Myths about Poplar... Opinions appreciated!

[GuitarIv]

Cheers guys,

ignoring the fact that there are at least as many people who say woods don't make a difference as vice versa, I'd like to have your opinions on Poplar. A Wood I've read so many negative things about, I almost wanted to hate my luthier for building me a guitar out of that exact wood.

My Custom Strat utilizes a 30 year old air dried Hungarian poplar body combined with a 40 year old air dried Canadian Maple Neck and Fretboard and let me tell you: the sound is stellar. The guitar is currently equipped with a Holydiver Bridge and Slowhands Middle and Neck pickups and unfortunately, before I completely redid the wiring, the guitar sounded weak and thin. I was going mad, receiving a guitar that had costed quite a big sum (it was a present from my father but still) would sound like cr@p, yet feel and play amazingly well. I googled every article that exists only to read dozens of threads saying how poplar sucked and was about the cheapest tone wood you could get. Yes, I got mad at the luthier who had built the guitar, I was mad at him for building my father a guitar for me and using some inferior piece of tree.

Turns out he knew what he was doing. Turns out he had a justified price. Turns out someone (probably an apprentice) screwed up the wiring. I redid everything from scratch, only to find out that in combination with the BKPs, this is the best guitar I ever played.

The sound is something every guy who worries about "how can I cut thru in a live mix omg I need mids" would die for. The Holydiver, said to be a good pickup to thicken up your sound, sounds almost too bright in this guitar. It's not like the pickup doesn't thicken things up, but there's such a healthy amount of midrange and highs that you wouldn't want to worry ever if anyone in the band can make you disappear. Great, instant attack, harmonically rich sustain that lasts forever and a lead tone that lets your fingers tell a story. I'm in love soo badly, I can't stop praising it. That's what Poplar in combination with Maple does for me.

What's your opinion? Should people stop believing what's written on the Internet and just trust their ears? Tell me your thoughts about this!

Cheers

[JJretroTONEGOD]

it's certainly not the wood! my mate tim has an 80s jackson dinky and it is by far the nicest sounding poplar bodied guitar I've heard, I don't know if it's because it's a poplar body but I prefer it to any other jackson I've heard.

[Nadz1lla]

Well it's one of those "grey areas", isn't it? Initially I wouldn't have gone for Poplar as a tone wood because, usually, it is very cheap, and again usually isn't the greatest of the tone woods that are available.

But then you have to factor in certain conditions, don't you? A new blank, kiln dried and on the shelf in next to no time will have vastly different properties to the same kind of wood dried under different conditions for a much longer period of time. Natural ageing will have different effects on timber than a fast-drying solution. I know which option I would pick, given the opportunity. In fact, if given a choice of only two guitar bodies, one 30 year-old piece of Poplar, and one made of Alder that was felled a matter of months ago, I would go for the Poplar every time.

There are SO many variables after the fact of the age and type of wood in question, such as the luthier's ability to pair it with other species of timber and blend their properties to get "that" sound just right. The hardware he will pick for the project, whether he uses chambering or not, the type of construction used.

When all is said and done, building guitars is a true art, and you need to find yourself a true artist and trust in their experience and ability. Having a say in the process and being able to express your needs to the artist who will be crafting your guitar is paramount. It seems to me that the chap who built yours knew what you needed and let his experience speak for itself. Just a shame that all that effort seemed to have been ruined by shoddy wiring, but as you pointed out, that's a minor thing that can be fixed with a decent soldering kit and some time.  :)

I'm glad you feel this way about your guitar, though. It must be really nice to pick up and instrument and instantly feel the quality and satisfaction as your perfect tone rings out from it. I am not quite there yet, myself, but very soon I will be finalising some details with a brilliant young artist who will be crafting me a custom guitar, and I can't wait!  :D

[Philly Q]

I've only had one poplar bodied guitar, a Jimmie Vaughan Strat from a period in the '90s when Fender were using poplar as a cheaper alternative to alder.  It wasn't the best guitar in the world in terms of build quality, but it sounded absolutely fine, as good or better than the US Strats I had at the time.

My impression is that there's nothing wrong with poplar as a tonewood, the biggest downside is that it doesn't look pretty - which isn't an issue at all with a solid colour.

[blue]

I agree with the previous answers, nothing at all wrong with poplar.  I've had a Gibson MIII for 20 years now, with a poplar body and a maple neck, and i still love that guitar.  I find it has a very clear sound, quite cutting mids as you describe.

[gordiji]

You should trust your ears when it comes to anything audible, don't trust others opinions over your own experience. This doesn't mean you can't take advice.
Generally poplar is a cheap, light , easily rotting wood. Being light can be a good quality though. Springy sound, no back ache.
Without moisture rotting isn't an issue. Being cheap is good if it doesn't compromise your objectives when building anything.
I wouldn't worry.   

[GuitarIv]

Basswood seems to be somewhere in the same category as Poplar is. I heard people having the same differing opinions. I as a player can proudly say: my experience with Poplar is good.  :P

I guess the thing with the air drying plays a big role as Nad has pointed out. Nowadays wood seems to be "shock" dried in a short amount of time just to be available. I read quite some stories about fretboards shrinking on new guitars because the wood wasn't dried properly, same happened to Keith Merrows Signature guitar, as a consequence he's no longer affiliated with the company...

[WezV]

I as a player can proudly say: my experience with Poplar is good.  :P

that is good,  but in itself it doesnt make poplar a good choice for a guitar, nor does all the people saying they didnt like it mean you wont like it


i have some in my workshop i will happily use at some point.  i have used some before and was not impressed, but i think the stuff i have now will be better.   i mainly find it a bit uninspiring and boring to work with, a bugger to finish thinly and most of the guitars i have played made from poplar were a bit meh

if you accept wood makes a difference then you have to accept that it is a massively variable resource.  therefore, whenever possible, each individual plank needs to be judged on its merits.

[GuitarIv]

Well then I seem to have gotten very lucky with my particular piece :P

[WezV]

Well then I seem to have gotten very lucky with my particular piece :P

and also missed my point.

[GuitarIv]

Well then I seem to have gotten very lucky with my particular piece :P

and also missed my point.

And that would be?  :P

[Cam_H]

Well the Steve Morse guitars by MusicMan are made of Poplar. And anyone who has played a Music man will know that they are very good guitars.

[WezV]

1)that wood varies even within species.  therefore poplar can be both good and bad

2)your good experience does not automatically make all those bad experiences incorrect

3)you paid a man a lot of money to make you a guitar and he presumably picked a good bit


..

if you had brought a cheeap factory guitar made from poplar and it sounded amazing i would say "you got lucky".   as it is I would say "you got what you paid for"

[GuitarIv]

I see what you're saying... certainly true

[Telerocker]

I had a Gibson MIII with a poplar body. Great guitar, except for the pickups that were too hot for me.