The best Tele I had was a 1968 single bound Custom .
Any way of telling what wood it was made of ?
Are there any noticable differences between Alder and Ash ?
I am thinking of ordering one of these :
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Custom-Order ... 5ada37aec0

Any comments would be appreciated .

I had asked this same question back when I first started using this site, and got answers that yes there was a difference between the two, and an equal amount of answers stating the exact opposite. So I played several guitars in ash and alder, and I didn't notice a difference tone-wise. And I noticed that in general the ash guitars seemed to be slightly heavier, which is opposite of what I thought would be the case.

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Body wood will make a slight difference in overall tone and the behavior of the guitar despite what the offshore naysayers have to say however I must emphasize it is not a world changing difference in any real sense. In fact many people do not hear any difference at all which lends credence to the claims of said naysayers. For all intents and purposes unless you have a very good ear you may consider Ash and Alder to be essentially the same. Your choice of pickups will have a significantly more profound influence over your tone and your choice of amp will be even that much more significant and profound yet. In fact with your hands and your guitar remaining as constants I would say the amp is the most important variable in your own personal tone. Unless you have the ears of a phenom just choose the guitar you like best regardless of body and neck and leave the wood considerations on the back burner. Rather, spend your efforts on finding the best sounding amp you can afford. Then tweak your pickup selection and finally (if it ever matters) try a guitar with a different body wood. By the time you can hear the difference wood makes a great number of years shall have come and gone and you will be enough of an expert you will not have to ask these questions. Or you may find you never hear a difference. Not everyone can.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

+1...Well said. There probably are differences that some can hear, but I'm one that's never been able to really hear the difference; specifically between ash and alder.

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Thanks for the prompt replys .
I don't have a great ear so it shouldn't be a problem .

I understand the pros and cons of the wood thing but I have to ask
"If most people can't hear what each wood brings to the factor of sound then why is Gibson getting their chops busted for going after the best wood from Madagascar ?"
Ya I know your going to say so they can charge more for their Guitars - Right?
If your are just starting out in music then any guitar as long as it feels good in your hands is the most important thing,then cost but sooner or later you will learn that wood plays a factor along with pick-up's,strings,and amp's.The biggest factor of all is your playing style and that is the biggest one.Sometimes I think everybody picks this thing to death and it takes the fun out of playing.If your going to be that technical be a Doctor.

I have had alder and ash strats and teles, but prefer the ash! I just feel like there is a bit more sustain! The weight doesn't bother me.

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Lite Ash Tele, Partcaster Black Nashville Tele with Jason Lollars, Blues DeVille 410, Lunchbox 200 Watt Amp, Martin RTGE 00016 Acoustic

I also notice a bit more sustain with ash.

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I like alder because you don't have to fill the grain before you finish it.

i don't know about '68 but i think the rule of thumb with fender is ash if the guitar has a finish where the wood grain shows thru and alder if it's painted......they used basswood a bit back in the day too....

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If you like Teles--get one of each.

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Many luthier's will tell you that there is no such thing as a tone wood in Solid wood Bodied electric guitars. I've researched this in my 50 yrs. of guitar playing. I have played lucite guitars, plastic guitars, and aluminum guitars too. Some say Walnut is bright, yet I've played guitars that's opposite. I've got a pine telecaster that sounds the same and my other 3. The pickups, bridge, and anything the strings touch make more of a difference, including your hands. There's a famous story of Chet Atkins playing a guitar and someone say's " that's a great sounding guitar" and Chet sets the guitar down and says " how does it sound now".

Harmonicas are using Corian, plastic, and metal combs, as well as wood. Just a preference.

i would have to agree.....i have an ash tele, and alder american and a pine squier ....with the new pups the squier is fierce! the best one of the lot!

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2003 American Stnd Tele
All Parts Tele
Squier Classic Vibe Tele
65 Deluxe reissue

http://www.youtube.com/user/sammyp1971?feature=mhee

I have always found discussions on the woods to be interesting (both body and fretboard) for two reasons:

1. Wood is a very dynamic medium and two pieces are never the same (even within the same species or tree). Two pieces of Ash from the same tree will have different densities and properties, so generalizations between two separate species are useless.

2. It is very nearly impossible to compare two pieces of wood with the "all other factors being the same". The only way to properly compare two bodies is to to change all the same hardware from one guitar onto the second body and even then, you can only draw conclusions between those two specific pieces of wood.

I have been around a great many musicians, producers, and engineers. Without seeing the instrument, most can tell you what they are hearing is a single coil. A good portion can identify a Telecaster. Not many can tell you what specific pickups they are hearing. In my experience, none can tell you what type of wood was used for the body or the fretboard based solely on sound and I would be pretty suspect if they claimed they could.

Chose your guitar based upon feel, sound of that particular guitar, and looks (if you don't like the looks, you may not play it as often). If you are building a guitar, add the work-ability of the wood into the equation. Broad generalization may cause you to overlook a diamond in the rough that you wouldn't have picked up because of the wood combinations. Enjoy your guitar and practice often, it's probably time better spent than debating wood properties on the internet.

Don

What I've observed is that ash is a far prettier wood. This is why Fender has used Ash for trans finishes at times and alder for guitars that were getting painted a solid color. My ear can't tell the difference, but I'm old, so probably wouldn't hear the difference if it were balsa wood.

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2002 mim Telecaster
Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster
Mexican HSS Stratocaster
6 non-fender guitars
2 kids (not for sale)
1 wife (uh....no comment)