Sitka

Sitka Spruce is an excellent choice for just about any steel-stringed flattop guitar. It is light, strong, and tends to be consistently stiffer than other varieties of spruce. In master grades the color and grain are very tight and even. Sitka is probably the most popular top selection, due to its availability and to the high yield from its characteristically large-diameter logs. Quartersawn Sitka is quite stiff along and across the grain; high stiffness, combined with the relatively light weight characteristics of most softwoods, is a recipe for high velocity of sound. A strong fundamental to overtone ratio gives Sitka a powerful, direct tone that is capable of retaining its clarity when played forcefully.