[2nd Grade, Old Growth] Adirondack Red Spruce Guitar Bracewood Luthier Tonewood

Condition: New: A brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging (where packaging is applicable). Packaging should be the same as what is found in a retail store, unless the item is handmade or was packaged by the manufacturer in non-retail packaging, such as an unprinted box or plastic bag. See the seller's listing for full details.See all condition definitions- opens in a new window or tab... Read moreabout the condition
;Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
;MPN: AAANG
;Brand: Hampton Bros
;UPC: Does not apply

[2nd Grade, Old Growth] Adirondack Red Spruce Guitar Bracewood Luthier Tonewood

This listing is for Four (4) Pounds of 2nd Grade Old Growth Red Spruce (Picea rubens) guitar bracewood. (One single-item transaction will result in the purchase of 4lbs of bracewood). This wood is all cut from hand-split billets, and many pieces will show a split face that may contain markings or dirt from the woods of Maggie Valley, North Carolina where we felled and split the trees. Most of this wood was cut in 2013 and 2014 and has been drying since. Moisture content should be at or below 10%. "chunks" are not milled to specific dimensions, but are cut with guitar building in mind and will arrive at a length of 20+ inches. We conservatively estimate one full guitar brace pattern per 2lbs of this bracewood. 
If you're interested in this sort of thing, you can check out our process and the past year's spruce adventures by clicking here. 

Bulk price breaks:
2 items: 10lbs @ $6.50/lb3 items: 16lbs @ $6.09/lb4 items: 24lbs @ $5.41/lb

Grading:Looking at our eBay Store, you will see 4 listings for Red Spruce bracing. These categories are derived using all combinations of the two criteria described below:
Old Growth vs New Growth, or '2nd Growth' - The only accurate way to replicate a vintage guitar is by using Old Growth wood. Old Growth trees are those that grew slowly and steadily without interruption from area logging. When a tree is logged-around (often because it is too small) the canopy opens up, allowing more sunlight and rain to nourish the tree. This suddenly results in a higher growth rate. The faster growth is evident in the width of the tree's annual growth rings, and a clear distinction can usually be made between the "Old Growth" heart and the rest of the wood. Old Growth Red Spruce is Extremely Rare, and very few suppliers sell any with regularity--even if they may claim to... 
1st Grade (AAA, High) vs. 2nd Grade (AA, Mid) - These are the top and middle tiers of quality with regard to straightness, lack of compression grain, lack of mineral stain, lack of penetrative fungal stain, etc..

All of our spruce is split into 24" quarters and radial-sawn so as to eliminate runout and ensure perpendicular grain throughout. We also have hundreds of tops available in all grades, so feel free to make a larger order including bracewood, back/side sets and anything else you're interested in.

Below is an excerpt from a posting to luthiersforum.com by widely renouned luthier, John Arnold, in reference to the first tree cut from this location. Having cut and built with Red Spruce since the 80's, John is an acclaimed expert on Red Spruce and its use in guitar manufacturing. 
"I would like to say a few words about this tree. In the early-1990's, Ted Davis and I were cutting a lot of red spruce, but mostly in the mountains of WV. Since that was at least a 6 1/2 hour drive (8 hours for Ted), I decided to look at prospects a little closer to home. Around here, red spruce only grows at very high elevation, with most of the larger stands above 4800 feet. Much of the high elevation land is protected in national forest or national parks, so my focus was private land. Unfortunately, the private land is often prime real estate for summer cabins.In 1992, after slogging through miles and miles of rhododendron-choked woodlands, I managed to find some trees that were promising, but on the small side. Ted's rule of thumb for a decent yield of dreadnought tops was a diameter of 24" breast height, and I found few trees that were that big. However, I kept those 'finds' in the back of my mind, since I knew that if left alone they would eventually grow large enough. Little did I know that it would be 20 years later before I had the opportunity to cut a tree in this area.I had cut red spruce with Ted most every year from 1990 until 2002, when our connections in WV ran out. Ted became semi-retired that year, and passed away suddenly in 2008. I spent the next two years selling Ted's stash for his widow, so I didn't have the time or space to devote to a new tree. I wasn't sure of the circumstances, but I always figured I would cut some more red spruce at some point.When I met Nathan and his brother Matt three years ago, I had some willing participants in my spruce cutting fever, and they required very little encouragement. We looked at several sites, but I kept thinking about those trees in Maggie, and wondered if they were actually big enough. Early this Spring, I took Nathan up to show them to him, and the 20 years of growth had made a big difference. . . This tree was 23" in diameter breast height ( a little small), but it was over 70 feet high, and 30 feet to the first major limbs. The core sample revealed medium to wide grain, but very little spiral. . . This tree exceeds all my expectations, particularly with regard to the white color of the higher grades. It looks more like Engelmann or Euro spruce than the typical red spruce. The other surprise is that this is some of the stiffest red spruce I have ever cut. I know it will make killer guitars."
In response to a question about the size of our bracewood stock: 
"Quartersawing guitar tops from small logs will result in a lot of small pieces that are ideal for bracewood....but only if the wood is sawn properly. Unfortunately, most cutters of red spruce are sawing from long logs, rather than from split billets. Most spruce trees grow with some spiral, and that spiral is the greatest at the outside of the log. Unfortunately, that is also where the narrow bracewood pieces are generated. The solution is to cut short blocks, split the wood, and saw parallel with the split at the bark. This means that the tops joined along the bark edge will show no runout, and the bracewood pieces will likewise have little or no runout.
Many of the pieces generated by this process (which I have taught Nathan and Matt), will still have the split surface, so there is no doubt about the lack of runout."

A few more testimonies:

Ken Jones
Mountain Song Guitars

"I'm blown away by these tops. Utterly. . .I would've bought everything they brought if I could. Maybe next time...", "Sweetest, stiffest guitar tops I've ever encountered. . .blown away by their stiffness and beautiful bell-like ring when tapped. . .These tops all came from hand-split billets, which means the grain orientation is perfect, resulting in the greatest strength-to-weight ratio, and hence, the best-sounding guitar tops, because they can be made very thin yet still strong enough to withstand many years of constant string pull. Strong and light is the goal in achieving the best tone from the guitar top."

Greg Seigmund
Clinch River Guitars

"I was lucky enough to help these guys carry Red Spruce billets off the mountain. Some absolutely beautiful wood. . .Cross grain stiffness is off the chart, and it has a very nice ring."

Steve Smith

"I went up to Newport to visit Matt and Nathan and left with a top they said was high AA. I didn't argue but lots would grade it AAA. Really stiff and taps great. With excellent color; I've got a special project planned for it. Also picked up some billets for bracing, some Honduran hog B&S sets (one with awesome figure), and some H. Hog for bridges and face plates. Really satisfied my WAS itch for the day  Great guys and great wood!"

Colin North

"The tops are exactly what I asked for, very stiff both lengthways and across the grain, and extremely well quartered.  Pleasantly surprised to find so much silking, undoubtedly due to the quality of the cutting, which was also evident in the absence of run-out. Just rubbing the boards with my fingers and against each other showed the potential of these soundboards. You have gained a loyal customer."

David Newton
David Newton Guitars

"I think it is the best Red Spruce I have ever bought and am anxious to use it..."

Other happy customers include C.F. Martin & Co., Bourgeois Guitars, Santa Cruz Guitar Corp., Collings Guitars, and Wayne Henderson. 

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[2nd Grade, Old Growth] Adirondack Red Spruce Guitar Bracewood Luthier Tonewood

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