Hi,

so i have seen that strats are offered in both ash and alber bodies, could someone be kind enough to point out the differeneces which each body gives and how this affects the tone, also is one better than you other?

replies much appreciated,

Larsson

Both species have been in use since the very early days of the strat. Alder is more commonly used by around 10 to 1. Both types of wood are tonally neutral, sitting right in the middle of the range betweem warm/dark (mahogany), and bright/thin (maple). Ash is a lot lighter and more figured, lending itself to transparent finishes. Alder, being less figured is less expensive. Average body weight run around 4 lbs for ash to 4.5-5 lbs for alder. Both are responsible for the strat sound and equally capable of producing it. If you want a burst finish, you'll most likely get an ash body, for the painted ones, it's alder.

Cheers!

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60th Anniversary AD Strat, Deluxe Nashville Tele, Player's P Bass. Mesa/Boogie Mk IV combo, Marshall JCM800, 1960A cab, Genz Benz El Diablo 60, Genz 2x12" cab, too many neat little practice amps and kit projects!

just the info i was looking for, thank you very much!

As an old cabinetmaker, you can see by the price comparison that Alder is more expensive http://hardwoodstore.com/lumber-prices .......... Mike

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The blues ain't nothin but a good man feelin bad.

My experience has been that an ash body with standard s-s-s config will give you more sustain (without pedals) through a decent tube amp.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

This might be true of dimensional lumber, however bodies of equal manucture are separated by about $40 at the raw material level. Not a big deal to a small builder, but a lot of money to a large manufacturer.


http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdproduc ... ody+Blanks

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60th Anniversary AD Strat, Deluxe Nashville Tele, Player's P Bass. Mesa/Boogie Mk IV combo, Marshall JCM800, 1960A cab, Genz Benz El Diablo 60, Genz 2x12" cab, too many neat little practice amps and kit projects!

Agreed......... Mike

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The blues ain't nothin but a good man feelin bad.

I've owned both ash and alder Strats,the alder gives you the Strat sound that everybody instantly recognizes but in my experience the ash body brought out a heavier bottom end and more pronounced mids and sustained like a Steinway Concert Grand.My 78 ash Strat weighed at least 10 lbs. and I traded it for a JCM 800 1/2 stack because it was way too heavy for my bad back.If you buy an ash body make sure that you buy the widest possible strap.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Strat bodies were made of ash exclusively for the first two years of production. However, the unpredictable weight and increasing costs of that specie of lumber forced Leo to seek a more consistent and cheaper wood that offered both a pleasing tone and wasn't too hard on machine tools. Alder was chosen and introduced in late '56, with ash held in reserve for the Mary Kay models. Northern ash can run particularly heavy (I once had a 25th Anniversary Strat that tipped the scales at 13 lbs) while swamp ash from the bayou country is generally lighter -- my custom-made Mary Kay hardtail is swamp ash and doesn't quite measure 7 lbs. Both woods make for excellent furniture and are relatively resonant, especially so under a nitro lacquer finish. Ash has the more pleasing grain and looks especially dramatic with a transparent or sunburst treatment.

HTH

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Ash is brighter-sounding as it has more snap and sustain; alder is mostly known for its punch, warmth and resonance.

Personally I prefer ash for a Strat with SSS pickups and a maple fingerboard and alder for a guitar with a rosewood fingerboard, two hot single-coils in the neck & middle positions and a hot humbucker in the bridge.

I've read that another reason Leo went more for alder was that ash sometimes had a raised grain that caused finishing problems.

Many CBS-era guitars and basses from the 1970s which came with a natural finish (such as this 1973 Strat pictured below) were made from ash.

That 73 Strat is absolutely gorgeous; why would you want anything other than a natural coating.

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This is my guitar, there are many like it but this one is mine.

The Sienna Burst finish on this American Standard is astonishing.

Translucent finishes on a grainy ash body such as this Transparent Teal 2002 American Deluxe HSS are truly a pure viewing pleasure!

My '79 Strat is a heavy SOB! My new Dlx, also ash, is so much lighter... I love the way both sound but I should add an alder so I can do a good comparison