Can anyone tell me the difference between and Alder tele and an Ash tele? Tonality, weight, etc.?

You can only tell the difference by looking at them, ash grain is alot more obvious than alder. IMO there is no tonal difference once the guitar is plugged in and alder and ash can be both light and heavy.

The whole point to a solid-body guitar is to isolate the strings so that the pickups 'hear' only the vibrations of the strings.

This is actually impossible as whatever material is used to 'mount' the strings will absorb some of the energy imparted to the strings by the pick and slightly alter what the pickups hear.

Harder, more dense woods absorb less of this energy than softer woods. Wood hardness is measured by a method known as the Janka Hardness Test (pronounced Yanka ) and tests the wood's ability to withstand denting.

Alder is a softer wood - Janka Hardness (JH) of 590. Ash has a JH of 1,320, Maple - JH 1,450 and Mahogany - JH 2,200.

Consequently, a guitar made from Ash will sound a little 'Brighter' than Alder because more energy is passed on to the pups.

However, most reports of a tonal difference are anecdotal. Many other factors affect tone and most comparisons are not same-same.

Alder is used because it gives a good tone, is easily worked, has straighter grain (and less of it) and stains well. It is also lighter, less expensive and more consistent than Ash.

Ash is more expensive, harder to work, accepts stain less well, heavier (in general). But it gives a slightly brighter tone... theoretically.

Ash is much less consistent than Alder. Two identical blanks of Alder will weigh the same (within a narrow margin) whereas two identical blanks of Ash can differ widely from one another. Because of this inconsistency, there are Ash blanks which are very light - (but this is due to the piece being less dense) and so their tonal qualities can be closer to, or even match, one of Alder.

There seems to be a prejudice in the Guitar World toward Ash, but that's mostly because Ash-bodied guitars are usually more expensive and people associate more expensive with 'better'.

If your Guitar is going to be stained and clear-laquered, Ash will have a more pronounced and 'prettier' grain pattern. It won't really sound much different. It will cost more, and likely be heavier.

In the end, I think it's a silly debate. Forget about wood species and buy the guitar which sounds, feels and looks best to you.

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

A minor correction: Burma mahogany has a Janka rating of 2200 but Honduras is 800 and African Mahogany is 830 -- not much harder than Alder. Most of the mahoganies used for guitars are toward the softer end of the spectrum.

Yep... you're right !

I was only using it for comparison purposes, not to try and list every sub-species.

Santos Mahogany is the Mahogany with a JH of 2,200. Red Mahogany is harder still with a JH of 2,697 !

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

I was following Lightnin's argumentation - but it stopped with mahogany. But your correction seems to explain this. Because I've got 2 69'thinlines - one ash , one mahogany. The ash one is very ''lively'' - and the mahogany is definitely more mellow.
I've also got 2 strats - one alder, one ash . Again - the ash sounds more wild , seems to resonate more. The alder strat also sounding excellent, but not the same feel to it as the ash-strat. But definitely not as mellow as the mahogany tele.

This is only my experiences with it. Of course - in this little ''review'' I have not considered pickups & electronics......which of course has a big influence to the sound.

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A-man

BTW, it may give a better understanding to know what the Janka Hardness Test is.

A Steel Ball almost 1/2" in diameter (11.28 mm (0.444 in) to be exact) is pressed into the wood until it is pressed-in half the diameter of the ball. The force needed to do this is measured and this is the Janka number.

This force is measured in Ft.Lbs. (US and values given here), but Newtons (and KiloNewtons) - N, kN or kilograms-force - kgf, can also be used depending on what country you're in, though Ft.Lbs. is the measurement you'll most likely see.

cheers!

_________________


'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

I prefer Alder. Weight is not an issue for me. I like the grain pattern of Alder as opposed to Ash. I know...some think Ash is a better looking grain but hey...to each his own!!
ABS

EXACTLY !!

The preference of Ash vs. Alder is primarily one of aesthetic and supposed value.

Few can dinguish between the two for Tonality... though many may say they can.

Tonality must also include the Bridge, Strings, Saddles, Neck, Nut, etc. - too many variables to base it on the wood species of the Body alone.

cheers!

_________________


'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

I have a 2011 American Standard Tele. Missed out on the custom shop pups and body contour. It's the pups I would have liked. Anyway, when I went to the specs page here at Fender it did not list a body material. I have a natural wood one. Anyone know what wood it might be?

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I have some Fender gear.
(Telecaster, Jaguar, Villager 12 String. Mustang l, Bronco, SCX2, Rumble 350, HRDIII, Rumble 2x8 Neo Cab)
http://www.reverbnation.com/modwiz

Ash.

Thank you, RRR. I feel better now.

I really like the natural look. It's a fine piece of ash too.

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I have some Fender gear.
(Telecaster, Jaguar, Villager 12 String. Mustang l, Bronco, SCX2, Rumble 350, HRDIII, Rumble 2x8 Neo Cab)
http://www.reverbnation.com/modwiz

I like the natural look too, but opted for the butterscotch.
The grain pattern is quite distinctive on Ash.

Very pretty guitar !!

cheers!

_________________


'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

Kiss my ash!



Comparing a Hwy 1 alder strat to a Brawley Louisiana swamp ash, both weighing within a few ounces of each other, the ash has a very hard and clear, very defined tone with a very pronounced mid-range, the alder is warm, balanced, and rich! The Brawley has that hard, Jimmy Page tele type tone, but strat style with hot alnico pickups! The rosewood board tames the ash a bit, a solid maple neck would push this one way into tele territory!

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