Visual differences between spruce species?

[milli857]

I am curious about whether it is possible to tell visually between different spruce species.

[Bill McCall]

I don’t think it’s possible, but I’m sure someone will say they can.

[sunburst]

Sitka can be identified at 10X magnification, all other spruce wood is indistinguishable visually.
(The trees can be identified visually, but I assume the question is about wood.)

[HoGo]

Sitka can be identified at 10X magnification, all other spruce wood is indistinguishable visually.
(The trees can be identified visually, but I assume the question is about wood.)

Sometimes even fir (abies) or other species of pinaceae family (pines, cedars, doug fir etc.) can be hardly distinguishable by bare eye or magnyfying glass from spruce without lots of experience with those species. Often color can be a hint by that's variable as well.

[milli857]

Sitka can be identified at 10X magnification, all other spruce wood is indistinguishable visually.
(The trees can be identified visually, but I assume the question is about wood.)

Yeah, i was asking about wood. I thought it might be useful to know when looking at mandolins that I may not have a lot of information on.

[tmsweeney]

I suppose it's possible on the raw material.
I would think it would be quite difficult after stain and varnish or lacquer.

[Mark Gunter]

Yeah, i was asking about wood. I thought it might be useful to know when looking at mandolins that I may not have a lot of information on.

I’ll play Devil’s Advocate here … I’m sure you have your reasons. But why? Personally, what I care most about a finished mandolin is how it sounds and how it feels. If you believe different species of spruce make a big difference in sound for you personally, then you should be able to hear what species you are playing. At the least, you should be able to discern whether you like what you hear … so why?

[Simon DS]

I’ll play Devil’s Advocate here … I’m sure you have your reasons. But why? …you should be able to discern whether you like what you hear … so why?

It’s not just tonality, what about the guy who used a hacksaw to chop off the scroll of his mandolin saying that it sounds the same, but now it’s easier and lighter to carry?
I’m thinking that where the wood comes from might be important, at least to the lumber jack and the trucker.

Then again, what about the guy who can’t sell his mando because the top is some wood that’s out of fashion. Sounds the same as others in it’s class but people wont buy it as soon as they hear what it’s made from. Doesn’t seem fair.

[milli857]

I’ll play Devil’s Advocate here … I’m sure you have your reasons. But why? Personally, what I care most about a finished mandolin is how it sounds and how it feels. If you believe different species of spruce make a big difference in sound for you personally, then you should be able to hear what species you are playing. At the least, you should be able to discern whether you like what you hear … so why?

I'm with you in that if it sounds good, the wood species are not super important, I just like to have info about the mandolins I'm looking at as I am shopping for them.

I think my next mando will actually be spruce-free, it's a celtic style with a redwood top. If I had just been paying attention to woods I probably would have gone for the identical model with a spruce top but the tone on the redwood one was just so sweet.

[milli857]

I also have heard people on here talk about the sound of Adirondac spruce, but I don't really have a baseline for that because I've never been able to tell between wood species when trying out mandolins in the past.

It'd be nice to know if the sound I like from a particular mandolin I try at a store comes from the spruce species or if it just had a better-carved top, so that I can look out for that in the future.

[Bill McCall]

I also have heard people on here talk about the sound of Adirondac spruce, but I don't really have a baseline for that because I've never been able to tell between wood species when trying out mandolins in the past......

You're in good company.

[HoGo]

Sometimes even fir (abies) or other species of pinaceae family (pines, cedars, doug fir etc.) can be hardly distinguishable by bare eye or magnyfying glass from spruce without lots of experience with those species. Often color can be a hint by that's variable as well.

edit: cedars, redwoods are not pinaceae but cupressaceae family. (Thanks Dave!)