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Post subject: MIM strat body wood question.
Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 7:23 am
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Hey guys. I'm new here. Started working with a band that didn't need me to play big heavy guitars with humbuckers so i dusted off my '01 MIM stratocaster and have been upgrading bit by bit.

last night saw the addition of dimarzio area 58 (neck) area61 (middle) and 54 pro (bridge).

Anyway.. to the point. There is debate amongst my friends and I on what the body is made of and if any of you can settle this i would be very greatfull.

we think its either ash or alder.

here is a link
http://www.islands.vi/~ryan/strat.jpg



.


Last edited by findangle on Wed May 07, 2008 10:49 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 7:31 am
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Yes, it's either ash or alder. What's the finish, solid or transparent?


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Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 7:55 am
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transparent. it does have a bit of a tint to it though. the finish under the pickguard is lighter.


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Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 8:10 am
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A transparent finish is likely to be ash, because the grain usually looks much nicer than alder if it's visible.

That ain't catagorical, though.


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Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 9:24 am
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So, my answer turned out to be distinctly not catagorical.


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Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 10:48 am
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do they usually stick to the same types of woods from year to year? also the link is at the bottom of the OP and easy to miss. did you guys see the picture of it?


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Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 11:03 am
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That looks like alder.


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Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 5:46 pm
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May sound stupid to those that know more. But I always thought that Alder was the basic wood chosen for MIM and MIA and that ash was the upgrade wood that is typically offered for MIA strats.


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Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 6:35 pm
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murdochart wrote:
That looks like alder.


+1

That's my guess as well.

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My other guitar is a Strat.

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Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 6:43 pm
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Hello Findangle,

Yee-haw I shure like that Pickguard,
the whole axe is very nice.

As for the wood, my bet is ash.

Send it to me and I'll let you know for sure

Cheers.


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Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 10:20 am
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Uh-hu. Yep, I missed the picture before. Gotta say, in my very humble opinion that looks like ash. The pronounced grain looks like my US Series, which is ash. Take a look on this website at the current American Standard. The specs reveal that the Sienna Sunburst is ash while the 3-color sundburst is alder. Look at the pics of those two and compare the grain.

On the other hand, the specs on most current MIM Strats seem to indicate alder, at the moment - with the exception of the Deluxe Player's and the 70s Strats.

I'd been under the distinct impression that in the past Fender pretty much used alder and ash interchangeably, depending what they had to hand. Similarly two or three piece bodies.

So-called lite ash would, of course, be an exception, like other more costly timbers.

Getting more interested in this question: I wonder if anyone out there knows for absolute certain what Fender's policy on timbers is?


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Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 11:03 am
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No question - you have ash.


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Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 5:55 pm
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Hello Ceri and all,

Right now at the guitar superstore they
have a FSR mexican natural ash for about $450.
It is a nice giutar.

Cheers.


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Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 8:44 am
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Yes ash :wink:


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Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 10:50 am
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murdochart wrote:
That looks like alder.


I stand corrected, I didn't realize until further inspection that you have a 70's strat. They used ash on those transparent jobs.


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