Cedar or Spruce Top?
Cedar top or spruce? So much has been written about it. But I don’t think when José asked Andrés to try out his new line of guitars in the early sixes that Andrés thought, “But this is a cedar top. Are you crazy?” When people ask me (stepping down a few levels, of course) I say, “Whichever has the newer strings on it.” I’ve known so many guitar players that bounce back and forth so much from cedar tops to spruce that it doesn’t matter to them. Or for those who are monogamous guitarists (I guess I’m a slut), when you met your mate did you think, “Okay, should I go for the blond or the red -head? No, you will go with the one who melts your heart. So find the guitar that melts your heart and that’s it. The reason that I ended up as a dealer years ago is that I went crazy over the question of which top is better. I wanted to determine which had better projection and balance, but in the end I found that it has more to do with the maker than the wood. As they say “ the guilty ones cry the loudest.” Enjoy the gift the great guitar makers (luthiers if you must) have made for us and enjoy the music that God has given to us. Spruce top - cedar top, hey, come on, are we eating these things?
