Old Growth Redwood has a lot of similarity to Cedar. It usually has a darker more dramatic color and can be quite stiff. Good examples can have sound similarities in common with Spruce while other sets can produce a familiar Cedar-like tone. I carry an inventory called "rediscovered" Redwood from old Fort Ross in California (buit in 1812). It is very fine grain and a pleasure to use. Brian Burns, a technical luthier, recently ran some "Q" test for me on this wood and reported that it had the highest quality of any softwood he has tested to date.