, I personally think one of the great things about acoustic guitars is that you can find enjoyment in these kinds of discussions.

I hope to continue talking about acoustic guitars in this way, without too many restrictions.
Please look forward to the next update.

thank you very much.

 

Author of this article:Advance Guitars Store Manager Inoue - Vintage Guitar Researcher

Having been involved with musical instruments since childhood, he is an expert who has been involved in the appraisal and sale of thousands of vintage guitars. He has strong connections with collectors and dealers overseas. Believing that "the history of a guitar changes with even a single color or stamp," he strives to provide detailed and passionate explanations.

Qualifications and experience: Eight years of experience as a musical instrument appraiser, contributing articles and supervision to Guitar Magazine and other publications.

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