Terrific video, Evan. I did the same experiment with two of Steve's Spruce & Cedar guitars, about 15 years ago. He sent them both to me new, and I settled on the Spruce.

Not an guitar expert, but the Cedar sounds more melancholy, more into the Spanish Spirit. The Spruce is brighter and clearer. It’s your preference that matters. Very nice playing and thank you for showing us the beauty of a Classical Guitar😊👍

As expected, the spruce has more punch and clarity of the notes, whereas the cedar envelopes the notes in more warmth and is more subtle. If a performer wants express the technical aspects and have each note heard of a piece of music, each note ringing clearly as in a Bach number, the spruce does the job best. However, if the performer wants to convey a sense of fullness and tenderness such a piece from Tarrega should sound, definitely the cedar conveys that feeling best. Both guitars did beautifully in how they excell in their own individual niche. Great playing, by the way!

I love the cedar more. It is warm and richer in its sound.

For romantic songs, Cedar. For bombastic songs, Spruce.

Each guitar sounds exactly as it looks.😊

Love the cedar. It has a nicer tone to my ears, the spruce sounds more electro-acoustic like a slight piezo pickup sound. The cedar one just sounds like wood and strings, awesome. Your playing is the best thing about this video, loved it.

Both are pretty amazing guitars, the cedar is rounder and more 'Romantic' whereas the spruce has both definition and a certain sweetness and roundness to it as well. Both are great for different applications, there isn't really a 'better' or 'worse', it's good to have the possibility to enjoy both sounds.

Have always been a cedar fan, but in this case the spruce I like better. Soooo many variables!!

I like the cedar, its mellow, dark with somber overtones, the spruce is good for happy go-lucky mischeivious sound, reminds me more of a folky guitar or even flaminco. They each ahve a place though.

My take is the Cedar guitar has a warmer and softer sound while the Spruce is more crisp and projects more in terms of volume. A concert guitarist might choose to play the Cedar in a more intimate setting and the Spruce in a larger concert hall. Both instruments are breathtakingly beautiful - thank you for this wonderful and enlightening demonstration.

Your playing is extraordinary and I can honestly say your guitar solos were way more compelling than any slight tonal difference between cedar and spruce. I get the endless discussion of which tone wood is "better" - yet the music is the star of the show not the wood (IMHO). Thank you for your efforts - I have a cedar topped classical guitar and I will work towards your level of mastery before adding a spruce topped guitar to my collection. Bottom line - I can't imagine anyone leaving one of your performances and saying, "If only Evan had a spruce topped guitar it would have been so much more enjoyable!" Thank you, Jeffrey

The spruce is more responsive when you try to get different timbre, be it by playing closer to the bridge or changing the angle of your right hand, doing rest stroke, etc. The low strings can have an agressive, sometimes metallic sound, depending on your strings and mainly on how the top is built. Cedar doesn't have that range of variation in its sound, which is really convenient for certain playing styles/music and I'd argue it's a bit easier for beginners. It even has a far shorter development process than spruce.

I love how each guitar expresses itself differently based on the composition. Preludio no. 2 has a demanding presence and the low end of the cedar comes through much better. Where as in Spanish romance you have a delicacy in the high end notes that the spruce expresses much more clearly.

Very nice. I listened to the whole thing with expensive Sennheiser headphones on and I always preferred the Spruce. The Cedar had a midrange kick that I didn't like. That being said it would be fine in and of its own, if you didn't go back to the spruce. But when you played the same on the spruce it was fantastic and a relief to hear a guitar that was nice and didn't have that boosted midrange to every note. Just to be clear, I'm not talking about the midrange of the guitar it self, but every note had a midrange kick in the cedar guitar, this might make it seem louder to you and the audience. The spruce had very good overall balance and a pleasant tone that I prefer. On a slightly different note; personally I will take a good sounding guitars and well balanced guitar any day over loud and badly blanced one. For example I've never had or heard a well balanced double top. I've owned two Dammann's, Ruck double top, Tony Mueller, Michel Bruck, etc etc. all in effort to gain a few db's so people can hear me better. I've found that it's totally not worth it. These days I want a good balance above and beyond anything else. Every one of the double top's I've had and have heard were all horribly balanced and had F#'s or G's - or some note close to those two - that always sounded like a boom box. This goes for the new one you have a video of too, sorry to be so blunt. DT's have these bass notes that pop out without control. Both guitars you're playing are well balanced but for me the spruce took the trophy - I'd also pick it over the Canin in your video - it sounds inferior to either of these. but in this video the spruce sounds more neutral - to me - and is the one I'd walk out of the store with. Thanks for all the work you do. Fantastic channel.

