AoxoA
Junior Member
Engalmann !? Ugh I’d B slap that guys decision on choice of top for this guitar ! Besides glamour I’ve not played one Engalmann top that’s worth a hoot .
Its low head room is a poor choice for a dread . It’s proclaimed sweetness and detail for fingerpicking is well , bland but that’s just my experience. I heard some demos that come across well in vids etc and fully know that a luthiers can do wonders but it’s hit or miss .
With Englemann tops, people say it has an abundance of harmonics that make it ideal for classical guitarists and steel-string fingerpicking stylists. It has an older mature tone, and yields a slightly richer midrange than Sitka which gives it wonderful complexity when played softly up to medium strumming. Therefore, it is typically for those who put a high value on subtlety and sensitivity over powerful projection.
As @Bill Ashton mentioned Beppe Gambetta, Engelmann tops don't necessarily lack headroom for aggressive flatpicking. The difference between the species is not as great as the difference between the individual pieces density and the makers---it's all in the build.
“Engelmann can vary from stiff to not so stiff with the stiff examples being very similar to Red Spruce and the less stiff examples being very responsive like Cedar.” -Mike
“As spruces go, Engelmann tends to be one of the less dense ones. It usually has long-grain stiffness commensurate with it's density, and at the 'correct' stiffness tends to make a lighter top than the usual Red or Sitka. Since light tops are the ones that seem to lack 'headroom' I suspect that's where Engelmann got that rep.
That said; although all spruces vary a lot in density and stiffness, Engelmann does seem to vary more than most. Some of the densest tops I have are Engelmann spruce: right up there with the hardest Red spruce.” – Alan Carruth
Guild used master grade Engelmann. That's the best. And it seems like the 50th is great for a wide range of playing styles.
I am still impressed by mine every time I pick it up whether I am strumming or fingerpicking. These are truly Amazing Instruments.
I believe that only the 50th anniversary guitars had Engleman (50 of them). The guitar actually is very powerful, I'm of the opinion that the bracing and construction of the guitar has more to do with headroom than the type of wood (of course that's just my opinion). This guitar has VERY scalloped bracing (as compared to DV dreads that I've seen), so it is quite responsive. It definitely has the Guild sound, but I think could more than hold it's own in a Bluegrass setting.
I can say that after having mine for a year and a half that it has "blossomed" nicely in tone. As far as an Englemann Spruce top not having as much headroom as other species I have heard this as well. It was true with a Taylor 914 Englemann/Koa guitar that I owned but as for the D55 50th anniversary it has loads of headroom. I have 2 Guilds with Englemann tops, the D55 50th anniversary Brazilian like the one Keith has listed here and a GSR D50 Englemann/Cocobolo Dread as well. Both guitars have Amazing tone to them and Rival the Headroom of any other Guitars that I own with both Sitka and Adirondack tops. I think the actual construction of the guitar matched with the Brazilian/Cocobolo tonewoods is what allows them to do so. If I were to try and sum up the tone of the D55 50th Anniversary in just a few words they would be Bold, Rich, Piano Like, and Loud. The D55 50th Anniversary is a proverbial Cannon and has performed extremely well in a Bluegrass setting for me. Here is to hoping you get to keep this one Keith!