Man, must say I prefer cedar, no spruce, no…. Cedar. Shoot now I need both, in two different body styles. Dang it better get four of each there’s different backwood flavors too. Lol must say that’s kinda the direction I’m going. Great video, I agree what he played was well suited for the cedar top
I have a cedar top Furch, mahogany back and sides, so warmer all round… 7 years and lots of playing, it sounds beautiful BUT been playing recently with a group of others and I’m getting a little frustrated… cedar seems to lose articulation and flubs out a bit when you play hard, I’m being drowned out a bit by others, with spruce tops, which are a bit brighter and don’t seem lose clarity when played harder… just something I’ve experienced and maybe to bear in mind… I brought my acoustic amp along one time, just to reinforce the sound, so I could play more softly, and it sounded wonderful… but ‘cause everyone else is acoustic only, it seems a bit self indulgent… it helps if I change strings every 4 weeks - phosphor bronze - gets a bit expensive!
Hi Richard. It can be frustrating, especially when you really like an instrument! Cedar tops definately don't have as much, shall we say, head room, as spruce so you can't normally hit them as hard. I guess thats why they are often favoured by fingerstyle players/classical players who don't have to battle against too many others. There is a sweetness to cedar, but it doesnt cut through quite as much in most cases. PM
THe playing is so nice here. Just awesome. Is it only me, or: Cedar's sound is mellow, while spruce's sound CAN be mellow or bright. What do you think?
Thanks. Ben is a great player! I think when compared to each other, generally spruce is brighter and cedar has a more mellow tone. However some guitars will be an exception and have a wider dynamic range meaning you can get more from both sides. That’s wood for you I guess! PM
I played with many 🎸 and I found a 1968 Martin d45 cedar top with black walnut B/S by far sounds better then anything I ever heard in my life , the tone is just perfect , to me the spruce is just to bright of a tone really , koa tops would be my 2nd choice I think .
Wow! I cant say I knew that Martin ever made a Cedar top D45. (Martin not really liking working with cedar) But if they did, pairing it with Walnut Im sure led to great results. PM
nice ❕ i've owned most all of the tonewood combinations from high end NA builds and can say from experience that none is better than the other , only preferential in tone nuance and esthetic ; builder's builds may be better than other builds for sure ! but tonewood combos are solely flavour and variety in tone ❕🐊 🐸🍀
Agreed. Best is subjective. This is more about guiding players towards what may be best for them. What’s best for my playing/ear, may not be best for you or someone else. But this gives a comparison that may help the decision. And it’s something we get asked all the time! PM
Man, must say I prefer cedar, no spruce, no…. Cedar. Shoot now I need both, in two different body styles. Dang it better get four of each there’s different backwood flavors too. Lol must say that’s kinda the direction I’m going. Great video, I agree what he played was well suited for the cedar top
It is always a hard choice! In an ideal world we would have one of each combo ready for any situation. Need a bigger house… PM
Mahogany is worth a shout too
I have a cedar top Furch, mahogany back and sides, so warmer all round… 7 years and lots of playing, it sounds beautiful BUT been playing recently with a group of others and I’m getting a little frustrated… cedar seems to lose articulation and flubs out a bit when you play hard, I’m being drowned out a bit by others, with spruce tops, which are a bit brighter and don’t seem lose clarity when played harder… just something I’ve experienced and maybe to bear in mind… I brought my acoustic amp along one time, just to reinforce the sound, so I could play more softly, and it sounded wonderful… but ‘cause everyone else is acoustic only, it seems a bit self indulgent… it helps if I change strings every 4 weeks - phosphor bronze - gets a bit expensive!
Hi Richard. It can be frustrating, especially when you really like an instrument! Cedar tops definately don't have as much, shall we say, head room, as spruce so you can't normally hit them as hard. I guess thats why they are often favoured by fingerstyle players/classical players who don't have to battle against too many others. There is a sweetness to cedar, but it doesnt cut through quite as much in most cases. PM
..Plug in if needs must ..
THe playing is so nice here. Just awesome.
Is it only me, or: Cedar's sound is mellow, while spruce's sound CAN be mellow or bright.
What do you think?
Thanks. Ben is a great player! I think when compared to each other, generally spruce is brighter and cedar has a more mellow tone. However some guitars will be an exception and have a wider dynamic range meaning you can get more from both sides. That’s wood for you I guess! PM
I played with many 🎸 and I found a 1968 Martin d45 cedar top with black walnut B/S by far sounds better then anything I ever heard in my life , the tone is just perfect , to me the spruce is just to bright of a tone really , koa tops would be my 2nd choice I think .
Wow! I cant say I knew that Martin ever made a Cedar top D45. (Martin not really liking working with cedar) But if they did, pairing it with Walnut Im sure led to great results. PM
@@ProjectMusicSW I know right , but they sure did .
One of each, please. But if I must pick, I’ll go spruce.
1:47 vs 2:40 for strumming
nice ❕ i've owned most all of the tonewood combinations from high end NA builds and can say from experience that none is better than the other , only preferential in tone nuance and esthetic ; builder's builds may be better than other builds for sure ! but tonewood combos are solely flavour and variety in tone ❕🐊 🐸🍀
Agreed. They all work. Just need to find YOUR tone. Its a fun journey. PM
Spruce for happy songs. Cedar for sad songs.
Haha! Nice! PM
the cedar sounds more responsive, bassier, and more romantic
There is definitely a little more going on harmonically and in the low end!
„More romantic“ is a good explanation. I feel that
Does Furch make Cedar/Mahogany? Would certainly like to hear it. Thanks.
Furch make the Blue Series which are Cedar and Mahogany. Great sounding guitars! PM
Beautifull, Cedar is better for me.
Good choice! PM
I've got an Eastman E2D with cedar top. It's silky smooth.
The Eastman Stuff is so great! Hell of alot of dynamics for its price point! PM
NICE VIDEO !!! Spruce is better for me. Greetings from Estonia.
Thanks Roberto! Its a tough choice. PM
What is best? Is a red wine better than a white wine. Spruce, cedar, redwood all have their own characteristics. There is really no best.
Agreed. Best is subjective. This is more about guiding players towards what may be best for them. What’s best for my playing/ear, may not be best for you or someone else. But this gives a comparison that may help the decision.
And it’s something we get asked all the time! PM