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Post subject: Poplar used on the Strat Plus?
Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2010 6:10 pm
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I have dug around a bit on this subject and have some mixed messages. I saw a thread on the Forum that talked a lot about MIM guitars, and some lower end guitars being made from poplar.

According to an interview in The Fender American Standard Stratocaster: An Excerpt from The Stratocaster Chronicles by Tom Wheeler, it states (see below) this about poplar wood being used on some Fender guitars from 1990 - around 1993/94. QUESTION: Did Fender ever use it on their higher end USA guitars, such as the Strat Plus and the Strat Plus Deluxe back in 1990-1993???

Dan Smith: "For a while, the environmentalists didn't want us cutting alder. There was an endangered species controversy, with some logging restrictions up in Oregon, so we had to use poplar. Leo had used it on many guitars "— Musicmasters and others "— and we later used it for the Bullet guitars. It's a good wood. We used it on some American Standards in the early '90s. From the beginning, poplar was spec'd to be used on the American Standard as a substitute."

George Blanda: "All the Strat bodies were alder up until about 1990. When it got so hard to get alder, we were faced with either using poplar or not making guitars. There's a misconception that poplar is not a good tone wood. Actually, it's fine. James Burton actually specified it for his signature Tele in the late '80s, after trying a lot of different bodies. We never regarded poplar as a second-rate wood, but a lot of people preferred alder so when the restrictions eased, we were able to go back to alder in '93 or '94."

I have a Fender add from 1993 that states the Plus and the Plus DX could be ordered in Alder or Poplar.....but after owning 100's of Plus' I can't really say I have owned one made with poplar unless it was one that was capped in Ash and I just didn't know it....

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Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2010 6:47 pm
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I know for sure that some of the American Standards were poplar, and IIRC the bursts were poplar with an Alder veneer.


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Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2010 7:22 pm
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If I remember correctly, the specs on my MIJ squier is poplar. I don't know about my strat plus'. The one I bought new I bought in 88 so it should be Alder, the others are 91, so i don't know about those. My squier weighs a lot more than the plus, but that could be because of other reasons. I don't know if there is a weight difference between alder an poplar anyway?


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Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 6:45 am
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I think its a matter of pot luck. I dont know if my Plus is either seeing that they supposedly started using alder in '93. Truth be told, I would never know.

I know my old 93 mim squier series was poplar yet was made in the USA, MIJ standards and re-issues at the time were made of basswood- which I believe is a species of agathis. Perhaps AVRI strats were made from alder aswell as the signature range.

I remember that they had different product codes for maple or rosewood necks, but in the catalogue of that era, Am. Std and Plus line stated "alder or poplar". From what I can guess, they were uncertain of what they could provide and timber supplies would have been inconsistant in relation to species. I do remember that left handed models and fretless basses were strictly poplar.

I dont believe poplar is a bad tonewood. It is not a good wood for sunbursts as it sometimes can have a green tinge to it- it is a perfect wood for solid type colours and in the right climate can grow very quickly, like pine.

Same goes with basswood- not a bad tonewood. Agathis- where basswood is derived is actually a tonewood we know is used in acoustic guitars.

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Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 9:02 am
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Many Suhr and Ibanez guitars are made from basswood.

BTW, James Burton's original "Upgrade" has a poplar body. The current version sports a solid basswood body and new paisley flame finishes.


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Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 10:59 am
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chromeface wrote:
Many Suhr and Ibanez guitars are made from basswood.

BTW, James Burton's original "Upgrade" has a poplar body. The current version sports a solid basswood body and new paisley flame finishes.


Musicman as well. My EVH had a basswood body with a quilted maple top.

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Post subject: Re: Poplar used on the Strat Plus?
Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 11:35 am
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Xhefri wrote:
......QUESTION: Did Fender ever use it on their higher end USA guitars, such as the Strat Plus and the Strat Plus Deluxe back in 1990-1993???......


Yes. Many, many guitars were made of poplar back then including higher end guitars like American Deluxes, Ultras, Pluses, and what have you.

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Post subject: Re: Poplar used on the Strat Plus?
Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 12:52 pm
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Xhefri wrote:
I have dug around a bit on this subject and have some mixed messages. I saw a thread on the Forum that talked a lot about MIM guitars, and some lower end guitars being made from poplar.

