I have great pleasure (to try) to speak English : I do not have many occasions to do so ... and it is a good way to practice !
I have not used Lutz spruce yet, but this wood seems to be "a must" for many guitar builders. Good to know that it does work well on a Selmer style guitar ! I will try it as soon as I would be able to.
Many years ago, I exclusively used Sitka for these guitars because I loved (and still do) the look ... the "pinkish salmon" color of it which fits well with the color of a reddish rosewood : I used to prefer solid back and sides to make these guitars (indian rosewood, walnut), thinking that it would be better than using laminated back and sides as Selmer did : actually, the "true sound of it" really depends on laminated body. So, as I began using different types of laminated wood, I began using different woods for tops to match with.
Now, for the very few I build (I am not a professional builder), I use laminated for every guitar :
- red cedar or spruce top with laminated mahogany body,
- red cedar or european spruce with laminated walnut body,
- european spruce with laminated maple body.
The real thing is actually laminated, even if a few are made with solid back and sides ! As I tried both, I now think there is no benefit to use solid woods for the body
in order to get that special sound. I would say that the combination of woods for the body and the choice for the neck are far more important : here lies the secret of that sound.
My favourite wood for neck is Spanish Cedar or walnut (both european and american): very light in weight and very stable. Once the guitar is completed, and whatever the body is made of, the sound is there : I did last summer a replica (not an exact replica) of a Busato guitar with a mahogany / red cedar body, a spanish cedar neck with a low grade indian rosewood fingerboard and a brazilian rosewood bridge. Tuning machines are Stewart's Golden Age restoration tuners.
As I love the look of old Selmer style guitar, I did a vintage finish on it, so it does look like a 70 years old guitar. The strings are 10-47. This guitar is extremely light in weight and it sounds ... huge ! Sweet and warm, and a lot of volume.
I do think that there is a deep effect due to the red cedar top and the light weight spanish cedar neck. What is more, I also think that an indian rosewood fingerboard is acoustically superior to an ebony one ... even if the commun belief claims not !
Ebony is heavy and what this guitar needs is ... light weight.
Here are somme pics of it : so, this guitar is brand new but it is made
to look old !
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=13435
Another one that I made 2 years ago :
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=13392
And a Selmer + a Macca, that I try to build when I have the time !
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=13464
In this link, there is some pictures of a full maple body / mastergrade european spruce / ebony that I made 5 years ago or so.
Of course, there is no "one and only one way" to build them, every combination of woods does the job when the construction is well done and the set up is picky ! I have been lucky enough to see several real Selmer, all 14cases / oval hole, some in mahogany, some in Brazilian rosewood and even one in solid bird's eye ! They were all beauties and fine sounding instruments.
Where did you travel in France ?