Spruce – Engelmann

Engelmann Spruce (Picea engelmannii) grows high in the mountains of western North America, from British Columbia and Alberta down through the Rockies. It’s prized by acoustic guitar makers for soundboards, thanks to its resonance and quick, responsive tone.
The wood is light off-white to cream, a touch paler than Sitka, with straight grain and a fine, even texture. It’s generally easy to work with hand and power tools, though it can blotch when stained, so a sealer coat or a clear finish is the safer choice.
What makes it special for instruments is its stiffness-to-weight ratio. Construction-grade spruce is plentiful and inexpensive, but small knots are common, so clear, tight-grained, quartersawn billets come from slow-grown, high-altitude trees and are priced accordingly.
Sitka Spruce is more widely used for guitar tops, but many builders prefer Engelmann for fingerstyle and classical guitars, where its warm, open sound and lighter weight really shine. It’s also used for harps, mandolins, violin family tops and other instruments. For another classic soundboard wood, see Western Red Cedar.
Not listed in the CITES Appendices, and is reported by the IUCN as being “a species of least concern.”
Why We Love This Wood
Light, stiff and wonderfully responsive. A favorite top wood for acoustic guitars.
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Vital Statistics
| Main Color Group | Yellow / White |
| Grain Pattern | Even |
| Avg Dry Weight - LB/BF | 2 |
| Avg Dry Weight - KG/M3 | 385 |
| Janka Hardness - LBF | 390 |
| Janka Hardness - N | 1740 |
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Piano Sound Board
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