Bow River Specialty Woods LTD.

Bookmark and Share

Grading wood is one of the most demanding things we do around here. Grading wood consistently requires a
trained, skilled eye, and attention to detail. There is no “industry standard” grading system, unfortunately, and with different wood suppliers using anything from 
3A to 7A to describe their best wood, there can be some confusion among luthiers, especially as the grading systems mainly address aesthetics.  

Our Softwood Grades
Master 3A 2A 1A

Master Grade

  • Consistant Color, No Discoloration
  • Even, Tight growth Rings
  • Absolutly Straight Grain, No Runout
  • Perfect Quarter, 20+ Rings per inch 
  • No hard Grain 

sets are the absolute cream of the crop. These are the sets that are found in top-of-the-line instruments all over the world. They are perfectly even in color and grain. The end grain is perfectly vertical, meaning that the wood was cut on quarter. For the luthier, this translates to a maximum stiffness-per-weight ratio, and a predictable appearance. Master Grade sets are rarely available, so please contact us and make sure we have what you are after before you place an order.


3A Grade

  • Consistant Color, No Discoloration 
  • Even growth Rings 
  • Straight Grain, Very little to No Runout 
  • Quarter Sawn, 15 - 20 Rings per inch 
  • No hard Grain 

sets are not too different from Master grade, but they allow for slightly more variation. That means that there may be some very faint coloring, or that the grain may gradually open up, or get farther apart, as it goes from the center to the outside edge of the instrument. For the luthier, this means the density of the wood will decrease toward the lower bout of a guitar, or the rim of a mandolin or violin. This is very much like the “graduated carving” or “Stradivarious carving” that violin makers employ, carving the edges thinner than the center in order to allow the vibrations of the instrument to be less inhibited as they travel to the outer edges.


2A Grade

  • Uniform to Very little color Variation
  • Growth Rings may widen to outer edge
  • Quarter Sawn, within 10 degrees 
  • 12 -18 Rings per inch  
  • May have Hard Grain in lower bout

sets are far from being “inferior”, in fact, they represent what we believe to be our best value when it comes to tonewood. Some of our happiest customers are those who bought 2A wood. If tap-tone and stiffness are of greater concern than appearance, these are definitely the sets to choose! For small orders we can hand pick your sets, and make sure you get exactly what you want. You can expect some variety from one set to the next, in terms of grain and coloration, and possibly a few hard lines. If you are ordering these sets, call or email us and tell us what it is you are looking for, and we can usually accommodate you.


1A Grade

  • Slight color Variation and uniformity 
  • Growth Rings may be ununiform 
  • Quarter Sawn, within 20 degrees  
  • 11+ Rings per inch   
  • May have Hard Grain 

set are not usually the choice of custom builders, but are great for beginning luthiers. They are good, economical tops, and we have sold a lot of these tops to large manufacturers. 1A sets usually feature open and closed grain patterns, and some pinkish striping. A great value in tonewood!
Personal preference is a major component when it comes to choosing a piece of wood. The evenness of color and grain that some builders consider “perfect” is sometimes considered undesirable by others who prefer to see more “feature” in the wood of their instruments. Ultimately, each instrument is a piece of art, and as such deserves to be unique.
 
Canadian Cypress/Yellow Cedar Guitar Tonewood Tops

Canadian Cypress/Yellow Cedar Guitar Tonewood Tops
(Chamaecyparis nootkatensis)
Size Master 3A 2A 1A Dimension
Classical $55 O/S $45.00 $40.00 $18.00 0.25 x 8" x 22"
Dreadnought $60 O/S $55.00 $45.00 $22.00 0.25 x 8.5" x 22"
Jumbo $75 O/S $65.00 $50.00 $25.00 0.25" x 9.25" x 22"
Archtop  $225 O/S $180.00 $140.00 $100.00 22" x 9.25" x 1 1/8"


 Beginner Grades Available 

Alaskan Yellow Cedar, aka Canadian cypress, is so closely related to the true cypresses that it has been classified with them by botanists in the past. It is an excellent carving wood, with fine even texture, and very close-grained. It is one of the most stable woods in terms of dimensional change due to moisture content change. It works easily and finishes well. Though YC/CDN Cypress is not a traditional wood, it is gaining popularity. Many custom builders use YC/CDN cypress for guitar tops, including archtops (jazz guitars and mandolins). It is also used for backs and sides of Flamenco guitars. It is a denser wood than Red Cedar, with a specific gravity very close to Sitka Spruce. It has a nice light yellow color and a pleasant aroma.

