Red (aka “Adirondack”) Spruce from West Virginia for Mandolin top – First Quality

Red spruce (Picea rubens) top for mandolin. Commonly know today as “Adirondack Spruce” in the musical instrument world, red spruce occurs in higher elevations of the Appalachians as well as farther north in eastern North America. Many think the red spruce from West Virginia is the best. We harvest our red spruce in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia, where it grows at elevations of 4000 feet msl or more. Once covering more than 700,000 acres of the State, red spruce now is estimated to cover only 50,000 acres of West Virginia. A superb, but scarce, tonewood for the mandolin. Red spruce generally has wider grain and more defects allowable with respect to a grade than the Carpathian spruce. Limited supply. This our “First” or best grade. Photo shows examples of First grade red spruce mandolin tops. This photo is for reference – all pieces are unique and vary.