Yes, the contrast in tones is as expected. They are beautiful in their own way. I have no preference really, because it depends on my mood. It is just like food, sometimes you feel like to have steak and some other times fish. I, my self, have cedar and spruce, which I play alternately.

I'm typically more of a cedar guy so I liked it more on everything except Preludio No. by Joaquin Rodrigo, that's where cedar sounded too 'soft spoken' whereas the spruce sounded assertive like the piece needed. I'm grateful for this comparison, it helped me understand where I might prefer a spruce-top.

for me the difference in the sound has always been in the middle strings. separation is clearer in the spruce top than in the cedar which is why, in my opinion, you get that warmth, and spanish flavor from cedar. spruce notes are clear all the way through and sometimes, the most extreme example being a spruce lattice braced guitar with carbon strings, some of the treble string notes can be a bit "nasal" (especially the first string). at least that is what I have always heard

Both are superb, the cedar one seems to have a very pleasant twang on the low mids that pops out even more when you play with lower dynamic.

This almost epitomizes, if not exaggerates, the typical difference between spruce and cedar classical guitars. Both are amazing in their own right, but I find the singing clarity of the spruce guitar more preferable. Thank you for a wonderful video!

Excellent, thanks for posting this. I prefer the cedar's rich "bass-er" tones, although both are lovely instruments.

I own a Spruce guitar, but in this video, I like the sound of the Cedar better. It has better dynamics.

Excellent presentation of the variants that are definitely for pieces that suit... If there is a string instrument like a Cello the Spruce top is a must... If a solo is a romantic piece the Cedar top is clearly more full and complete to the ears. So get both, need to have them.

Great comparison, thanks for making this! I found I preferred the warmth of cedar for the Spanish pieces, and the clarity of the spruce for stuff like the Bach fugue.

A superb comparison video. Thank you. Both guitars sound fantastic and your playing is exquisite. I don’t really have a preference, but I had a Ramirez with Cedar which I couldn’t take to. I’m currently playing a Cordoba - with Spruce, which has a much sweeter sound. Neither were in the league of your instruments (or my playing). If pressed, I’d opt for the brighter spruce.

Really sensitively thought out video piece! Some lovely playing (nice room eh!) I was actually surprised how similar the guitars sounded, but ultimately, the Cedar had that mellow richness and the Spruce just a little ’crispness’ on the top end! Thanks for taking the time to produce this! 🥰🥰🎸🎸🍷🍷

It's a little difficult to say one is better than the other. Both guitars to me were clean sounding, especially trebles. I think the cedar responds quicker. I think in time, the spruce will have a more mature voice. Both look beautiful and sound very nice. I have a spruce and cedar, so I know what it's like to have both. You play wonderfully.

I like the cedar, more center to the sound, not as much edge as the spruce

As a jazz musician i prefer spruce. Probably paradoxal, but spruce has more projection overall and still has a good among of bass frequencies too. Cedar is specific to classical pieces mostly imo.

What I learned from this video is that one clearly needs to, instead of choosing their absolute favourite guitar, own a range of guitars. They both sound excellent...and very different. Personal preference, for me, would be the darker, rounder sound. But once in a while you want to pluck it up a notch and have some punch. Anyhow, great video. Super interesting to hear the back-to-back difference in the same phrases. You made the right decision with the editing.

SPRUCE was much brighter on all accounts. Great video, you are a magnificent player! Thank you.

