Why do many guitarists feel that spruce sounds sweeter and cedar brighter?

In the world of high-end flamenco guitars, a phrase is often repeated almost like a dogma:
“Spruce is brighter, cedar is warmer.”

But when the guitar moves from theory to the hands of the player, the story changes.
Many experienced performers—especially in flamenco—perceive something very different:

→ Spruce sounds sweeter, more balanced, and musical.
→ Cedar offers a more pronounced, livelier brightness with sharper harmonics.

This experience doesn’t contradict acoustics: it completes it.
Here’s why it happens.

1. The Natural Sweetness of Spruce: A Timbre That Embraces

Although classified as a “bright” wood, spruce has a quality that can only be fully appreciated when played with sensitivity:

It has a midrange balance that creates a unique sweetness.

-This balance translates into:

-Rounded melodies with a human character

-Falsetas sung without harshness

-Strums that sound clean but not sharp

-Projection that caresses rather than cuts

Spruce responds quickly, yes, but it does so with a soft texture, which many guitarists perceive as a sweet, musical, and very flamenco tone.

It’s no coincidence that the finest traditional spruce guitars have that “honeyed touch” in their timbre.

2. Cedar and Its Deep Brightness: A More Frontal Sound

Cedar is often associated with warmth, but its real behavior is more complex.
Its denser fibers and abundance of harmonics produce a particular brightness, noticeable from the first strokes.

This brightness is different from spruce:

-It’s more direct

-Rounder but more present

-Slightly ahead in timing

-More perceptible in picados, ligados, and arpeggios

In certain high-end guitars, cedar offers a surprisingly lively, luminous, and powerful sound, with a character that can even seem brighter than spruce.

That’s why many performers describe it as a wood with immediate spark, not just warmth.

3. The Guitarist’s Touch Completely Changes Perception

When a guitarist has a developed touch—especially in flamenco—the nuances multiply:

-How the attack is broken

-How the soundboard vibrates with each thumb

-Which harmonics open with the pluck

-How each note is colored under the nail

A guitarist sensitive to detail can perceive more sweetness in spruce than a less experienced player, and more brightness in cedar when played with precise technique.

It’s an intimate interaction between wood, construction, and hands.

4. Real Guitars Surpass Theoretical Concepts

Typical descriptions of “warm” vs. “bright” are simplified models.
In high-end flamenco guitars, several factors come into play:

-Luthier’s bracing

-Soundboard thickness

-Instrument age

-Type of finish

-Humidity and aging

-Performer’s touch

That’s why it’s not surprising that experienced guitarists find more sweetness in spruce and more brightness in cedar: hands reveal nuances that manuals cannot capture.

5. What to Choose? It Depends on Your Sensitivity

Spruce if you seek…
✔ Sweetness and musicality
✔ A balanced and expressive timbre
✔ A traditional flamenco sound that is approachable
✔ Clean projection without excessive aggressiveness

Cedar if you seek…
✔ Deep brightness and immediate presence
✔ Rich harmonics and a more frontal sound
✔ Lively response even with soft attacks
✔ A timbre that stands out in recording and solo performance

The right choice isn’t dictated by theory, but by what resonates with you when you play.

Conclusion: The Best Sound Is the One Your Hands Speak

Flamenco guitar is not an exact science: it’s a dialogue.
And for many guitarists—including you—that dialogue reveals a truth different from what is found in books:

Spruce can be surprisingly sweet.
Cedar can shine more than expected.

In the end, when searching for a guitar, it’s best not to focus on a specific wood or combination of woods, because that would deprive us of the opportunity to “discover.”
That’s why it’s always better to let yourself be guided by what each guitar you try is capable of awakening in you, regardless of the wood used in its construction. In this way, your choice will always be the most fitting.