Does any one have experience of replaceing a basswood body with alder, ash or poplar? Today we will be having a look at two of the most popular, specifically for the bodies of Fender guitars; ash and alder… × As for Fender switching over to using alder instead of poplar etc. Poplar is the read-headed step child of woods.   Your previous content has been restored. Many guitar manufacturers as a substitute for alder are using this wood, as it is quite similar in tone. , Leo was a business man and used whatever he had on hand, nothing went to waste. ah..... o.k. Same with poplar, alder, mahogany, ash, and agathis. if poplar is the closest thing to alder tonaly then why is it so hated? Good luck getting a "nice sounding" piece of wood...no matter the species. if poplar is the closest thing to alder tonaly then why is it so hated? The best sounding guitar I ever owned was a swampash tele now played by my son. Those people say if you pick up a random guitar body made from poplar you have the highest chance to get something light and nice sounding. The relative disadvantages of poplar are that it is not well suited to use with transparent colours, and that on average a guitar body will weigh about 1/2 lb more. Famously used on: '50s and '60s Fender guitars; ... Poplar. … Overall I do prefer alder … Seems risky, seeing as... you don't know how it sounds. Poplar - Tonally, it is similar to Alder. What Does an Alder Guitar … Is it true hat Fender has been using poplar on American Standars in the first years of the 90's ? Namelyguitar , Mar 13, 2012 From Warmoth: Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera): Definitely a punchier more focused and deadened tone compared to the vast majority of alder super-strats I've played. Was like sanding concrete. But IMO the feel is SLIGHTLY more hard than rosewood. It looks good with a sunburst or a solid color finish. Poplar with extremely dense mineral staining can be heavier than normal. The pickups have been in other guitars I've owned and sounded fine. Virtually every website refers to solid colur Classics as being poplar. So, Im looking at buying a cheap strat copy then modding it with new pickups, new electrics, tuners etc and i was wondering which wood is better. I've found that rubbing some lemon oil into the PF fretboard helps to darken it. Some people say that Poplar is more consistent than Alder, Ash and Mahogany. i feel the weight of the world on my shoulder; as i'm gettin, Why is that? It is defintely NOT soft like basswood. What types of woods are used for guitars? Was it a success? Messages 5,618. You can post now and register later. Fender used to routinely substitute alder for poplar prior to that whenever they would get a cheaper batch. Hardwoods have density weight and tone. Guitar Tone Woods A tone guide for Guitar Tone Woods. Thus, alder is more consistent than guitar ash, weight-wise. That said, Id much rather have a good poplar body of few pieces, than an alder body made up of mega pieces and … Like alder, poplar is a type of wood that’s commonly used to manufacture many things. Poplar - Tonally, it is similar to Alder. Pics! This website uses cookies for functionality, analytics and advertising purposes as described in our, To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of their. i plan to paint so wood color dosen't matter to me. i have a canadian poplar blank here. didn't the older fender 62 reissues which I loved by the way have poplar bodies? Definitely a punchier more focused and deadened tone compared to the vast majority of alder super-strats I've played. I've found out the Classic is supposedly 3 pieces (no reason to assume Fender are lying). Various woods have distinct sound qualities, especially when used for the top of an acoustic guitar, which is the most important wooden tonal element of the instrument. Alder. its greasy. In guitars, poplar comes with a similar tone to alder as well. Poplar - also a lightweight wood which has a sound similar to alder but lighter in color. Tony Done 2008-11-26 09:17:44 UTC. Nato/poplar/alder: this is tough to understand. OK, I'm confused. Re: Body wood: Poplar vs. Alder My 2001 jackson DK-2 has a poplar body... Best sounding guitar I have ever owned and feels perfectly balanced.. from ultimate-guitar.com - (No mention of basswood - may not be considered a tonewood by them.) It's a little difficult to compare to a Strat since it has a tone-o-matic and a flat tailpiece, but I feel confident to say that if you want "good" sound it won't be any worse than Alder. I have made quite a few guitars from Poplar, including two tele bodies. Poplar is a pretty neutral wood, much like alder, in term of resonance. These larger rings and sections add to its strength, and the complexity of the tones. You tell