Sitka spruce has an excellent strength to weight ratio and for that reason has been used in making sailboat spars and parts of aircraft especially before WWII. This high ratio is also great for making musical instruments and I like it very much. I have made a few guitars already with this top wood and I find the results are excellent. The rosette design comes from my teacher Rolf Eichinger and has been used by a few of his disciples. I have quite few Sitka tops which I bought in 2001 or thereabouts from Timbre Tonewood in British Columbia.