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Have you built with it? And what do you think?
I've had a couple of sets since it seems forever, I get them out once in a while but have never used them. Nice taptone and stiffness, with perhaps more damping than either Euro or red, reminds me a bit of Sitka.
What are your thoughts?

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Laurent,

Colin Symonds made me a Torres style classical guitar with a Caucasian spruce top and kindly gave me a spare Caucasian top then. Earlier this year I totally "re-modelled" an African Blackwood steel string guitar I had made for my 50'th birthday present six years ago that I was never happy I had made a guitar to match the woods "potential". I used the Caucasian spruce top on the guitar called “Féileacán” – the gaelic for butterfly - which has a 13.5" lower bout similar in size to a Martin O sized guitar, 630-660mm multiscale and 13 frets clear of the body.



The Caucasian looks and feels more like Euro than sitka to me (although Lutz is more similar to it) and the guitar is very loud for its size with a very pleasing complexity to it's sound. The guitar is about five moths old now and it has opened up beautifully. I'd build another steel string with a Caucasian spruce top in a heartbeat. Here's two recordings I made with it the first is Ken Nicol's piece "I.H" in DADGAD capo 3 that I recorded a few days after it was strung up:

I.H

The second is my arrangement of the Carol "Gaudete" that I recorded this Christmas in DADGAD (no capo):

"Gaudete"

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Hi Laurent, I've used it once.
Most impressive, with incredible responsiveness all over the guitar's range.
I don't think I've built a better guitar than that particular one.
Of course, it was sitting atop some Brazilian rosewood.

Give it a try.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Laurent, as Dave said I have used it quite a bit, but only on classicals, where it is a superb top wood, as well as Dave's guitar I have used it on four other Torres classicals and these are being played by full time professional players who are the senior members of faculty at the RCM, plus the sister guitar of Dave's that was awarded as the Guitar prize last year. To me it is every bit as good as the best Euro or Lutz, much superior to any sitka I've handled. I would have no hesitation of using it on a steel string, to me it is absolutely premium spruce (usual conditions apply!)

I said this before, but the view is held on this side of the pond that a lot of the high end Spanish guitars of the 19th century used Caucasian tops, as the transport of wood was generally by sea around the Mediterranean and wood, including P. orientalis would have come into Spain from the Levant and Turkey along with spices and silk. Builders then couldn't just call Bob for some top wood but used the best 'pine' they could find, they didn't discriminate as to species, probably didn't know.

Lets, face it if it is good spruce you'll make a great guitar out of it whatever.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

I've used it twice. Very much reminded me of Sitka, which is a good thing!

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

I also have a couple of sets I haven't used. Very well-quartered and consistent grain; they are AAA to Master depending on the grader.

The color is darker than Euro or red spruce, but not pinkish like Sitka. More of a dull tan. It doesn't have Sitka's pronounced medullary rays or sap vessels.

For some reason (I would have to revisit the sets) when I got them they said "classical" to me.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

No experience with Caucasian spruce myself, but here's an interesting article from a thread over on the AGF a couple days ago... http://www.lutherie.net/eurospruce.html

EDIT: Oops, I just realized caucasian = p. orientalis, I was thinking carpathian. But still a good article.

Where are those myth busters when you need them.

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Build log

Dave and Steve, thanks much for the feedback. Colin, the historical perspective is appreciated, it makes sense.
The caucasian spruce I have does not resemble sitka, although it has a subtle pinkish shade, but the taptone reminds me of it.
Dennis, this "essay" surfaces from time to time. I wouldn't know where to begin: there are so many misleading assumptions and plainly wrong, or at best unchecked, facts in it that it is not even worth discussing.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

If it weren't for this being true, I would say I agree with it!

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

what is the catch there with euro-spruce, if i may ask?

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes