James,
The high grade Englemann I have used produces a very warm full sound. It is also by far the best looking wood. It has to be about 20% thicker than Alpine for the same strength. I have not worked with Alpine because the few pieces I have purchased (top grade) were of poor quality by comparison. I like to use Sitka spruce on ren lutes for it's brightness. Now some words of caution: the soft part of the wood is very soft and will pull out with tape. Chip carving on Englemann is extremely difficult due to that softness. It would rather tear than cut. Other rosette carving produces a lot of fuzz and is difficult. I don't bother with the chip carving and focus on perfecting the rosette. The only tape I have found that will not pull the soft wood out is drafting tape, used and removed with great caution. I usually leave a few tenths of mm around the edges for the final sanding to get the divots in the soft wood flat again. It soaks up dirt, stain, and varnish like a sponge so plan on being more cleanly. That same sponge effect makes it glue better. Anyone who plays one of my Englemann lutes wears a pinky protector or does not touch the top. (Including Hoppy Smith) Is it worth it? To me, no doubt. After my first Englemann top, I wouldn't play the others. I have since replaced all the other tops. Louis Aull -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