Thank you for an excellent video. I listened to the comparison twice and honestly have trouble hearing the difference. I do find it interesting to read how others interpret the differences. Thanks again, KB.

To me the cedar had a more pleasant tone, I'm not a big fan of carbon strings, I don't think they helped the spruce guitar. Trebles seem a bit harsh to me, just my opinion. The spruce is much louder though. Great video and wonderful playing, cheers.

When I listened on my phone, I preferred the cedar. Today I hooked up speakers to my laptop and I preferred the spruce. The spruce has more clarity, wider range/contrast to me. The trebles are clear and bass strings stand out, especially on the Bach piece. Both guitars sound world class and the playing is exceptional.

I’ve had a spruce Loriente Clarita for about 14 years now and I, recently, have had a hankering for a cedar topped guitar. I think cedar is more forgiving and is more mellow and romantic, but both have their place, so I would have both guitars and choose either for whatever mood I’m in. Also, I’d choose cedar if my playing is a bit clumsy, as spruce can be a bit unforgiving on notes that are not played cleanly! I love them both.

Both sounds beautiful because they were in good hands

I come more from the steel string acoustic side, it has been held that cedar sounds good from the start but has little improvement over age where spruce takes time to age but will significantly improve with time. Not many old cedar Martins to compare but old spruce for sure is a treasure.

My current instrument is a 7 year old Breedlove (made in USA) deadnought that uses Sidka Spruce top so I'm biased. It resonates so well and its timbre I feel in love with it within 10 seconds of playing it. Both are beautiful guitars and played brillantly! My opinion (been playing different guitars 50 years now) .. I think the spruce top was a little brighter mid range and the bass clearer . All comes down to personal experience

Beautiful playing, as usual. Love the comparison. I have always wanted to play one of Steve’s spruce tops. I love how you don’t spend much time on the strings, as I have found that the guitar itself is much more important to the overall sound than the strings. I still play a 1994 cedar top with Brazilian back and sides that he made for me in Tallahassee. It’s beautiful.

GOOD SIR I HAVE TO FIND YOU ON SPOTIFIY

Well done, the muted sound and warmth of cedar win me everytime.

The Spruce one sounds deep and warm, I love it.

Superb moving playing. Flamenco for my spruce top. Cedar for my classical mostly . Your playing the star of the show well done

I think the spruce top sounded great for the Preludio no 2 passage- nice compliment to the articulation and "pop" that the wood brings. Overall, I preferred the roundness and warmer tones that the cedar brought. Personally, I think it would be satisfying to pay attention to choosing which pieces to play or record on which instrument (every detail ultimately matters right?), but I do think there's no right or wrong regarding wood choice- only artistic freedom/expression. Also, I have to point out that everything you played sounded incredibly beautiful; especially tone-wise regarding the fashion in which you played each note and technique-wise. You have inspired me deeply today to pick up my classical guitar after some amount of time. Big thanks!! Subscribed!

I like both Cedar and Spruce. Enjoyed your amazing playing......👌♥️

Thank you very much for thic fantastic comparisson!! Exactly what I was looking for!!! And for me really difficult to say which one I preffer. Both are so drastically different but each one with his own divine personallity. I love both!

Subscribed! On every piece of music it’s clear that cedar is the best for my ear. That extra warmth is always going to be favored by me. Great comparison and great video. Yes, properly edited video takes a very long time for even a short video.

Thank you for this video, Evan. Both guitars sounded absolutely beautiful. I felt like your Cedar guitar sounded more mellow overall. Your melody lines seemed to stand out a bit more than the arpeggios or chordal parts with the Spruce guitar, almost like there were different instruments playing the lines. The same lines on the cedar seemed to me to be blended like they were made by one instrument. The second piece Preludio No. 2 sounded beautiful but somewhat stark and metalic on the Spruce. I couldn't hear all the parts as distinctly as I could on the Cedar. The Cedar handled your volume better and somehow I could hear the multiple lines distinctly. I doubt it, but could it have been that there was greater volume coming out of the Cedar and you were redlining the sound levels a bit? I think I only liked the Spruce on the softer slow pieces. The music with more of an edge to them and more volume and intensity wasn't as pleasing to my ears on the Spruce. I wonder if the sound was bouncing off the Brazillian Rosewood back and sides and jumping out kind of pointedly, but somehow flowed out more smoothly from the Indian Rosewood back and sides. I don't know, I'm no expert. it kind of sounded like sounds in an almost empty room with a concrete floor vs. sounds in a room with an old hardwood floor with some Persian rugs on it. Overall, I love your playing and I love both instruments. I'd pick the Cedar at this point. Thanks for this video. Very helpful i think!

