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Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 5:53 am
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I have a couple of old American Standards that could be poplar but I can't tell because the finish is so thick....it's bullet proof.
They sound pretty good though.


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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2010 9:31 am
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I've just noticed a trend... the last two strat plus deluxe that I bought are extremely light to me... about 7.20 lbs.

I'll bet these are poplar - they resonate like crazy too.


Last edited by Strataholic on Fri Dec 07, 2012 2:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re:
Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 10:18 am
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chromeface wrote:
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.

Mr Chromeface, could you tell me where you got this info? I would like to have it documented.

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Post subject: Re: Poplar used on the Strat Plus?
Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 7:07 pm
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Hi my question is the following, one knows that the type of wood used stratocaster Made in Mexico '95?

Tuning is maintained for 20 days without playing, is because wood, construction or hardware?

Thanks


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Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 7:39 pm
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Rebelsoul wrote:
I have a couple of old American Standards that could be poplar but I can't tell because the finish is so thick....it's bullet proof.
They sound pretty good though.


I have some like this... I think they could withstand a complete nuclear holocaust!

So we would have a world of roaches and strats... cool... the roaches could eventually learn to play the strats!!!

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Post subject: Re: Poplar used on the Strat Plus?
Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 9:11 am
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My Fender USA Standard Stratocaster Traditional 1999 has a poplar body and sounds great if it helps.

Also I have been informed that my Fender Telecaster MIM has a poplar body and sounds fantastic?


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Post subject: Re: Poplar used on the Strat Plus?
Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 11:50 am
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In theory, I think poplar should be a good tone wood. Perhaps a bit denser than pine and look what pine did for the Tele!!! 8)

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Post subject: Re: Poplar used on the Strat Plus?
Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 12:07 pm
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Nothing at all wrong w/ Basswood or Poplar. As mentioned there have been many many guitars constructed of them.

From the construtor's standpoint however, Alder may be preferred due to it's consistency. Take any two pieces of Alder of the same dimension, and their density, weight and resonance will be within just a few % of each other.

Do the same test w/ Ash, Poplar, Basswood, Cedar, even Pine and Balsa and you'll see much greater variance between the samples.

This similarity is important from the manufacturer's viewpoint in maintaining consistent sounding instruments throughout the model line.

cheers!

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Post subject: Re: Poplar used on the Strat Plus?
Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 12:34 pm
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Yes - good point - I did not think of that!

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Post subject: Re: Poplar used on the Strat Plus?
Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 1:44 pm
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Lightnin MN wrote:
Nothing at all wrong w/ Basswood or Poplar. As mentioned there have been many many guitars constructed of them.

From the construtor's standpoint however, Alder may be preferred due to it's consistency. Take any two pieces of Alder of the same dimension, and their density, weight and resonance will be within just a few % of each other.

Do the same test w/ Ash, Poplar, Basswood, Cedar, even Pine and Balsa and you'll see much greater variance between the samples.

This similarity is important from the manufacturer's viewpoint in maintaining consistent sounding instruments throughout the model line.

cheers!

Very good point. I can always tell poplar from alder if I open up the guitar and examine the routing. Poplar is very fiberious and stringy. In the pickup route there will often be what looks like icicles in the finish where it did not route clean then the finish sticks to the strands. In the neck socket there is fibers around the neck holes. Alder, on the other hand, routes up clean as it is a more dense, less fiberious wood. As far as tone, I could never tell the differnce...

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Post subject: Re: Poplar used on the Strat Plus?
Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 2:14 pm
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Lightnin MN wrote:
Take any two pieces of Alder of the same dimension, and their density, weight and resonance will be within just a few % of each other.

Do the same test w/ Ash, Poplar, Basswood, Cedar, even Pine and Balsa and you'll see much greater variance between the samples.

Not exactly.
Alder: 400–700 kg/m3, 26–42 lb/cu.ft
Ash, white: 650–850 kg/m3, 40 – 53 lb/cu.ft
Basswood: 300–600 kg/m3, 20 – 37 lb/cu.ft
Poplar 350–500 kg/m3, 22 – 31 lb/cu.ft
etc.

Wood is wood, and the variations are big.


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Post subject: Re: Poplar used on the Strat Plus?
Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 2:19 pm
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OTOH, it may be this consistency which causes many Buyers to prefer Ash, or really any other wood than Alder.

It is one way to get a distinctive sounding instrument that doesn't sound just like all the others.

cheers!

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Post subject: Re: Poplar used on the Strat Plus?
Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 3:38 pm
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jmattis wrote:
Lightnin MN wrote:
Take any two pieces of Alder of the same dimension, and their density, weight and resonance will be within just a few % of each other.

Do the same test w/ Ash, Poplar, Basswood, Cedar, even Pine and Balsa and you'll see much greater variance between the samples.

Not exactly.
Alder: 400–700 kg/m3, 26–42 lb/cu.ft
Ash, white: 650–850 kg/m3, 40 – 53 lb/cu.ft
Basswood: 300–600 kg/m3, 20 – 37 lb/cu.ft
Poplar 350–500 kg/m3, 22 – 31 lb/cu.ft
etc.

Wood is wood, and the variations are big.


You might want to check out this video by Mike Eldred at the Custom Shop:

http://www.fendercustomshop.com/index.php/master-built/

Pretty informational.

cheers!

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'11 FSR Am. Vtg. Ltd. Ed. CAR '57 Stratocaster (SN# LE02639)
'14 American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster
'12 Telebration Empress Telecaster
'99 Deluxe Nashville Telecaster
'12 FSR Telecaster HH
'10 Heritage H-535
'99 Martin DC-1E
'13 Lanikai Tenor Ukulele


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Post subject: Re: Poplar used on the Strat Plus?
Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 3:42 pm
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Xhefri wrote:
I can always tell poplar from alder if I open up the guitar and examine the routing.

The easiest way to tell for me is the smell. Take a sweaty sock. Fill it with rubber, and put it on the grill. That's an approximation of what freshly cut poplar smells like.

Apart from that, and being allergenic, it's a very beautiful and sturdy wood. Choice pieces of poplar cut the right way are iridescent and can shimmer between blue, grey, brown and gold.
But it is one that has to be lacquered well, preferably also the cavities.


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Post subject: Re:
Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 8:07 pm
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Blertles wrote:
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.

Basswood is not related to Agathis the more common name for Basswood tree is Linden tree common in North America and Europe.

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