Engelmann Spruce Guitar Tonewood Tops

Engelmann Spruce Guitar Tonewood Tops
(Picea Engelmanni)
Size Master 3A 2A 1A Dimension
Classical $75 O/S $60.00 $45.00 $27.00 0.25 x 8" x 22"
Dreadnought $85 O/S $70.00 $50.00 $31.00 0.25 x 8.5" x 22"
Jumbo $95 O/S $80.00 $55.00 $33.00 0.25" x 9.25" x 22"
Archtop  $210 O/S $180.00 $145.00 $100.00 22" x 9.25" x 1 1/8"


 Beginner Grades Available  

Our Engelmann Spruce is Harvested from the interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is quite common to substitute Engelmann for “European or German” Spruce since the characteristics are so similar, however it is more consistant in color and grain. Engelmann has a more pale color than Sitka and although rare can have some pinkish striping in the lower grades.

Red/Adirondack Spruce Guitar Tonewood Tops

Red/Adirondack Spruce Guitar Tonewood Tops
Picea rubens
Size Master 3A 2A 1A Dimension
Classical 105.00 $89.00 $69.00 N/A 0.25 x 8" x 22"
Dreadnought N/A N/A $89.00 $69.99 0.25 x 8.5" x 22"
Jumbo N/A N/A  N/A  N/A  0.25" x 9.25" x 22"
Archtop  N/A N/A  N/A  N/A  22" x 9.25" x 1 1/8"

 

Red Spruce, also known as Adirondack Spruce, is a tree native to eastern North America.  It is rather hard and dense for a softwood, and it is this density that makes it desirable as a tonewood.  It is more resonant than Sitka, and is used primarily on high-end instruments.  Many players consider Adirondack Spruce to be a large contributing factor in the much sought-after tone of pre-war era instruments.  Unfortunately, trees large enough to cut instrument billets from are in short supply, and this scarcity is reflected in Adirondack's pricing and availability.  Call for availability- not all grades are available in all sizes.

Sitka Spruce Guitar Tonewood Tops

Sitka Spruce Guitar Tonewood Tops
(Picea Sitkensis)
Size Master 3A 2A 1A Dimension
Classical $50 O/S $45.00 $40.00 $22.00 0.25 x 8" x 22"
Dreadnought $60 O/S $55.00 $45.00 $22.00 0.25 x 8.5" x 22"
Jumbo $65 O/S $55.00 $50.00 $25.00 0.25" x 9.25" x 22"
Archtop  $200 O/S $180.00 $145.00 $100.00 22" x 9.25" x 1 1/8"


Beginner Grades Available  

Sitka which is known for its strength and durability comes from the Northern coast of British Columbia up into Alaska. It tends to have a warm pinkish/tan hue to it and can have a “candy stripe” in the lower grades.

Western Red Cedar Guitar Tonewood Tops

Western Red Cedar Guitar Tonewood Tops
Thuja plicata
Size Master 3A 2A 1A Dimension
Classical $50 O/S $38.00 $30.00 $20.00 0.25 x 8" x 22"
Dreadnought $60 O/S $45.00 $35.00 $22.00 0.25 x 8.5" x 22"
Jumbo $68 O/S $50.00 $30.00 $17.00 0.25" x 9.25" x 22"
Archtop  $200 O/S $150.00 $95.00 $75.00 22" x 9.25" x 1 1/8"


Beginner Grades Available 

This is another case where our rearends have landed in the butter. Like our Maple, Western Red Cedar is all around us. Although not a traditional wood for guitar tops, it is used in huge volumes by factories in Spain. It requires a little more care than the spruces as it can dent or mar more easily. Western Red cedar is light and stiff, the color ranges from a light tan to dark chocolate brown. Lower grades can have dramatic color variations.