To be a fair test of course, the spruce guitar needs a few years to sound good, whereas, the cedar guitar will sound good from its inception. I'm sure you know this. Nonetheless, something can be learned from your test. But, my point is that the spruce guitar will "mellow out" in maybe 10 years and sound fantastic for romantic music! Your playing sounds fantastic on both. Beautiful expression, attack, hand positioning, dexterity! Okay, I'm a musician (piano major), and I play classical guitar for enjoyment. I like the Spruce better. I like its clarity between notes and its purity. And, I can't help but feel that, in time, it will just get better and better (unlike the cedar which basically remains the same). The "better and better" part excites me about the Spruce Top. After some years, you will be able to show more expression--loud and soft, crisp and mellow--with the Spruce guitar. Thanks for sharing. Again, you sound "great" on both!

loved the opening of the prelude no. 2. I could just hear it as a classical version of Crossroads.

To my ears the cedar has a rich and full bottom end with less brightness in the mids. The spruce has more treble in the mids and the highs are punchier though feel a bit rolled off in the higher notes. The spruce sounds more responsive and punchier in articulation but lacks the warmth of the cedar. Ideally, would be nice to have both the roundness and the brighter attack. One other thing is that the spruce sounds shallower much like a flamenco sounds compared to a classical.

wow i know this is just to test out the two guitars but your playing made me tear up, so beautiful thank you

Cedar 2:59 Mallorca Spruce 3:13 Cedar 3:28 Spruce 3:46 Cedar 5:29 Preludio no.2 Spruce 5:49 Spruce 6:08 Spanish Romance Cedar 6:40 Spruce 7:17 Fugue by Bach Cedar 7:43

My current nylon string guitar is a $500 Breedlove cedar hybrid with a pickup, cutaway, and somewhat narrow neck. It’s the exact opposite of what I was shopping for, but it was by far the best playing and sounding guitar in the shop with guitars up to four times the price. I bought it on the spot. I haven’t owned a nylon string guitar in years, and I the best advice I got was to buy a $300 guitar and then save up for a $5,000 handmade guitar. This is my ~$300 guitar after inflation. When playing alone, it sounds great, but when playing around friends, it often outside, and cars are loud! A non-cutaway, spruce guitar would be much better for cutting through the noise. So, my next guitar will be a traditional, spruce guitar. Maybe I’ll find a good $300 one, or it might be handmade. We will see what comes along. But frankly, my investment should be in more high quality practice time. The player has much more value than any guitar.

I am.a beginner and have a spruce i bought well before i knew the difference. Now i know better to to go or the warmer spannish .melancholic cedar top onmy upgrade in the future. Thanks for rhe video

The average living room guitarists in smaller markets have no way to try such quality instruments. Demo as this sure aids one in making a more educated decision and is truly appreciated. My gratitude…

I'm a novice but the Cedar sounded warmer to me while the spruce was a little harsher.

The spruce top definitely sounded brighter, but I prefer the warmer tone from the cedar top. I also have a Cordoba classical guitar with a cedar top. So, maybe I'm just bias towards the warmth of cedar tops.

My only guitar is an Alvarez Yairi CY 130 with a cedar top. I’m looking to purchase a second guitar, probably a Cordoba C12 or similar model. I’m really leaning toward a spruce as it seems like it has a little clearer or brighter tone. I really enjoyed your video. It exemplified the difference of tone. Both tones are great with the cedar being a little bit of a rounder, full tone and the spruce being sharper, more piercing. Your video helped me make up my mind that my next classical guitar will be a spruce top. Thanks!

