I took my 1980 Strat and swapped out the old and very heavy ash body for a Warmoth alder body. Angry Tele. You can find them in both electric and acoustic guitars, and the tonewood is highly resilient against wood rot or warping over time. Today, maple is common in electric guitar necks. Finally, fingerboard woods are located on the fretboard. When you are playing with a band and need to cut through, the alder has a better peak and allows you to claim more space in the song. You can expect the tone to become softer and warmer over time, making walnut the ideal alternative to koa. However, rosewood is a very hard wood that’s much harder than maple, and the porous nature allows the tone to become warmer. The wood offers strong grain markings, making the appearance stunning. Many restrictions lifted last year, but this wood may still be pricier and take much longer to produce. Commonly known as Honduran mahogany, this type of wood is often associated with Gibson guitars. It can sound similar to Ash but without the complexity in overtones. It’s ideal for warmer, fatter guitar tones. The material in the neck can amplify the body wood and highlight special features in the grain to pair well aesthetically as well. However, unlike basswood, alder can retain high notes and provide space for low tones. Similar to alder, basswood is nearly mid-range. Ash is one of the most common tonewoods for electric guitar bodies. The open pores are more responsive than maple necks and remain much less dense. Ash is the brighter of the two woods, and on average is lighter weight, it also has a more distinct and prominent grain pattern to it. Maple Top on Basswood. It’s truly a beautiful and highly versatile instrument. The sound is bass-friendly and warm, ideal for sweet and responsive mid-range tones. In contrast, Ash is a light cream color, with much darker and more pronounced grain figuring. The tone difference from those 2 things alone can be huge. You may occasionally find a piece of poplar with a stunning grain pattern if you try. Koa is available in a wide range of colors, all of which include light and dark shades of rich gold. Compared to basswood, an alder body comes with a wider scope of tones overall as well as fewer mid-notes than basswood. Luthiers also tend to despise working with korina tonewoods. The tone and grain qualities are similar to mahogany, but it’s heavier and more resilient. A wenge fretboard is normally played raw, with no finish. Of course weight can vary for all these woods, depending on many factors. Ash: exhibits a "snappier" tone with a bright edge, but with a warm bass and long sustain. However, unlike basswood, alder can retain high notes and provide space for low tones. This means you won’t find any deep, breathy sub-low tones. Most companies offer both solid and laminated wood tops on their acoustic guitars. View In-Stock Alder Strat® replacement bodies, View In-Stock Swamp Ash Strat® replacement bodies. We did ash versus alder to hear the differences. Its timbre is a bit more of a fundamental tone with fewer overtones than the more traditional body woods. Solid Body Telecaster: Available Options . However, the price is often worth it. Tonewoods either eliminate or amplify the frequencies your strings produce, affecting the overall tone of the instrument. However, maple is an easier wood to finish because it has tight and highly durable grains. Walnut is a dense wood with sparkly brightness, like koa. However, acoustic models gain most of their sound from the wood choice. There are some warmth and tons of brightness. The resulting wood appears like a sheet rather than a solid piece, and it’s ideal in a cheaper guitar with an attractive-looking natural grain surface. In guitars, poplar comes with a similar tone to alder as well. Those who play alder-bodied Teles say that it makes no real difference. Sound-wide, the tone is balanced and consistent as well. Alder Vs Ash. Unlike some other types, maple wood has a uniform grain. Ash will give you a comparably rounder and ⦠Swamp Ash is usually light, lighter than alder. Each plant, and each piece of wood, displays inconsistencies and imperfections in varying shapes and sizes. A rare find, koa is a flowering tree related to the pea family that’s native to Hawaii. Does anyone have a preference/opinion as to the sound of and ash body compared to an alder body? If you are a do-it-yourselfer interested in finishing your own guitar body, there are some very important differences between Alder and Ash. The color is distinctive. Basswood is a common body tonewood because it’s inexpensive and ideal for a factory setting. The boards have a brittle grain that requires the skill of a professional to hand fret the guitar. Mahogany first became a popular material for guitars due to the attractive appearance and the fact that it was cheaper than rosewood, according to the World Resources Institute. 