me!Not a scientific test, you say? My old orange-crackle 88 Charvel H/S (neck-thru w/jackson-floyd and pickups) was a good sounding poplar guitar. Re: Body wood: Poplar vs. Alder My old orange-crackle 88 Charvel H/S (neck-thru w/jackson-floyd and pickups) was a good sounding poplar guitar. Cliff. Poplar has risen in price and become harder to get due to its popularity for furniture production. from audio-pro-central.com - Basswood The older MIA Peavey Predators were made out of poplar. That’s where you come in. nope. I'm building a Tele and am carefully considering poplar and alder for the body. Display as a link instead, × Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Problem with Basswood, of course, is if you want to modify it, you run the risk of it crumbling to splinters. from audio-pro-central.com - Basswood (only mentioned that it sounds similar, but not how it differs.) its a little softer than the honduran mahogany one next to it. I'm building a Tele and am carefully considering poplar and alder for the body. © 1995-2019 Harmony Central, Inc. All rights reserved. Thursday 14th of September 2017. Poplar: one of the softer hardwoods, nicely resonant with a meaty tone. Upload or insert images from URL. All of the features sound awesome, except the alder body. I'd rather have it than basswood. Softwoods have no leaves, pine, evergreen, etc. The relative disadvantages of poplar are that it is not well suited to use with transparent colours, and that on average a guitar body will weigh about 1/2 lb more. i have a book matched drop top and about 4-5 fretboards and a through neck stringer her that i wont be using anytime soon. Ash and alder are much harder woods. That said, Id much rather have a good poplar body of few pieces, than an alder body made up of mega pieces and veneers. the problem with wenge is less the hardness and more the oil content. Paste as plain text instead, ×   Pasted as rich text. Its closed grain makes this wood easy to finish. That’s where you come in. gibson made poplar V's and explorers in the 70's. (only mentioned that it sounds similar, but not how it differs.) With our last wood hardness chart, several noted that there were certain woods missing that should be in the list, so we’ve expanded the list to 224 different species. warmoth's wood is usually pretty good stuff so we'll see what happens. Does it matter? Fender used to routinely substitute alder for poplar prior to that whenever they would get a cheaper batch. gonna be hugger orange with matching headstock and a vintage pearl pickguard. The F.I.B.™ (Fender Info-Base™) specializes in (but is not limited to) providing authoritative information abo. thing to remember like with weight, every piece of wood will vary slightly, and many trees ave drastically different properties from heartwood to sapwood. For example, most kiln dried alder boards weigh between 2.4-2.8 LB per board foot. im doing my next build with poplar just to see how it sounds. btw its gonna be a jazzmaster with the body and neck coming from warmoth. A hugger orange Jazzmaster (or any guitar for that matter) is gonna kick all kinds of ass! The woods used to build guitars—acoustic guitars in particular—are called tonewoods, and they have enormous effects on the sound and price of an instrument. Poplar has a greenish tint to it that doesn't look great in sunburst or transparent finishes as compared to alder. Alder (Alnus rubra): Alder is used extensively for bodies because of its lighter weight (about four pounds for a Strat® body) and its full sound. btw its gonna be a jazzmaster with the body and neck coming from warmoth. They work well with bolt on type guitars that utilize hard maple necks. it sure is heavy as hell, but sounds really nice. I've found that rubbing some lemon oil into the PF fretboard helps to darken it. Swamp ash was used on Fender guitars until the mid-50s when alder was chosen as its successor. So, I REALLY like the way the Jackson sl2q pro looks. Is this list complete? Nato/poplar/alder: this is tough to understand. Sounds great to me! if you plan on painting it solid, id pick poplar. Hi You undoubtedly heard of the ‘Tonewood Debate’ a few years ago.. in any case, poplar is a great wood for guitars. > "I've found out the Classic is supposedly 3 pieces (no reason to assume Fender are lying).". Clear editor. Alder's natural color is a light tan with little or no distinct grain lines. Basswood: the principal wood used on many Japanese made instruments. Since it grows from Southeast Alaska to Central California and almost always within 125 miles of the Pacific Coast, a plentiful and affordable supply existed practically in Fender’s backyard. Fender's website says alder!!! sometimes i think a guitarists tone is in his eyes. For the most