Pros and cons of North American violin wood.

September 10, 2012 at 07:36 AM · Hi Parker! I'm curious about that too. The species are probably different, but as far as I know, taxonomists don't look at things like wood density when classifying species, so maybe the actual wood doesn't differ that much? Or maybe it does and the taxonomists missed something. There is also weather, wouldn't the weather and climate affect the wood--maybe more so than the species? My violin is from American maple and I quite like it.

September 10, 2012 at 12:19 PM · Yes. There are a considerable variety of native North American maple species, and spruce also, which grow in many different climate conditions on this continent. Around here (Eastern Canada), I know that sugar maple, often called rock maple, is sometimes used. It seems to confer a distinctively tiger striped & beautifully flamed appearance in a violin. The wood is strong and hard; I suppose that density must vary according to local conditions.

September 11, 2012 at 07:54 AM · Many respected makers feel the American Engelmann spruce is as good as, or better than European spruce. Visually, it's pretty difficult to tell them apart.

There's less agreement on maple. I only use European maple, but have seen nice instruments made from both "bigleaf" and "red" north American maple. In samples I have seen, bigleaf was lighter, and red was heavier than average European maple.

September 12, 2012 at 05:00 PM · I don´t know if this is true, but Pierre Caradot -a very respected luthier and restorer in Paris- told me once that Villaume made several instruments using North American spruce, and they are just mediocre sounding instruments.

September 13, 2012 at 12:04 PM · Though I now only use European wood, I went through a phase about 20 years ago messing with American maple and spruce. What I felt I learned at that time was that the problems with maples were easy to get around--they just had to be used differently, but in ways that were easy to figure out--and that the problems with spruce were more related to their densities than their origin.

Compared with the American tops I've tried, European were more consistent, and it's been easier to standardize what I do. Engelmann spruce is apparently notoriously variable in its density, and were I using it now, I'd be much more careful as to what I'd buy.

I don't think I'm the only one who ultimately came to the conclusion that very light top wood is nice for response, but tends towards a less-interesting tonality. I had similarly bad results to light Engelmann, but worse, with light cedar, but some uncharacteristically heavy red (Appalachian) spruce worked fine.

In the end, though, I found it much simpler to get European wood, which seems to be more consistently spec'd by the sellers.

September 14, 2012 at 01:37 AM · Good question. After cutting up thousands of domestic spruce and maple trees for tonewood production, I was amazed that each tree was as individual and different as the thousands of people I've met in my life. I came to understand that the perfect tree does not exist. Whenever a spruce tried to grow perfectly with no twist Mother Nature would take over and fill the entire tree with shake splits. I made a violin top from European spruce that was denser than any Red Spruce tree I encountered as a tonewood sawyer. Location, location... is good when dealing with real estate.

September 14, 2012 at 09:33 PM · European spruce in my store varies from .32 density to .49.... European spruce is not much use as a generic term...you have to know about it..where and how it grows and how it relates to esteemed instruments with the help of some science.. It is quite hilarious to see the term being being bandied about here as if it is some kind of constant.

September 14, 2012 at 11:13 PM · Lyndon....yes...but no

September 15, 2012 at 12:28 AM · Very hilarious, I'm sure, Melvin. Laugh on. No doubt it's useful for us to have the variable densities of European spruce in your store, but I'm not sure who if anybody, on this site, has been bandying the term about as if it were some kind of constant. Most of the people posting here are well aware of the complexities of location and climate for the quality of wood. If you are making the case that species, per se, is irrelevant as a factor (e.g. "European" vs Engelmann spruce), then that is a rather interesting idea, and perhaps debatable. Or are you merely telling us that some but not all wood from European spruce is suitable for violin making because of where and how it grew?

September 15, 2012 at 11:42 AM · Parker it IS hard to generalize about woods coming from different regions (although I took a crude stab at it).

For example, there was a very nice violin which won a major award at one of the Violin Society of America instrument making competitions, which was made entirely of Chinese wood, according to the maker. I don't know the full story behind it... he may have done it just to show it could be done, and dispel some myths.

September 16, 2012 at 11:44 AM · It isn't really a question of what species is the best wood; it's a question of how to get the best out of it. European woods were used for centuries, and a lot of practical experience was built up over that time and passed down through the generations. Naturally, when the art and craft of lutherie passed to other countries, everyone was European-trained and everyone preferred European wood. My teacher, Carleen Hutchins, made violins and violas out of many different types of wood, every thing from native pear wood to bubinga. I wouldn't call any of them better, but some probably were and others not. As Michael points out,there's a tremendous variation within a single species and it's not useful to pass judgements based on one or two pieces.

I've used Englemann I cut myself from trees in the high Uinta Mountains, sitka (very fine for bass tops), several varieties of North American maples including red, black, sugar, and big leaf, and a rather bluish-tinted wood from the south called rock maple (and aptly so). You can probably guess which of these maples I didn't use more than once! :-)

September 19, 2012 at 03:59 PM · Copyists require original materials. Let us pray that the art of violin making continues and does not stagnate in the confines of false worship to some innate ideal that does not exist.

September 19, 2012 at 06:58 PM · Giuseppe Rocca made some violins with North American maple, according to Eric Blot. The Rocca violin played by Paolo Borciani, of the Quartetto Italiano, was made with North American maple.

September 20, 2012 at 12:42 AM · IMO-(I am not a luthier or experienced in the making of violins in any way, nor have I ever felled a tree) that being said. I have read and do believe that unless you have access to 300+ year old species that endured the last ice age, any wood you want to use will make a fine violin. That being said, the qualities that make Stradivarious and Giuarnis what they are, were developed by the luthiers who made them and subsequently set them up and restored them. what? yes, the sound qualities are ultimately determined by the skilled craftsman who knows what hes doing. Maple, spruce, curly or flammed? Use the best wood, perfect density, great vissage, the most antique glue recipe all that. If the craftsman isnt skilled its all a waste.