Alder vs Poplar

[marianoarnaiz]

Hello guys. I just wanted to know what were your thoughts on poplar as a tonewood. A lot of people say is similar to alder or that is a cheap and crappy tonewood.  I have a poplar Strat (Fender American Traditional from 1999) with a poplar body and is resonates very nicely is nos snappy but has great sustain and screams on a distorted amp.

What do you think? Alder o Poplar for a strat

 

[stratamania]

Either, they are just different.

Alder of Ash are the most common. I have both alder and ash Strats and they are different.

I also have a Musicman Steve Morse, with a poplar body and that thing sounds really good so if you want poplar give it a try. It's quite a lightweight wood which for weight reduction may be useful.

It's also reasonably priced as a wood.

 

[Kostas]

...screams on a distorted amp...

That's exactly what I believe too. I have played two (different) guitars with a poplar body and there were great with drive. If you want to make a classic strat with three single coils and clean tone is important for you go with alder.

 

[NLD09]

It's quite a lightweight wood which for weight reduction may be useful.

I'm not sure that I would agree with this. I've ordered a few poplar bodies from Warmoth, and they're the heaviest guitars I own. One is so heavy that I just don't play it anymore. Every alder body I've used, however, is significantly lighter than any of the poplar bodies I've used.

In my experience, though, poplar and alder sound almost identical, regardless of weight.

 

[bagman67]

You can get wide variation among bodies of any wood species where weight is concerned.  It's a natural material so this variation cannot be avoided.  I've hoisted very light and very heavy ash bodies, likewise for mahogany, alder, and poplar.  The best you can do is speak generally about the tendencies of various species.  Each individual specimen will vary to some degree from the mean.

 

[stratamania]

I wasn't saying that poplar was lighter than alder, generally alder is probably the lighter of those two as a generalisation.

What I was saying that poplar in and of itself is fairly lightweight. But this would be if a comparison was needed versus denser heavier woods.

And of course every piece is going to vary. Its wood after all.

 

[musicispeace]

I have a poplar strat waiting to come together so I'll PM you at some point with the outcome of that. It may be spring though. I'm curious myself. I got the body on the showcase because I liked the crazy green grain.

 

[Day-mun]

... I got the body on the showcase because I liked the crazy green grain.

I think the main "drawback" to poplar is the weird green streaks in a lot of pieces; just doesn't lend itself visually to many transparent finish options. -But if you're going solid color, then why not save the $$$ and go with poplar? -Heck, I've a Strat with a one-piece poplar body with the Caribbean burst on it; the green grain actually works really well with that finish. What I'd usually think of as a sorta washed-out blah burst turned out having a lot of vibrancy and life from the naturally occurring wood color.

Sound-wise, I can't tell much difference from alder, really.

 

[gjacob]

Why is Alder considered a good tonewood?  Because Leo Fender chose it to build guitars - and he chose it because it was cheap and machined easily.

Poplar and Alder sound similar and they have similar workability.

 

[dmraco]

... I got the body on the showcase because I liked the crazy green grain.

I think the main "drawback" to poplar is the weird green streaks in a lot of pieces; just doesn't lend itself visually to many transparent finish options. -But if you're going solid color, then why not save the $$$ and go with poplar? -Heck, I've a Strat with a one-piece poplar body with the Caribbean burst on it; the green grain actually works really well with that finish. What I'd usually think of as a sorta washed-out blah burst turned out having a lot of vibrancy and life from the naturally occurring wood color.

Sound-wise, I can't tell much difference from alder, really.

I would love to see a photo of that

 

[swarfrat]

I'm sure limba was once rejected for its "hideous orange blotches".

 

[musicispeace]

Finally got projects back and done that reflect one strat with an alder body and one with a poplar. Taking into account different necks and similar style yet different pickups I am not finding anything lacking in either. By no means any scientific comparison but I had been curious myself what I would think. I am pleased with both.