Ash vs Alder stratocasters, what differences do you hear? I need help choosing between the two.

Thanks,

i played a bunch of strats before choosing...

to me it was mahogony, i choose to purchase an American Select Stratocaster which has the mahogony body, sounds great!!

Gotta be agathis for me!



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

Get the one that looks the prettiest.

I like the look of ash myself.Cant really hear any real tone difference.

I'd go with the one that looks best.

I wonder how much, percentage wise, the amplified tone is due to whether its alder or ash. Compare that to the percentage for all those controls on the amp, choice of pickups, tone control on the guitar, and the room acoustics... Then, for someone my age (61), how much is the perceived tone affected by the frequencies I can still hear?....

So, assuming I could hear the difference between ash and alder when amplified, how much adjustment would I need to make on the amp or guitar tone controls to make an alder Strat sound like an ash Strat (or vice versa)?

(I purposely left out the rosewood/maple neck factor since that's never been discussed here so I figure that doesn't make a difference... )

Chocolate pie...my favorite!
Why do you need help in choosing between the two?
It's your money,your ears,trust yourself.

I have been playing guitar for over thirtyfour years. I started out playing guitars with humbuckers and mahogony bodies; Les Pauls, SG's, etc. I always thought that Stratocaster guitars sounded too thin and trebly. I could appreciate the glassy tones a stratocaster produced, but it did not fit what I was into way back when. In my infancy my sound centered around speed and a wall of distortion. However, as I grew older and changed, so did my taste in music and my playing followed suit. I now play with a much slower hand using fewer notes more bends and a cleaner sound. I finally bit the bullet and purchased my first Stratocaster about nine months ago and it fits me like a glove now. Since then it has multiplied and I now own five mims in various configurations and I am delighted with them all and if I never purchase another guitar for the rest of my life it will be fine. However, circumstances have made it financially possible to purchase an American made stratocaster and I am chomping at the bit to find out if the hype regarding them is true. I am drawn to the American Deluxe Stratocaster and the American Deluxe Ash stratocaster as both have all the features that I want. I have spent hours reading on other guitar forums, guitar maker/builder and retailers websites regarding the differences between alder and ash guitar bodies. However, I thought who better to ask about the differences between alder and ash stratocasters than the players who post on the official Fender Stratocaster website?!

I have played guitars made out of Lucite, composite material(some form of plastic), Aluminum, Mahogany, Alder and Korina. Fret boards made of ebony, rosewood, maple and composite. Necks that bolt on, necks that go through the body and one piece body/necks. Solid body , laminate, and semi-hollow body electric guitars. In my experience the material and form a guitar takes affects it's tone, timbre, frequency, resonance and overall musical quality of the instrument. If your experience or ability to discern the diffences varies from my own I respectfully decline to argue this point.

However, if you have experience playing both alder and ash stratocasters I am interested in reading your comments regarding the differences or similarities regarding tone, timbre, resonance, etc...

Thanks again,

Speedfish,I understand the reason for you asking the question here on the Strat forum,and you have the right motive,however!...there have been many arguments,and name calling flame wars here regarding the tone differences in types of Strat construction and the materials used,and the person asking the question usually is no better informed than before,and more confused as to why it all happened.
That's why I told you to trust yourself,and now after reading more of your experience I know you're more than qualified to make the right decision...the bottom line is there is no general concensus as to the clear sonic differences in materials used....it has always fallen down to a player's personal preference....here and in the world outside...it all depends on what feels and sounds best for you.
I have in 40+ years of playing both vintage and modern made Strats found my own answers,but those are my answers......you're on the right road to your personal Strat preferences,good luck!
btw...an American made Strat is great guitar and your two choices are good ones,see which one you like best and play some great music.

I chose alder. Because I don't want to make an ash out of myself on stage.

As long as it's not so heavy that I have to wear a back brace when I play it while standing and as long as it stays together and don't have any termite problems, I'm okay with it. Strings and pickups have more to do with sound on an electric guitar than the wood does.

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"It's about sound and sound alone. Looks are irrelevant. You can have the best-looking guitar on earth, but if the sound isn't there it is nothing more than a beautiful piece of trash. The sound it makes is the soul of any guitar."

Basswood for me.

100 year old PINE!

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"Epitaph on a blues musician’s tombstone: “I didn’t wake up this morning”" Davy Knowles


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Whatever feels the lightest and best balanced. In the further argument on wood tone for strats; I personally float my tremolo. On strats, once the back comes off the top of the body like a tremolo that's been decked or blocked, I think the body has much less to do with the tone. But when it is blocked, or decked, it does. I pulled my tremolo flush the other day, and added a spring, just for a change. It was much more punchy sounding, but I'm not really going for that, and I dont like how the string tension feels (Im sure i'd get used to it, but im used to the tremolo's having some give), so it'll go back tonight.

Plus, though it confounds everything that should happen; I find my Strats stay in tune more when they float. The last 3 Ive owned have spent some time in each configuration, and all stayed in tune better floating. Though everything says it should be the other way around.

Ash can be lighter, and have a nicer grain to it. You tend to see more Alder 1-piece bodies though, at least when im ordering a body, or just scanning what Warmoth or All Parts have available.

i've heard poplar is the king of tonewoods