You may be asking yourself, "What's the deal with Adirondack Spruce?" Or "Why are Adirondack tops so expensive?" And "Is it worth it?"
Adirondack Spruce is a variant of Red Spruce that grows in the Adirondack region. Relative to other types of Spruce, Adirondack Spruce is extremely strong and stiff, and it consistently rates at the top in strength-to-weight ratio. As a top wood, it produces robust output and a wider dynamic range than other woods. In the prewar era, both Gibson and Martin discovered Adirondack Spruce was an exceptional choice for guitar and mandolin tops. Because of that, the most influential and historically consequential guitars were all originally built with Adirondack tops. It's no surprise that—even today—Adirondack yields better results with prewar templates.
In the wake of WWII, Adirondack Spruce became much more scarce. While it's great for guitars, Adirondack Spruce is also an ideal choice for constructing bi-planes. After it was harvested aggressively during the war-era, for many years there wasn't enough Adirondack available to support guitar building. Nowadays, there are trees mature enough to cut guitar tops, but these younger trees simply can't match the sound of genuine old-growth Adirondack Spruce. Players and collectors expect to pay a premium for an aged Adirondack top, and they usually get what they pay for!
Until now! Part of the new "Tonewood Reserve" series, the Recording King RO-318 is an affordable, good-looking 000 with a solid aged Adirondack Spruce top and solid Mahogany back and sides. As the story goes, Recording King was able to purchase a stash of Adirondack that has been curing for over 30 years. The result is a guitar that produces balanced, nuanced tone—and the price on these is borderline absurd!
- Body Shape: 14-Fret 000
- Top: Aged Solid Adirondack Spruce
- Back & Sides: Solid Mahogany
- Top Bracing: X-Bracing, Sitka Spruce
- Neck: Mahogany, 1-piece
- Neck Profile: Thin V
- Neck Joint: Dovetail
- Fingerboard Material: Rosewood w/ MOP Dot inlays
- Scale Length: 24.9"
- Nut: Bone, 1-3/4".
- Tuning Machines: Open-gear w/ Butterbean buttons
- Bridge: Rosewood Belly w/ Bone Saddle
For players who want a well-balanced mid-size guitar, the RO-318 delivers at an affordable price, and it packs the warmth and vibrancy of fine aged tone woods.