2. Some guitar models divide a solid piece of wood into two mirroring sections, which is often used for guitar tops. Chapter 1: Ash Vs Alder! He's also got an unhealthy obsession with vintage VW Campervans. Does it make any difference to the sound? It’s stain, heat, and scratch-resistant. Alder and Ash are fairly easy to differentiate by sight. Bill said: After years of analysis of thousands of players' observations, the following two definitive facts have emerged: 1. Ged is editor-in-chief and founder of Zing Instruments. They last longer and they come with better resonation. The color is lighter and richer as well. Using solid wood is more expensive. The best part about koa is the stunning appearance, which makes it highly sought-after. You can see the divide down the middle of the instrument when it’s in the case. Rosewood is one of the most popular choices in acoustic guitars. It won’t wear out over time. I like both, depends on needs. Alder is our most popular body wood. Swamp Ash is our second most popular wood. In time, the wood develops grains that continuously deepen and change. Rosewood guitar necks smooth out high tones and offer ideal sustainability. However, it’s a bit more on the warm side. However, it’s primarily used for neck shafts in guitars or a coarse fretboard. Alder: full and rich, with fat low-end, nice cutting mids, and good overall warmth and sustain.Alder is generally considered to be one of the "traditional" Stratocaster body woods. Solid wood is another popular approach. Ebony boards are rare in machine-made guitars. lighter pieces are usually more sought after for resonance, and by no means lesser quality Korina is well renowned in the guitar industry as the tonewood of choice for the original Gibson Explorer and Flying-V guitars. It’s not too warm or too bright but lies somewhere in the middle range. For a brighter tone and more sustainability than rosewood, Pau Ferro is an excellent alternative. Sound-wise, maple guitars offer ideal sustainability and plenty of bite. Since Leo Fender first used them in the 1950’s, Alder and Ash have become the most popular tonewoods for construction of solid-body bolt-on guitars. With a less dense wood, the sound offers more sustain and a darker resonance. Alder has a strong, clear, full-bodied sound, with beefy mids and excellent lows. Body wood, or the types of wood used to create the back and sides of a guitar, does more than look pretty. This is what produces strong and stable functionality, but it’s less reactive to environmental changes than other hardwoods. Guitars have different types. I have American Pro in Sienna Sunburst and the body is made from Ash, they are now using Roasted Pine I believe. Taken on average, Alder is the lighter weight of the two woods, with Strat® bodies usually weighing in at around 4 pounds. Ash comes in two varieties: Northern Hard Ash and Swamp Ash. The sound is warm, with damp high sounds. It offers chocolate brown stripes and a very hard, coarse texture with open grains. The guitar sound is warm and rich, with plenty of volume and resonance. Two of the most common materials used are alder and ash. 0 0. It’s one of the most expensive and heaviest woods in guitar creation today. Many of the classical or vintage guitars use a mahogany type of wood. I have heard ash is brighter and that alder wood in suitable grain and quality is getting harder to come by and that ash is actually a better choice. Some manufacturers simply can’t afford to import korina. Soft ash is also commonly called ‘swamp ash’. A Fight For Champion! The Alder one was the fuller sounding whereas the ash one was the one with the more snap and bite. However, swamp ash is more difficult to find than alder or new ash. The Main Reasons Explained, How Many Frets on a Guitar? It also tends to stain easily in the natural growing habitat, so the color of the wood can become unsightly. Like to hear some opinions. Solid Strat® bodies of Northern Hard Ash usually weigh 5 pounds or more. This article should serve as a useful resource in general, whether you’re about to buy a guitar or just like geeking out about this stuff. ©2021 - Zinginstruments.com. There are spaces between wood grains, where the density of the wood (and amount of space between the grains) varies in different wood types. Best Online Guitar Lessons in 2020 – Reviewed & Ranked, Fender Serial Number Lookup – Find When & Where Your Guitar Was Made, Why are Some Guitar Pickups Angled? The wood drains quickly, making it very susceptible to splitting during the drying process. Ash, on the other hand, has an open grain that absorbs a lot of ⦠Gibson pioneered fretboards using this hard and consistently sustainable material in the mid-90s. You can create a clean, transparent sound with single-coil pickups easily. There are many reasons using multiple tonewoods can boost your instrument’s performance. Fender claims to use swamp ash in many of their guitars in the 1950s. The instrument is still heavy. Up in the northern eara lies a stadium that at this moment was full of people cheering, waiting for the battle to become champion to begin. The traditional wood used for Fender necks, maple is ideal because it’s strong, hard, and dense. Ebony frets cost around 10 times that of rosewood. Many people agree that certain woods come with a brighter or fuller sound than other types, but it’s hard to say exactly why they sound different from each other. Taylor is one of the few manufacturers to carry koa on many of their models. The solid wood also sounds better because it offers a uniform grain, thickness, and a more resonant tone with better vibration. The wood configuration, particularly when it comes to the body of the guitar, isn’t as vital for electric guitars. Color and variety alter from piece to piece, but all types of rosewood are highly attractive. The denser the wood, the less room the sound has to move around among the grain. On Alder, the grain is closed, making it a good candidate for amateurs and budding