Solid Tops
Several models in the A&L line are made with solid cedar or spruce tops. A solid top guitar will require a little more care in terms of exposure to heat and humidity, but the upside is significant. A solid top guitar will not only produce richer sound and better dynamic range but has the added benefit of improving over time.

When was the last time you purchased something that improved with use?
That's right, similar to the phenomena that makes bowed instruments such as the violin better sounding with playing over time, a solid top guitar becomes better sounding over time. This is called 'aging'. Not surprisingly, the cedar and spruce used in instrument building is not your garden-variety, lumberyard wood. The giant cedar and spruce logs that we use in guitar building comes from trees that are hundreds of years old and more than six feet in diameter. The tight, straight grain in this wood makes it flexible in the direction running across the grain while at the same time, stiff in the direction of the grain. This property is what allows the guitar top to be strong enough to support the pull from the strings while remaining flexible enough to produce the vibration necessary for full, rich sound.

Tops start as single pieces of wood, which are sliced in half and then glued together. This technique is called 'bookmatched' and results in an even grain pattern across the top of the guitar.