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Use of American vs European spruce for violin bellies and soundboards (1700s to present)
Hi All, I am researching the maker of my violin. He was a professional Luthier named Peter (Pierre) Lambert (1833-1918). Originally from Quebec, he made violins in Duluth, Minnesota (1880s through ~1914), set up a violin making shop in Chicago (1914-1918), and very briefly in Los Angeles (1904). He was a proponent of using spruce from northern Minnesota. How radical a departure would that have been from normal practice for a professional Luthier of that time and place? Were there other professional North American Luthiers at this time that used local spruce? I imagine that amateur violin makers might have frequently used what ever spruce was readily available. Thanks for considering my question! best, Jeff Olson Tweet
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The top was American, Engelmann Spruce." My granddaughter took it over at age 10 when I offered her her choice of my violins and she still has it, 25 years later. At that time (~1999) I ordered another new violin from the same maker, who still had wood from the same log, but in my opinion it doesn't have the same power. I also have a viola (1996) from the same maker, who is a personal friend.
Lydia liked that first fiddle.
Although I do find that Engelmann tends to run into the lower densities, and I think there is something tonally different between wide variations in wood properties, there is a lot of overlap in the tree-to-tree variations.
Historically, I can't answer what type of spruce makers might have used, but I don't think you can reliably attribute good or bad results to that choice.
My son has already received a violin and a cello from my "collection" plus a ouple of earlier violins and he will inherit 3 violins a viola and my last cello. Another cello has gone to a son-in-law.
www.manfioviolas.com
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I just bought a viola made by Daniel Foster in 2006. Dan was a friend of mine who made violins here in Blacksburg. He made hundreds of instruments and I know that he was fond of starting from wood from various different places as a challenge to himself, but I don't know if that included the spruce tone-wood for the tops. A couple of years before he succumbed to dementia, Dan was working on a cello made from Lombardy poplar, and he was having the time of his life doing it. He went on about how nicely workable the poplar was, and he told me "I hope it sounds good, too."
If anything I would guess that the luthiers of 100-150 years ago were more willing to experiment with local wood, since shipping then was far costlier than it is today. But I can't answer your central question and I look forward to hearing from someone who can.