'Best' body wood for a Strat?

[Brow]

Hey guys.

After alot of thought, I think I'm going to have to retire the 'Browcaster' as the body is starting to crack (where the top layer of ash meets the mahogany) and the frets are worn down to next to nothing.

I'm contemplating getting a Gordon Smith Strat in to replace it (loading it with Apaches of course ;)) and was wondering which body wood I should try and get: Ash, Alder or Poplar? I plan on getting a Vintage white 1 with a Maple neck and fingerboard.

What are the tonal differences between the various body woods?

Thanx for any opinions guys.

Craig

[Bob Johnson]

If you're using a trem, depending on which trem, the body's input to the sound equation will be minimal, paticularly if the pickups are pickguard mounted.
If you're thinking of going to Gordon Smith, look around; I'm sure there's a few contributors to this forum, including myself, who would be happy to quote for you.

[Brow]

If you're using a trem, depending on which trem, the body's input to the sound equation will be minimal, paticularly if the pickups are pickguard mounted.
If you're thinking of going to Gordon Smith, look around; I'm sure there's a few contributors to this forum, including myself, who would be happy to quote for you.

Thanx for the reply Bob :)

You hear so many opinions like 'Ash is better for this, and Alder is better for that etc' that I thought I'd ask some people in the know how much truth there is in it :)

I already have a Gordon Smith Guitar, which is 1 reason I'm contemplating getting another. I've also found a shops website that sells Mexican Fender Strats with the spec I want for a little over £260. So at the minute I'm keeping my options open :)

[indysmith]

i prefer ash; it seems warmer, perhaps slightly less stratty though? i don;t know that much about differences with trems however...

[Searcher]

I've had ash, alder, and poplar, but I didn't own those guitars all at the same time, so I can't A/B them. That said, I think I liked poplar least, then maybe alder, then ash. I kinda remember alder and ash having a fuller sound than the poplar, and ash being possibly warmer than alder. But it's hard to say exactly; we're talking three very different guitars made twenty years apart.

Warmoth has a page of info about body woods you might be interested in.

[PhilKing]

I have strats with Ash, Alder, Basswood and Maple bodies (Maple is really heavy though!).  I like the Swamp Ash sound much more than the English Ash (and the English is heavier than the Maple I think).

I really like the Basswood one too, I know a lot of people don't like it, but I have a maple/ebony neck on it and love the sound accoustically.

The density of the wood seems to make the real difference to me.  All the lighter strats I have sound sweeter, the heavier are brighter.  Necks also make a difference.  There was another thread on that though.

[HJM]

I really like Alder - and it's not got the voodoo and inflated price of swamp ash, I mean he swamp ash is good, but I'm with Bob on this, the difference is not massive, a good neck and neck joint is more important imho!

[R/2e]

Ash suits the Apaches, being the wood used for Strats in '54, but there is relatively little difference.

[Brow]

Thanx for the new posts guys :)

I've spoken to somebody at Gordon Smith Guitars and they're currently making Strat style guitars with either Poplar or Spruce.

Has anyone here got any experience with Spruce as a wood?

Craig

[PhilKing]

Only with accoustic guitars  :lol:

[Brow]

Only with accoustic guitars  :lol:

That's about as far as my experience of Spruce stretches to too!  :lol:

Here's some info I found on spruce as a body wood:

Spruce:
Very soft to the touch, it is extremely stiff for it’s overall density. Like Alder, it’s another wood with a hard skeleton and soft meat. So in a solid body, it will produce tremendous resonant, open midrange, while retaining high frequency attack, and having good low end breath. Because of the low density overall the sound wouldn’t be perceived as having less midrange than Basswood. The mids will be just as powerful and dynamic amidst the addition of clear highs and lows. Probably the most full frequency body material accepted.

Production notes: Rarely used because its softness requires a heavy finish, or a composite “shell” like the Parkers. The Parker isn’t the best representation of the sound of a Spruce body since there are many other unique construction methods and synthetics used in the Parker. Would work well with veneer caps or a top, and would offset some of the compressed sound you get with neck through construction.

[Brow]

Anyone else got an opinion on this at all?

I still can't decide between an Alder bodied Mexi Strat or a Spruce bodied Gordon Smith Strat  :?

[HJM]

I would have thought a thick heavy finish would kill a lot of the spruce resonance..... :?:

[Brow]

I would have thought a thick heavy finish would kill a lot of the spruce resonance..... :?:

Thanx for the reply.

I'm thinking about just sticking with my 70's Strat and just having it re-fretted. It's alot cheaper option and I also get to keep a guitar which I'm used to and enjoy playing :)

[CJBadge]

For a Strat I like alder. Tele's are better with ash. A Strat with ash has the "snap" of a Tele, on the top end. I believe alder is a little smoother and more "even" through he entire frequency spectrum.