The cedar seemed a bit brighter, more volume in mids. I preferred the warmer sounding spruce. The exception was the faster piece which had a lot of clarity and separation with the cedar as where the spruce seemed to muddy up the quick notes. All in all though these perceptions were minor as they are both very good sounding guitars.

They both sound good in your hands!

Great projection and clarity on the spruce, wow.

I prefer the cedar, sounds warmer and more romantic. The spruce seems louder and the notes more defined but kind of punchy which might work better for baroque music but for the Spanish style cedar is my choice. That'll be 2 cents please 🤲

My first guitar (about 1967) was an electric after scoring well on a 4th grade music aptitude test. The electric never really took for me. A few years later, my parents bought me a classical with cedar top and rosewood back and sides. Though introduced to classical via 1:1 lessons under Gilbert Piger and working my way through a Carcassi method book, I was bit by the songwriting bug after listening to Bob Dylan, PP&M, etc. and turned to folk music. 57 years later finds me playing steel string acoustic less and less and reaching for my nylon string guitars. Always in my memory, is that first cedar/rosewood classical - not great - a Lyle - still it had a soft and robust sound like no other guitar I've played. Not just expressive and warm, it's a guitar tone that soothes my ears which suffer from hearing loss and 50 years of unending tinnitus. In a way, I equate a cedar/rosewood classical guitar to the old days when we listened to vinyl records, which always were so warm and could be enjoyed hours on end, without the ear fatigue of high frequency band from 10kHz to 20kHz. Funny isn't it? The way music invokes memory like that. That cedar/rosewood guitar you played is lovely to be the featured guitar on a track. The spruce/Brazilian guitar I would use more on tracks where I needed something sharper to cut through the mix. Your video turned up because I've been looking at sound samples of similar guitars. My talent / years remaining do not warrant a guitar like you played - I'm more inclined to something like an Alhambra 4p or 7p. I particularly enjoyed watching your left hand movements on the Bach fugue at the end. Simply a WOW! from this old Travis picking folkster. You are amazing! Jack in Sequim

Excellent video Evan! I really enjoyed it. I can't make up my mind, they both sound different and wonderful.

Thx I like the spruce flamenco sound & strike for me the cedars have a more body or bassier tone and softer sound

Yep Spruce is louder but I prefer the trebles on the cedar...rounder...sweeter.

In music, I personally enjoy the Bass and Rhythm, so Cedar wins. Spruce is better for fast fun pieces, and solo. Cause it’s clear and loud on treble notes 😄

I played some Spanish classical, but lots more Bossa Nova, which is much better projected in the Spruce top.

I tend to like spruce top for more modern music and find usually cedar darker as I have a cedar Jose Ramirez one but on this specific example your cedar top guitar sounds so good, it's got such a sweet sound that is not about how bright on non bright etc , is just the tone that is so good so yes on this occasion only, the cedar top one is the winner for me as I find the spruce one slightly bland.

Great, lovely video. Thanks so much. I must say I guess you put more of yourself in the romance with the cedar one than with the spruce.

I found my preference was for the Cedar. Terrific video. The cedar sounded more balanced in tambre between the basses and the trebles, on virtually every piece.

cedar definitely has a better sound in general, spruce sounds good but the sound is a bit saturated, like more noise. But both are very good guitars, it depends on the taste of each person. I have a spruce one, but I'm going to buy a red cedar one.

The spruce guitar has all the beautiful tones there except that it’s a bit bright. The cedar is mellow and a bit nasal in some notes. The cedar has an edge over the spruce in this comparison but when the spruce breaks in enough, it no doubt to be just perfect.

Really enjoyed listening to this comparison. I now know I enjoy the cedar top sound a little more than the spruce, even though they both sound great.

Well done! Great skill! Besthe comparative analysis video yet .

Cedar warmer overall. I also prefer the cedar color. Personal choice there.

