Spruce is by far the most common choice for soundboard wood, with desirable structural and acoustic properties that make it well-suited for the piano. Sitka spruce - which is also used for guitar soundboards - seems to be the most common variety, used by Steinway, Yamaha, Kawai, and others. But there are other wood varieties used ostensibly for their more desirable acoustic properties, including European spruce (Bosendorfer uses Alpine European spruce), Italian spruce (Fazioli uses spruce from the same region that Stradivari sourced wood for his violins), Eastern white spruce (Mason & Hamlin), Engelmann spruce, and even redwood.
My question is: how does the soundboard wood species affect the tone of the piano? If you were having a piano rebuilt and soundboard replaced, is there any reason to choose a specific wood variety over another based on the desired tone? I know that for guitars, the soundboard wood can have a significant impact on how the instrument sounds (e.g., Sitka providing greater punch and dynamic range, and cedar producing a softer, warmer, and more harmonically complex sound).
I understand that there used to be a "wood expert" on PW, who has since left many years ago. Are there any remaining domain experts around? Are there any books or other resources on this topic?