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Hi there,
I'm about to replace the broken body on a Mexi-strat. Any thoughts on
what kind of wood is best for the surf sound? I'm guessing the debate
would be between Alder or Ash, or does it matter?
btw, I already have custom 50 replacement pick ups.
Spanky
Twangler <> wrote: Hi there,
I'm about to replace the broken body on a Mexi-strat. Any thoughts on
what kind of wood is best for the surf sound? I'm guessing the debate
would be between Alder or Ash, or does it matter?
btw, I already have custom 50 replacement pick ups.
Spanky
.
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Here's what the good folks at USA Custom Guitar had to say:
SWAMP ASH - Has a tight bottom end (which we all like), scooped mids and a
bright top
end. It has a very quick attack when striking the strings - which is great for
some players
and bad for others. It has very open grain, which makes it a pain in the
backside to finish.
It is a very resonant wood, so it sounds phenomenal played clean. Great for
Funk, Surf
Music, Blues with a bite, Country twang, vintage Rock, and clean smooth Jazz.
ALDER - The "tastes like chicken" of wood. It has a nice even response all the
way around
the tone spectrum! Mostly known for its great Blues and Rock tones. It's the one
body
wood you can go play a Death Metal Gig one night, country the next night, Blues
the next
night and it's sounds fine for all of them. It is normally lightweight and has a
closed grain
which is a finishers dream. We carry hand selected Alder that is suitable for
clear finishes
as well as bursts and solid colors.
> I'm about to replace the broken body on a Mexi-strat. Any thoughts on
> what kind of wood is best for the surf sound? I'm guessing the debate
> would be between Alder or Ash, or does it matter?
> Spanky
With a choice, I'd go with Light Swamp Ash every time. A Swamp-Ash Fender will
tend to weigh close to 2 lbs LESS than the same body in Alder, and the tonal
qualities of the Swamp Ash wood are phenomenal for surf/instro playing!
Bruce D
Gavin Ehringer <> wrote:
Here's what the good folks at USA Custom Guitar had to say:
SWAMP ASH - Has a tight bottom end (which we all like), scooped mids and a
bright top
end. It has a very quick attack when striking the strings - which is great for
some players
and bad for others. It has very open grain, which makes it a pain in the
backside to finish.
It is a very resonant wood, so it sounds phenomenal played clean. Great for
Funk, Surf
Music, Blues with a bite, Country twang, vintage Rock, and clean smooth Jazz.
ALDER - The "tastes like chicken" of wood. It has a nice even response all the
way around
the tone spectrum! Mostly known for its great Blues and Rock tones. It's the one
body
wood you can go play a Death Metal Gig one night, country the next night, Blues
the next
night and it's sounds fine for all of them. It is normally lightweight and has a
closed grain
which is a finishers dream. We carry hand selected Alder that is suitable for
clear finishes
as well as bursts and solid colors.
> I'm about to replace the broken body on a Mexi-strat. Any thoughts on
> what kind of wood is best for the surf sound? I'm guessing the debate
> would be between Alder or Ash, or does it matter?
> Spanky
.
Visit for archived messages,
bookmarks, files, polls, etc.
---------------------------------
YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
Visit your group "SurfGuitar101" on the web.
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
---------------------------------
"There's no such thing as too much reverb"
Bruce D
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Does that apply to Bass as well.
I'm looking at a Bass that is Early 70's Ash wood.
Jeff(bigtikidude)
-- In , bruce duncan <wetreverb@...>
wrote:
>
> With a choice, I'd go with Light Swamp Ash every time. A Swamp-
Ash Fender will tend to weigh close to 2 lbs LESS than the same body
in Alder, and the tonal qualities of the Swamp Ash wood are
phenomenal for surf/instro playing!
>
> Bruce D
>
> Gavin Ehringer <gavinehringer@...> wrote:
> Here's what the good folks at USA Custom Guitar had to say:
>
> SWAMP ASH - Has a tight bottom end (which we all like), scooped
mids and a bright top
> end. It has a very quick attack when striking the strings - which
is great for some players
> and bad for others. It has very open grain, which makes it a pain
in the backside to finish.
> It is a very resonant wood, so it sounds phenomenal played clean.
Great for Funk, Surf
> Music, Blues with a bite, Country twang, vintage Rock, and clean
smooth Jazz.
>
> ALDER - The "tastes like chicken" of wood. It has a nice even
response all the way around
> the tone spectrum! Mostly known for its great Blues and Rock
tones. It's the one body
> wood you can go play a Death Metal Gig one night, country the next
night, Blues the next
> night and it's sounds fine for all of them. It is normally
lightweight and has a closed grain
> which is a finishers dream. We carry hand selected Alder that is
suitable for clear finishes
> as well as bursts and solid colors.
>
> > I'm about to replace the broken body on a Mexi-strat. Any
thoughts on
> > what kind of wood is best for the surf sound? I'm guessing the
debate
> > would be between Alder or Ash, or does it matter?
>
> > Spanky
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> .
> Visit for archived
messages, bookmarks, files, polls, etc.
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
>
>
> Visit your group "SurfGuitar101" on the web.
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of
Service.
>
>
> ---------------------------------
>
>
>
>
>
> "There's no such thing as too much reverb"
> Bruce D
>
> ---------------------------------
> Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and
30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less.
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
It seems to me that tonality of the body wood is more critical for guitar
because in particular, the lead guitar is the "Voice of the Band". If I were a
bass player, my main concern would be that I could provide a nice low-end
thumpa-thumpa bottom to enhance the band's rhythm section, for which I would
think Alder or Basswood would serve beautifully. Of course, the bass being a
larger, longer-scale instrument, weight is also a consideration, and the lighter
Swamp Ash would definitely result in a bass that would put less strain on the
player's shoulders and back, during long sets.
The bottom line for me, and I would think for most musicians, is to play what
sounds best to your ear, and that you feel comfortable playing.
Bruce D
Jeff <> wrote:
Does that apply to Bass as well.
I'm looking at a Bass that is Early 70's Ash wood.
Jeff(bigtikidude)
-- In , bruce duncan <wetreverb@...>
wrote:
>
> With a choice, I'd go with Light Swamp Ash every time. A Swamp-
Ash Fender will tend to weigh close to 2 lbs LESS than the same body
in Alder, and the tonal qualities of the Swamp Ash wood are
phenomenal for surf/instro playing!
>
> Bruce D
>
"There's no such thing as too much reverb"
Bruce D
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