Nothing beats a cedar top even on steel string acoustic guitars it's my favorite tone wood. It's the most even sound across the bass mids and treble. I prefer mahogany back and sides with a rosewood finger board.

I preferred the spruce for its clarity and projection without, however, losing any warmth. I think it is a more versatile instrument than the cedar. Also, it is my understanding that spruce will improve (open up) somewhat more with aging than cedar due to differences in changes to their respective resins.

First of all..brilliant playing thank you.!! Both guitars sound absolutely beautiful. Depending on the acoustics of where you are performing, choose accordingly. So for larger venues where you're looking for more projection/articulation, it would be the spruce....and for smaller, more intimate locations... the cedar.

Hi I have both and the sound diference is notable Cedar is warmer and Spruce more punching sound I can tell in this side of my cell phone Tnjs

Beautiful playing. It distracts from the comparison. But as most guitarist know, the spruce is brighter and the cedar is deeper. One got more treble and one more base, kind of. I'd love to learn playing this type of music. I know the playing style is finger picking, but what do you call this type of heavenly music? Thanks a lot😊

Very carefully done! Each one of those woods have pros and cons, depending on what is the result that one wants. For some passages I prefer spruce, for others I prefer cedar. Also, depending on the time that each one had to mature and dry, sounds are different. Good luthiers may make a spruce-top guitar to sound like a cedar-top guitar... So, I whish I had enough money to spend on more than one good guitar. Congrats on the excellent video!

I think they both sound nice but, in my opinion, the spruce sounded more open with the higher harmonics more audible while the cedar sounded more boxy. I am not sure if this is what was actually happening, but to me the spruce seemed to have longer sustain. My subjective preference is spruce. Too bad, because I think cedar looks much better.

I did a blind test, just listening. The one that kept impessing me the most is the cedar top one. I think it's a superior instrument, but perhaps as you say, it's because it's your main instrument and you know how to get the best out of it. But they're so similar that I don't think you need two of these guitars. I'd choose one, and just play on that one.

Cedar top all the way ..imo. Cedar had an overall cleaner more balanced tone and projected more effectively. The spruce sounded more muddle (like too much mid) with a very very subtle but consistent underlying distortion ...almost like the spruce was hitting its resonance.

Great video! I would choose both guitars as they both bring differnt moods, timber, and resonance.

I love the look of the sprucetop, but prefer the sound of the cedar. But I would be very happy to own one of them, because they sound both very nice.

I would love to hear the two guitars doubled in unison.

I like the Cedar on every piece.

No doubt must have both for different music requirements , besides choice of strings are also vital , very nice works !

Didn’t hear a difference at all. I even listened it without looking- I had no idea when you switched guitars. Having said that, your playing is wonderful. It took me places. Thanks.

Cedar look give me that spanish vibes and it sounds so warm god damn

Although the Spruce guitar is good, I like the Cedar much better. It has a clearer, sweeter and more delicate and sensitive tone. I didn't quite catch the woods used for the backs and sides of the two guitars - were they the same, or different? That can make a difference too. Off hand, the Spruce guitar sounded like it was newer, and hadn't been broken in fully yet.

Cedar has a more musical roundness to its sounds while missing on the power of defined notes of spruce. When spruce plays harmonically without its sharpness, it sounds more qualitative as a guitar. The cedar has a nostalgic sounds that I appreciate from the get go and musically transmitted more emotions than the spruce, but spruce gets you to the edge of your chair because it makes the guitarist sound like sending a powerful message

That was a great comparison. I am a guitar lover more than a performer, but lean towards the cedar for most of the romantic and emotional pieces. Has that warm flourish. Wondering how they would sound with gut trebles?

The cedar top is more focused slightly leaner actually it is noticeable leaner but sill rich,I'm just drawn the sound.

The cedar is more relaxing to listen to. They both have their purpose for whatever song you are playing. In my opinion I think you played music that favors the sound of the cedar. Almost like the cedar is a classical guitar and the spruce is a modern guitar.

Excellent playing and excellent video. Both took a lot of work

I prefer cedar because it more warmer and focus, the spruce more loud and more treble.