Viola Top - Engelmann Spruce
Engelmann Spruce, most well known for its excellent tone quality, is an amazingly strong, light and flexible wood and has exceptional stiffness-to-weight ratio. It also has beautiful uniform colour, usually a cream to almost white. Tight and straight grain, with a fine and even texture. Specific gravity 0.33, Janka Hardness 390, picea engelmannii.
Split block can be re-sawn to make one book matched top. Approximate split measurements:
140mm wide
77mm thick at spine
457mm long.
Approximate sawn measurements:
140mm wide
39mm thick at spine
457mm long.
Sawn are sold as a book-matched set. Split is a single billet. Request a specific log number or characteristic.
Engelmann Spruce Tonewood Grades
Grading of tone wood is very subjective to the eye and experience of the grader. The grade description below attempts to capture the major characteristics involved in assessing the soundboards and will be used as a guide.
Split: Premium grade, hand split, and straight grain.
Sawn #1:Medium to fine grain width with light colour and sawn vertical grain.
Sawn #2: May have small work around knots or minor run out. Often has more colour variation and wider grain.
