I want to order an American Deluxe Strat. I've never had the chance to try or hear one with the Ash body. The Tobacco sunburst is probably one of the most gorgeous guitar I've ever seen but, since this is a blind order, maybe someone could give me some input on the sound difference, if any, between the ash and alder body.

Thanks

I have both. An ash AVRI '57 and an alder 2010 Am Standard. They are both awesome guitars. I can't do a fair comparison between them because one has 57/62 pups and the Am Standard has Custom Shop Texas Specials but they both sound great to me. Neither one of these ones I have sound "better" than the other. Good Luck. I hope you make the right choice for you.

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"Damn Right I Got the Blues"

Not all ash are created equal... I wouldn't do a blind order if I were you. I have a 2010 Dlx ash, it just showed up at GC and I happened to be there, gorgeous ash, extremely light and sounds superb! I have seen other Dlx ash that were much heavier and didn't sound as good as mine.

Hi cedarblues. My AVRI is also pretty light and really sounds good.(It's ash also). You know, I've heard people say that lightweight ones don't sound good but mine does and you say yours sounds good too huh? That's interesting. I suppose the hardness has a bit to do with it too.

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"Damn Right I Got the Blues"

I have two ash, the other is a '79 hardtail, both sound great. The Dlx weighs 6 lbs 11 oz and the '79 weighs 7 lbs 7 oz. Unplugged the Dlx sounds better, it could be the trem, but I feel the whole body resonate. I don't believe weight has anything to do with the way it sounds, but I'm no expert.

I also have a MIM alder that sounds good and loud unplugged, probably weighs around 8 lbs, but the Dlx ash is still my favorite, just love the way it sounds!

There are different types of ash that are different weights and tonal properties. The late 70's Strats were made of black ash and were quite heavy,I had a '78 that weighed almost 12 lbs. and it sustained like a Steinway Concert Grand.I don't think that you'd get that much of a tonal difference with the ash and alder of today's Strats and if there are tonal differences they could be quite possibly the result of other dynamics such as pickup windings, hardware, neckwood density etc.

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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.

First of all, thanks for the quick response guys. I appreciate. Situation is, someone broke into my house on Christmas day and stole my guitars. So, I can't really wait for one to show up in a store. From what I hear, there's a 2 to 4 months waiting list on these babies, might as well order now. Even though all woods are different from one guitar to the other, you all seem to be satisfied with the tonal qualities of ash and, if there's no major tonal difference between ash and alder, it might be nice to go for the looks.

My preference is northern ash - - a bit heavier weighwise, but great sustain!

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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!

Get the ash...you won't regret it.That tobacco sunburst is the schiznit, as is the sienna sunburst

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1986 Fender Sidekick Reverb 35
1990 Fender Red Knob - "The Twin"
1992 Fender Newporter - Acoustic
2000 Fender American Series Strat - Natural ash
2010 Fender Mustang 1
2011 Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster -Sunburst
2012 Fender Champion

I agree. The Sienna looks so good I can't believe it. Just lovely. And not many photos capture that beauty. Highly recommended.

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American Standard Strat, Sienna Sunburst
Gibson Les Paul, Desert Burst
Gibson SG '61 Reissue, Heritage Cherry

If you want my opinion, (and even if you don't!!)

The Alder/Ash debate is best left to the builder. The primary reasons IMO to consider them are cost, ease of availability, and type of finish.

Alder is used because it more often has a prominent grain. this makes for prettier sunburst or other finishes that you can see the wood through. It takes a couple extra time/labour/money consuming steps to create a smooth finish though. So most opaque finishes are more efficiently done on Alder.

When it comes to buying a guitar the last thing i think about is what kind of wood it's made of. I care how it sounds/ how it plays/ and also how it looks (I'll admit it, there's so quality guitars nowadays that you shouldn't have to sacrifice looks for quality.)

So if you find one you like, who cares if it's Ash or Alder (or Poplar--which my main Strat most likely is made from given it's age, I have friends that have had heated debates as to whether it's Ash or Alder and I don't tell 'em it's probably poplar)

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

haha
monkey wrench ?
I own alder, ash and mahogany Strats.
To my ears, and my fiances, one of them stands above the rest.
And it is neither alder nor ash.

Good Day

Both of my guitars are ash. Coincidence? Yes it is >_>

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I traded my car in for a microphone.

if i was geting a solid color alder all day......but i got a ash sienna sunburst and its sexy. I wanted a all white maple neck but they didnt have one so i got the ash at the same price

I have built many strats in all the above woods as hardtails with schaller 3D6 roller bridges, with the same pickups -SD hot rails in all 3 positions/ same hardware/ same neck and tusq nut configurations. The only time I have had any notable tone differences is when I do them in natural tru-oil finishes, which allows the wood to ring a lot cleaner and clearer than conventional heavy finishing allows for.
All of the Alder bodies, as lightly finished in tru-oil at 10 coats polished to 1500 between each coat, are always brighter than the ash, and the ash is slightly brighter than the mahogany as these always need some filler and that kills tone, although my bodies are all high grade hand select wood. As soon as they get a zillion coats of filler, sealer, paint, varnish, clearcoat or whatever they seem to equal out and loose quite a bit of voice in all directions. The worst result I ever had was a 3pc basswood body, I will never use that junk again. Other than that, with a conventional finish I say go for what looks good to you, the sound is so muddied up from goop it doesn't matter that much.