According to an interview in The Fender American Standard Stratocaster: An Excerpt from The Stratocaster Chronicles by Tom Wheeler, it states (see below) this about poplar wood being used on some Fender guitars from 1990 - around 1993/94. QUESTION: Did Fender ever use it on their higher end USA guitars, such as the Strat Plus and the Strat Plus Deluxe back in 1990-1993???

Dan Smith: "For a while, the environmentalists didn't want us cutting alder. There was an endangered species controversy, with some logging restrictions up in Oregon, so we had to use poplar. Leo had used it on many guitars "— Musicmasters and others "— and we later used it for the Bullet guitars. It's a good wood. We used it on some American Standards in the early '90s. From the beginning, poplar was spec'd to be used on the American Standard as a substitute."

George Blanda: "All the Strat bodies were alder up until about 1990. When it got so hard to get alder, we were faced with either using poplar or not making guitars. There's a misconception that poplar is not a good tone wood. Actually, it's fine. James Burton actually specified it for his signature Tele in the late '80s, after trying a lot of different bodies. We never regarded poplar as a second-rate wood, but a lot of people preferred alder so when the restrictions eased, we were able to go back to alder in '93 or '94."

I have a Fender add from 1993 that states the Plus and the Plus DX could be ordered in Alder or Poplar.....but after owning 100's of Plus' I can't really say I have owned one made with poplar unless it was one that was capped in Ash and I just didn't know it....


Sounds like you have your answer. And so you don't have to worry about it, Fender doesn't consider one to be better then the other. So does it really matter??? These guys don't think so...

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Post subject: Re: Poplar used on the Strat Plus?
Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 1:51 pm
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DetroitBlues wrote:
Sounds like you have your answer. And so you don't have to worry about it, Fender doesn't consider one to be better then the other. So does it really matter??? These guys don't think so...

The reason I was wanting to know is was due to the desire to add more info on my website regarding the types of wood used on a Strat Plus and want the information to be accurate. I will also be adding more info on colors and show pictures for most of them. So not worried, just want to make sure I do not give the wrong information to anyone!

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Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 5:57 pm
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I havea '96 strat plus that is that red sunburst, or whatever it's called. Could it possibly be a poplar body then. I always thought it was alder. Doesn't matter much anyway because it sounds awesome, just curious.


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Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 7:49 pm
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mweddle187 wrote:
I havea '96 strat plus that is that red sunburst, or whatever it's called. Could it possibly be a poplar body then. I always thought it was alder. Doesn't matter much anyway because it sounds awesome, just curious.

From everything I have read, Fender pretty much went back to Alder on their USA higher end Strat by the end of 1993. I am just not sure it was really used on the Plus line but there are indications it was used on some with laminate top and back.

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Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 9:20 am
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Xhefri wrote:
...I am just not sure it was really used on the Plus line but there are indications it was used on some with laminate top and back.

I had a 1989 Tele Plus Deluxe that was poplar with an alder veneer top, so yes, the Plus lines were also poplar. Poplar was considered by Fender to be a fairly decent tone wood somewhat similar to alder but the Fender faithfull enthusiasts rejected all of those guitars fiercely for a conglomerate of about a dozen or so reasons including swimming pool routs, lace sensors, poplar bodies and photoflame tops as the main reasons. Fender listened and dropped most of those practices.

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Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2010 12:52 am
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The original Jeff Beck Strats were made up from alder (the Custom Artist Sparkling Black had ash veneers on top and back), though I'm not as 100% sure if they was a Jeff Beck Strat of that period with a poplar body.

I've read that Jeff's current personal Custom Shop guitar utilizes a basswood body.


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Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2010 5:15 am
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Xhefri- in the 90's there was a catalogue in the form of a poster that was double sided. I believe that catalogue (circa early 90's) has the answers that you are looking for.

In fact, you my friend would find it useful. It has all guitars like the plus, plus deluxe, ultra, set neck ultra also MIJ re-issues (pre mexico plant) and fotoflame. It lists all colours although we know there were inconsistencies with them. The problem is they are impossible to find nowadays. Ive tried the net and have found nothing

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Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2010 6:44 am
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I can't see why not. Poplar and basswood are both very very popular in superstrat circles. A lot of metal players won't have anything else. With the spec and era of the plus and ultra I think it would have been silly not to do a few poplars.


I wish I could find Cherokee's lumber price list, that he linked a while back. I suspect poplar isn't even that different in price. If I remember right pine was more expensive than either ash or alder.

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