luthiers. We like them both :) My point is, the rosewood fretbrds are tonally distinct from the maple by a large margin, and its not so much the Basewood bodied '62s vs ash/alder '57. But also depends on wood piece and setup situation. There are so many ways to personalize your instrument to suit you! The sound has plenty of bite, brightness, and ideal sustainability. Ash was my tonal preference, it has a little more of a scoop in the mids. 1 0. mumper. The scooped middle frequencies are bright and balanced, and the sound has more balance at the top. Both types of rosewood require what’s called “pore fill,” where the pores are filled before the lacquer is applied. The neck of a guitar made with Richlite is less likely to fluctuate or curve because the material is synthetic. With a thicker, more expensive piece of wood, you gain superior results. Ash is one of the most common tonewoods for electric guitar bodies. In general, mahogany should absorb a bit of the string vibration as you play – much more than maple or some other neck wood types. Cosmetically, Ash has a more inconsistent but straight and visible grain that looks great with natural and transparent finishes whereas Alders tight grain is less visible but very consistent and is usually finished in solid colours. Northern Hard Ash is the heavier of the two. However, soft ash offers a warmer feel. The tight, nearly filtered bass is harmonic and you can vary pick attacks. As with ash, itâs impossible to discuss alder without making reference to Fender, which first used alder prominently in the late â50s and early â60s. Expect your guitar to sound twangier, but not quite as big sounding. While guitar necks are traditionally made using maple, there are many types of woods found in this portion of your instrument. Guitar bodies made from a single piece of wood tend to come with a higher price tag. However, maple offers better sustainability. Mainly found in acoustic guitars, mahogany is the most common hardwood for the sides and back of the instrument. The material is non-toxic and the guitar neck will never warp. However, keep in mind that everyone has a different preference. Swamp ash tonewood comes from trees with roots below the water level in Southern swamps, so the wood is lightweight and porous. Like basswood, alder is a lightweight type of body wood with soft and condensed pores. Compared to maple, walnut tonewood is slightly warmer. Ash used for building guitar bodies is categorized into two types: Northern Ash or hard Ash, and southern Ash or swamp Ash, with the latter more commonly used. Appearance-wise, maple is light and typically configured in a beautiful way. A place where you can find your hopes and dreams and make them reality. Combine a koa neck with an ebony fingerboard for the best warm sound. This lead to a bias that excluded how the dang thing sounds plugged it! The bright highs can really pop, and it has a strong upper midrange. Your choice of guitar tonewood is a subject of great discussion among guitarists, as different woods affect your sound in different ways. It’s also stronger than maple. Walnut also appears excellent when you use oil finishes on the wood, providing players with a beautiful instrument. The result is a compressed attack and slightly compressed highs. He's a multi-instrumentalist and loves researching, writing, and geeking out about music. In fact, strat bodies made of rosewood can easily weigh over six pounds. The tone is snappier and the attack more immediate as a direct result. Solid wood comes with bonuses over laminated wood in terms of durability. It also looks great with sunbursts. Quote; Link to post Share on other sites. The grain pattern takes on a swirl, where the larger rings and sections around the outside enhance the strength of the body. Compared to rosewood, ebony fingerboard woods are bright, durable, and sustainable. Other models at the time, like the high-end Martin D-28, came with rosewood sides and back. This makes achieving a nice-looking finish a much more difficult project for the average Joe. In comparison the grain is tighter, producing a much brighter tone. The colors can vary, but in guitar fretboards, you’re most likely to see Richlite in black to appear similar to ebony. Married Manâs Guide to Buying Without Lying. It’s a gem and icon of the golden era in guitar making when manufacturers took bold steps. Messages: 7,683. 1 decade ago. Hard maple is tough on factory equipment though, which makes it commonly only used for slim guitars. Alder’s enduring popularity as a tone-wood is mostly due to the fact that its sound is so well balanced across the entire sonic spectrum. Like Alder, the tone of Ash is musical and well-balanced, with perhaps just a little more “pop”. Guru; Members; 1 11,390 posts; Members; Share; Posted October 18, 2009. Ash is a tonewood that comes in two main types: The most popular option is hard ash due to the bright tone and high sustainability. Messages: 8,303. Ash, on the other hand, has an open grain that absorbs a lot of finish. DOH! The reason for such is because different materials, like the variety of woods used to make the guitar body, will give away different sound or tone qualities. This tonewood is durable, attractive, resonant, easy to work with, and relatively economical. A popular wood choice for necks and fretboards, maple is highly recognizable due to the grain patterns, moderate weight, and bright tone. Because Alder’s appearance