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Post subject: What wood ?
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2014 7:22 pm
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:? I have a few guitars and I have to say the Fender American Special Strat is my favorite and the most played. Now I'm considering a Tele. With all the diff countries making them and all using different wood for the body, what should I avoid? Between Ash, Basswood, Poplar, Maple, Redwood, Pine and what have you, I am sure as hell confused. Some enlightenment would be appreciated. My budget is saying maybe the $800.00 price range, but I'd be willing to go lower. What wood is your Tele made of and are you satisfied? Would you prefer something else? Thanks


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Post subject: Re: What wood ?
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2014 7:58 pm
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There just isn't a "magic formula" for a good-sounding guitar. I've played swamp ash guitars that sounded bad and basswood guitars that sounded incredible. All you can do is try the guitar and see if it works for you.

Having said that, my two favourite Strats are an alder body from 1987 and an ash bodied Strat from 2005. They sound, respond and sustain differently but they both sound good. Go figure.

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Post subject: Re: What wood ?
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2014 9:19 pm
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Frank's on the right track. As a life-long pro woodworker, if I were going to build a body today I'd go with ash or alder, bearing in mind that alder is usually a little lighter weight and, in my experience, easier to work with. Ash makes for a nicer material for a natural finish.

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Post subject: Re: What wood ?
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2014 10:29 pm
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My (awesome-sounding) Tele is made of Poplar with an Ash Veneer Top; it is a cheap MIM guitar that kicks butt in every way.

Of course, I also own a Strat (alder), a couple of G&Ls with Strat-style bodies (mahogany and maple, respectively) and Epiphone Les Paul Special (Lord only knows what that wood is) that each sound amazing in their own right, so what do I know?

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Post subject: Re: What wood ?
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 2:59 am
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6mmholecutter wrote:
...the Fender American Special Strat is my favorite and the most played... Between Ash, Basswood, Poplar, Maple, Redwood, Pine and what have you, I am sure as hell confused... maybe the $800.00 price range... What wood is your Tele made of and are you satisfied?

Hello 6mmholecutter. My Tele is ash, which I think looks very nice. Perhaps that timber has some influence on the sound, but I think the pickups are far more significant. Pickups and the shape of the neck are probably the most important things to think about when choosing a Tele, and for both of those you need the instrument in your hands to make your decision.

In any case, you are unlikely to be faced with nearly so much choice regarding body wood as you fear. For instance, if you want to match you American Special Strat with an Am Special Tele it will have an alder body, pure and simple. And throughout most of the catalog the choice will be between alder and ash, either of which are excellent and classic options. So nothing to worry about.

It is true there are sometimes a few other timbers used here and there, though you have to seek them out and often pay a premium to get them (redwood, for instance). They all work perfectly well for electric guitars and would never affect my choice, except purely on cosmetic preferences.

Happy hunting.

Cheers - C

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Post subject: Re: What wood ?
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 6:00 am
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6mmholecutter wrote:
:? What wood is your Tele made of and are you satisfied?


My Tele is ash with a maple neck. I am very satisfied with the sound, feel and finish on it.

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Post subject: Re: What wood ?
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 6:51 am
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If you want to learn more about tone woods Warmoth has some pretty good info.
Bear in mind this is a hotly debated subject where some folks think wood selection is paramount and others feel it is completely meaningless. Most of us here recognize there is some merit to wood selection making a contribution to tone. The point of contention is usually about by how much.

Warmoth info on woods

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Post subject: Re: What wood ?
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 7:00 am
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BMW-KTM wrote:
Bear in mind this is a hotly debated subject where some folks think wood selection is paramount and others feel it is completely meaningless.

Hee-hee - yes indeed! I worded my post above very carefully for that reason. We'll leave the fighting to others...

Cheers - C

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Post subject: Re: What wood ?
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 7:51 am
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+1 for the wisdom of BMW-KTM.

I made a "lap steel" for a joke once, it was a piece of MDF shelving with an old no-name humbucker on it from the parts bin. Played it at a gig and people still said it sounded good.

Just pick the guitar up, play it and listen to how it sounds. If you like the sound then that's all that matters.

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Post subject: Re: What wood ?
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 8:17 am
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CRGuitarMan wrote:
Frank's on the right track. As a life-long pro woodworker, if I were going to build a body today I'd go with ash or alder, bearing in mind that alder is usually a little lighter weight and, in my experience, easier to work with. Ash makes for a nicer material for a natural finish.


I like ash. Ash can have beautiful figuring. Being cheap and light and cheap and readily available and cheap were probably Mr. Fender's main reasons for using it. A very fortuitous choice.

I'm only a lifetime hobbyist woodworker, but if I were to build a guitar, it would be a chambered one from European Walnut. It's a very nice material to work with, pretty dent resistant, and can make some stunning finishes - some of the world's prettiest gun stocks are Walnut. It's not cheap, though.


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Post subject: Re: What wood ?
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 10:25 am
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BMW-KTM wrote:
If you want to learn more about tone woods Warmoth has some pretty good info.
Bear in mind this is a hotly debated subject where some folks think wood selection is paramount and others feel it is completely meaningless. Most of us here recognize there is some merit to wood selection making a contribution to tone. The point of contention is usually about by how much.

Warmoth info on woods

Most of the Fender used woods are close enough in character that under amplification and with any kind of signal modification the differences can be insignificant.

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Post subject: Re: What wood ?
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 10:49 am
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Twelvebar wrote:
Most of the Fender used woods are close enough in character that under amplification and with any kind of signal modification the differences can be insignificant.


Key word here being "can". We don't want to call the factions to arms here.


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Post subject: Re: What wood ?
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 11:25 am
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Ash can very a lot from one piece to another. I've have very light to very heavy ash teles. Alder is alittle more consistent. I do like ash for the grain. You just have to look and try a lot of different ones if you are concerned with what wood a guitar is made from. I'm not concerned with types of wood so much as long as it's not to heavy.


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Post subject: Re: What wood ?
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 6:18 pm
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:D Thanks to all who answered my question on what wood for a Tele. My fears have been alleviated. BTM-KTM, I checked out Warmoths page and found it very interesting. From what I learned, I can't afford Koa or burl maple or any imported from Africa. Beautiful woods. Now I'm thinking of cutting down my 60 foot black walnut for a Tele body. Tired of raking up nuts, and the furry critters leave behind the ones they don't want. Kind of like selecting a wood. Thanks again.


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Post subject: Re: What wood ?
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 7:39 pm
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Normally it's southern swamp ash for bodies but I'd sure like to try out one of these. They've got the moisture content and milling problems with black ash under control and they look great. Just something to gaze at.

http://www.themusiczoo.com/product/9965 ... ic-Guitar/


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