JohnnyMosrite
Joined: Jun 14, 2006
Posts: 905
New York City area
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Posted on Feb 24 2021 09:25 PM
All,
An interesting article:
https://frontier.yahoo.com/news/climate-change-causes-shortage-wood-231041423.html
Politics aside (Being something of a Stoic - I could care less, anyway), it seems floods and beetles are badly impacting swamp ash. Fender isn't going to make their guitar bodies from this wood anymore according to the article.
I have to think our (now) older swamp ash Strats, Teles, etc. are going to go up a bit in value.
To present and future guitar Newbies -
Maybe it's time to look at carbon fiber axes.
I'm just the messenger -
J Mo'
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edwardsand
Joined: Jun 29, 2018
Posts: 780
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Posted on Feb 25 2021 06:23 PM
I had not heard that news yet, even though the announcement by Fender was back in April. Fortunately, I just bought an Fender MIM ash strat body for cheap for my next project. So I'll see if it makes any difference once I'm done refinishing it.
PS - this seems like the sort of thing that would go in the Gear forum rather than The Shallow End.
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JohnnyMosrite
Joined: Jun 14, 2006
Posts: 905
New York City area
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Posted on Feb 25 2021 08:12 PM
Edwards,
Gear forum, Shallow end.. I took my point of view.. regardless, it gets listed on the Home page and bubbles off if not read by forum members..
J Mo' 
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stratdancer
Joined: Dec 11, 2013
Posts: 2537
Akron, Ohio
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Posted on Feb 26 2021 05:50 AM
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Toneschaser
Joined: Jun 14, 2012
Posts: 462
Ohio!
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Posted on Feb 26 2021 07:04 AM
This has been coming down for several years now. Huge dead Ash trees all over our state due to the emerald ash borer.
As a luthier who is involved in the tone wood supply chain, I don't feel that your current ash guitars will be notably worth more money moving forward. You will however likely experience price increases on any new ash guitars you buy or commission in the future.
Sad days! Everyone is scrambling to find the next best alternatives these days.
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JohnnyMosrite
Joined: Jun 14, 2006
Posts: 905
New York City area
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Posted on Feb 26 2021 07:44 AM
Toneschaser,
The old ash body guitars won't appreciate but new ones will cost more??
Makes no sense to me but your opinion is your opinion. I have to think a light weight ash bodied guitar with good resonance and sustain will definitely appreciate.
As for Stratdancer's "very heavy" swamp ash Stratocaster:
Well that's the 'crap shoot' the buyer takes part in with ash bodies. The bottom of the ash log (as in near the ground) has more moisture content and the wood is more dense. This makes for a heavy axe - but you do get better sustain. The 70's Strats were notorious for this.
If the ash body is cut from the top of the log, you generally get better resonance and the body is lighter in weight. So the best compromise ash body guitars come from the ash log's mid section.
Do you have any control over that? Not much. Hence trying out the axe is preferable so you don't end up with a Stratocaster boat anchor - even after it's been routed out to hell for that dopey tremolo contraption..
Me - I skip the whole headache - mostly - with a basswood body Mosrite.
All MHO, of course.
J Mo'
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