Timber

Fender has these models (American Performer) with body woods which are not from the usual wood selection. Seen above from L-R (above): Sassafras, Spruce & Pine. The manufacturer wants us to believe these are perfectly OK substitutes in terms of tonal preferences, whatever that means. I see it as an exercise in economy. These obviously less common wood types are arguably more economical to acquire compared to the usual, more in demand, alder. Even if prices remain the same, they will make a good cut in terms of earnings. Whatever the case might be, if these work for you, then there's nothing to denounce.

Pic: Fender

300 JRs

Folks, these are new (October) releases by Ibanez & I must commend them for such considerations. The AW300MWJR is a solid top cutaway sporting a shorter scale length (23.9"). This finish features a myrtlewood body.

The spruce top version is also available but it features ziricote sides & back. 
 

Pics: Ibanez

Reconciliation: Spruce top (Part 2)

The guitar in question is Takamine's GY93E. It's Chinese & it sings beautifully. I've noticed that Chinese instruments are particularly well made when it comes to the acoustic & semi-solid construction. It's something else when solid body construction in concerned. That, shall not be discussed here.

This is how the guitar looks like from the rear. That light strip of wood there is maple. A stunning look has nothing to do with sounding good & playing well for that matter (especially when it's hidden at the back *duh*).

So this was how it went; my coming to terms with a spruce top. I won't be too keen to embrace another spruce top instrument simply because it's not my thing, I prefer the darker woods for their warmth & individual notes accentuation but this GY93E is an exception. As I'm not a keen acoustic fan either, it's down to that parlour-style body as well; something I can deal with without struggling.

Thanks to Davis GMC for their warm service in this acquisition.

Reconciliation: Spruce top

I'm not a fan of spruce soundboards. Despite being the preferred wood for beautiful resonance by many luthiers, spruce sounds too bright & prickly to me. You have the right to disagree & state the fact that spruce top acoustic guitars had been the most successful formula for an appealing chime. 

However, there are others like yours truly here who simply can't come to terms with excessive top end. We prefer a warmer sounding acoustic, something that manifests good midrange, sufficient treble for presence & a healthy dollop of lower frequencies because we do basslines on our acoustics sometimes & we need a good punch from the low end. Impossible- this is the simple truth. We simply can't get a 'balance' in this aspect because the acoustic guitar per se is an instrument that inclines towards a certain frequency; it's all about that empty space, that hollowness in there. If you can't live with this, then the acoustic guitar isn't for you.

I've come to understand acoustic soundboards through 3 wood types that arguably give off tones representative of the pedigree they are in- spruce, cedar & mahogany. Spruce is the brightest of the lot, cedar has a throaty response but not as bright & mahogany is the industry's gloom merchant. We have others out there but they sound like the accentuation of one of the three mentioned here so this is a broad category of acoustic tones out there. 

The guitar depicted in this entry sports a spruce top but it isn't as prickly at the upper frequencies. The offset factor here is the fact that it sports a smaller body, a parlour-type dimension to be precise. This very much truncates the excessive treble response from the instrument. The other contributing factor is its neck. We tend to forget the fact that much of the guitar's tones come from the neck resonance as well. Much of this oversight is due to our excessive time with solid body instruments; we can't really hear the wood dynamics due to amplification & effects processing. So after much careful listening & comparison, I have no qualms accepting this guitar to be, first & foremost, a good-sounding guitar. It also sounds a little different from its other spruce top siblings due to its dimensions.

To be continued :-)