is more plain, it is the better candidate for solid color finishes. A rich caramel swirls through the wood, and the fret feels like ebony or rosewood to your fingers. Sonically, Alder will produce more attack and presence with its emphasised upper-mids, resulting in it sounding a little bit punchier than Ash. Feb 19, 2005 #16. calibre2001 Tele-Meister. However, ebony offers oilier pores, more brittle grains, and a stronger fundamental tone. I'm sure ash or alder would sound great, also, but the basswood and the slightly strong ('62-ish) pickups give it a wonderfully warm sound. It’s created using a resin-infused type of paper. Richlite is more expensive to produce, but the results are much superior than any organic wood. There are even manufacturers who saw a single piece of wood in half and glue it back together for this reason! Source(s): https://shrinke.im/a8lFG. A man-made synthetic material, Richlite is a wood substitute when a more durable, harder wood is required. The creamy color and bold grain pattern are more visually appealing than other wood types, like alder. Ash. On Alder, the grain is closed, making it a good candidate for amateurs and budding luthiers. However, mahogany is more common because it’s widely available in large quantities and available inside the United States. The sound offers more percussion and perfect tonal combination. 4 years ago. The result is an overall better tone with sustain. It works really well with single-coil pickups, producing a clean, transparent sound thatâs easily tweakable. Finish. The sound is better, however, when it comes to the upper mid-range. In terms of guitar sound, koa is balanced and warm. As well as affecting tone, the choice can also significantly change the look of your guitar (which for many is even more important than tone!). Ash bodies look really good with a natural finish instead of painted. The only downside is the steep price. It also stimulates the weaker end of the instrument. Knowing the properties of each will help you craft the sonic and visual personality of your guitar body. Maple’s tone is highly reflective and bright, with more energy pushing toward the body wood. However, when referring to swamp/hard Ash, we are actually talking about the region where Ash trees grow instead of a particular type of wood. Joined: Feb 17, 2005. The most popular wood used in fretboards and necks, maple is an easy-to-identify wood. It’s also ideal to combine with an ebony fretboard to add brightness. There are also two synthetic materials to choose from. There are two main types of rosewood used to make guitars today: Brazilian and East Indian. Basswood tends to soften the high notes, on the other hand. Wryan . Itâs a medium-weight wood, although quality cuts of alder used for guitar bodies will often weigh less than denser cuts of ash. Like hard ash, maple is dense. I had luck to compare ash vs alder on one wood sensitive amp. However, the wood type mutes high-frequency overtones, which can create a strong fundamental sound with the complexities of low-mid and mid-range overtones. ToneRanger Most Honored Senior Member. Alder. However, bolt-on maple guitar necks produce less of a factor in the overall tone. However, the Brazilian type is expensive. It is often considered as the other "traditional" Stratocaster body wood. Swamp Ash is typically lighter, with Strat® bodies under 5 pounds. Although swamp ash is harder to come by than alder (and therefore more expensive), it is still possible to buy a new ash-bodied Fender. The rich appearance is dark and proven popular among guitarists. If you are a do-it-yourselfer interested in finishing your own guitar body, there are some very important differences between Alder and Ash. The resonance is dark and complex, and there are rich overtones you can’t find in other woods. Side by Side comparison of Sire V7 4ST Bass - Alder vs Ash. The two varieties also both sound bright and clear, with fairly even frequency response. Compared to hard ash, maple is just as dense. Various manufacturers typically favor a type of wood, but there are tons of different options available in both exotic and alternative kinds of wood. I have 3 Swamp Ash guitars, all of which are light, resonant, killer sustain, and sound awesome. Anonymous. Like Alder, the tone of Ash is musical and well-balanced, with perhaps just a little more âpopâ. dlcyh55, Jun 29, 2011 #1. Those who play ash-bodied Teles say that it makes a difference and ash sounds better. "Welcome one and all to Unova's ultimate battle to become champion. They have a great impact on the sound your guitar produces. Fingerboards come in three common natural wood options: ebony, maple, and rosewood. Fender Thinline Telecaster Vs. Today, expect to see korina as a body wood in Reverend Guitars’ electric models. All Rights Reserved Registered Address – Dramatik, c/o Wesley Offices, 74 Silver Street, Bristol, BS48 2DS. The high overtones are similar to rosewood, but the resonation comes with more fundamental mids and low-mid ranges because of the multi-density stripes. Alder is almost always a light tan color, and has a very subtle grain figure. Ash Vs Alder. Basswood tends to soften the high notes, on the other hand. The right choice for your guitar may depend on your budget, preference, and what type of music you play. âI would say ash has a great sound, especially when you are jamming at home by yourself. It offers a rich variety of both purple and brown