part, tone woods are a detail of electric guitar construction that are often considered but rarely well understood. With our last wood hardness chart, several noted that there were certain woods missing that should be in the list, so we’ve expanded the list to 224 different species. We used some awhile back. Ash is little bright for me so I'm not considering it. Black Alder (Alnus Glutinosa). Poplar's not much better, at 540 on the Janka scale. dixie789456, May 14, 2008 in Electric Guitars. By if poplar is the closest thing to alder tonaly then why is it so hated? Jun 17, 2014 #6 L. Lihns Member. You may enjoy this Janka scale 'wood' chart. I use a lot of poplar - it is used in the woodworking trade for a lot of paint grade stuff (baseboards & other molding). its actually roughly the same hardness as alder and quite alot harder than basswood. Quality? Alder used to be very popular in the 1950s and 1960s, and many Fender guitars from that era are made from Alder.Today it is a bit more expensive of a wood, relatively, and isn’t as common.   Your link has been automatically embedded. sometimes i think a guitarists tone is in his eyes. Ash vs Alder: The Fender Tone Woods. Either way, RW looks nicer up close, IMO. Does body wood have an effect on the tone of an electric guitar? Pine is softer than poplar. But IMO the feel is SLIGHTLY more hard than rosewood. Poplar doesn't sound good on all guitars and neither does Alder. I had one for a couple of months. Cost?   You cannot paste images directly. It’s a medium-weight wood, although quality cuts of alder used for guitar bodies will often weigh less than denser cuts of ash. Call if you want to discuss the properties and tonalities of these woods. it also depends on the moisture content, green wood is almost always softer than dry. Alder is overall more desirable because it looks better in burst and trans finishes, basically. Mine sounds very good, in fact the best Strat sound I have in the house right now. That's why in the early days, Fender used pine and other cheaper woods for guitar bodies. Pao Ferro vs Rosewood: Rosewood is darker, more traditional, but feels very similar to Pao Ferro. Powered by Invision Community. from ultimate-guitar.com - (No mention of basswood - may not be considered a tonewood by them.) 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. Poplar is what is used in the Music Man Steve Morse guitar. Fender switched from poplar to alder on all the MIM models back in 2001. Some people will swear that it sounds different but most say it's similar to alder. Why anybody would make a guitar/bass body out of the stuff is a mystery. its not pretty. Body, Neck and Fingerboard. Alder. Inside the Luthier's Shop with BigDGuitars.com. Fender forum. I prefer alder, but body wood is pretty low on the list when it comes to picking a guitar for me. Its biggest drawbacks are green streaks and mineral staining in the grain. Alder is a fast growing deciduous tree adapted to swampy areas and self sufficient in nitrogen uptake. Poplar vs Alder Tele When you buy products through links across our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Alder's natural color is a light tan with little or no distinct grain lines. Jun 17, 2014 #7 Ladera said: Hi Ron, You know your stuff about guitars. Poplar - also a lightweight wood which has a sound similar to alder but lighter in color. As you might expect, hard ash tonewood is relatively hard, dense and heavy compared to swamp ash. I wonder what wenge would be on that chart. It sounded like a Strat. Ash is little bright for me so I'm not considering it. i'm doing my next build with poplar just to see how it sounds. Is this list complete? Either way, RW looks nicer up close, IMO. The frequencies of the heavier guitar were shifted to the bottom range with heaps of bass and lower mids while the lighter guitar had less bass. I put a '79 Gibson humbucker in her.. sounds super SWEET..accidents sometimes really do pan out.. this might also might contribute to … Not all woods are suitable for use in all parts of a guitar. For solid colors it's just fine. There's been scientific studies (by guitar builders :mrgreen that found alder & poplar so similar-that the results could be called a tie, sonically. The only reference I have to alder is my Strat, which seems to me harder than the poplar we use for paint grade material. Technically, poplar is not a softwood since it is a deciduous tree. it made the guitar too light and cheap feeling..... hence my warmoth project. This may be a little off subject from the strat classic specifically, but I tend to disagree with nocasters statement that Alder and Poplar are similar in tone. My 1998 MIM Deluxe J Bass is poplar and it's great.
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