colors, and the material has been used to create guitars for decades. Why Do Tonewoods Sound Different From Each Other. However, the open grain wood does require more work during production to fill the open pores and finish the guitar. They also feature more wood on the back and sides than the top. Then, you must determine which type of design you enjoy. Unlike rosewood, however, Pau Ferro has a tighter grain. Quite similar were the results when I A/Bed some Jazz-bass copies (same shape, alder vs ash bodies). Alder is tiny bit more rounder and smoother. The most common material used for a guitar fretboard, rosewood sounds rich. The lower outer frequencies mean the mid-tones become more pronounced. Another rare and expensive option, like rosewood, the sale and circulation of Bubinga was recently restricted to protect the wood from a drastic reduction in numbers. The manufacturing process can take longer, as it requires closer attention to detail and careful handling of the materials. But what guitarists are more concerned about is the type of material used to make the guitar itself. Manufacturers vary based on their approach. Today, according to Thalia, mahogany guitars come in three main varieties of hardwood. Basswood/Maple produces a very rich, full sound with great low, middle and high end. Colored fillers or lacquer is set inside the grain to create a smooth clearing surface. Ash can be difficult to work with, though; the pores must be filled before finishes are applied, and two swamp ash guitar bodies are more likely to differ from one another tonally than two bodies made of alder, which has a tighter, more consistent grain. Laminated wood, as the name suggests, is made from multiple thin layers of wood that are meshed together by a luthier using adhesive and pressure. I have this secret trick I use if my guitar is sounding "too bright" or something - I move these knobs on my amp called "treble" and "bass" around till it sounds better. In this complete guide to guitar woods, we group each type according to whether it’s used in the body, the neck, or the fingerboard (some, such as rosewood, appear in more than one category). The percussive overtones during the pick attack are tremendous and can sustain a long time. My 5 cents. Because rosewood is naturally oily, stray overtones are quickly absorbed into the wood’s pores and the sound comes out much richer than maple. I think the wood may make a difference in tone but it would be tiny compared to the difference due to the pickup and string differences. Where it differs is in the sweeter top end. A comparison of tone with Ash vs Alder made with the 2 guitars mentioned above would be completely invalid. Let’s check ’em out. Ash is like ... more rock and roll, punchy, kicks your butt kinda sound. If the specs on the website are correct, this negates all the comments about pine vs alder as both bodies are alder." However, it’s much easier to finish and highly durable. When it comes to building an acoustic guitar, there are many ways to arrange and utilize wood. The sound dies faster but sounds more clear in the small room, while the large room creates more echoes. The midrange is much more similar to rosewood or mahogany though. All rights reserved. Here’s a great video from the guys at Fender talking about different wood combos: You may see guitars made from a single piece of wood sometimes, but they’re often comprised of many tonewoods. The grain should be different enough to tell visually. It’s commonly used to create ukuleles, but the pricier wood is also found on special and limited-edition guitars. Compared to basswood, an alder body comes with a wider scope of tones overall as well as fewer mid-notes than basswood. Koa produces a tone that’s comparable to maple and mahogany. The wood is perfect for bass necks with warm lows and strong midrange tones. Boris Bubbanov Most Honored Senior Member. Some guitarists prefer a single piece of wood for both the neck or body of the guitar for purity sake, however. Swamp ash was used on Fender guitars until the mid-50s when alder was chosen as its successor. It’s a distinct sound with the character found in many acoustic guitars, like the early Beatles recordings the band created using mahogany Gibson guitars. The attack is crisp and the density is similar to maple. Poplar tonewoods are understated and minimalistic in appearance. Although, it’s lighter than maple and the tone is very bright. Rosewood is rare and highly expensive, so creating a guitar out of classic rosewood would be nearly impossible due to the price. Different types of wood may sway toward a particular imperfection as a part of their genetic makeup or characteristics, and this distinguishes the sound each wood type creates from the other. Lv 4. The result is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Tbh you need one of each! 4 years ago. Is this a human ear judgement or done by looking at spectrograms or by measuring the amplitude of sound waves, etc.? It’s easy to: The softwood offers tight grains that often dampen and soften sharp hight tones, which can level out thin sounds like a knife-edged tremolo. A maple fretboard comes with a tremendous amount of high overtones. They remain more in the mid-range rather than the high side, which results in a musical sound for a beginner guitarist or a less expressive one for guitarists who play hard picking blues music.
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