Alder vs. swamp ash (Tele/Strat)

[Dirtydenny]

:guitarplayer2: :hello2: :icon_jokercolor:

Hi people may I set the record straight on this topic. Swamp Ash  and Ash are like night and day.
All the people on this forum saying swamp ash is brighter either are deff or have it confused it with regular ash.
Swamp Ash is very porus wood it breathes and the tone is full bodied and warm Alder is bright and snappy reguklar ash is too but swamp ash has fat bottom smooth mids and a sweet to end. I just built several strats using different woods and this is church my friends.
Necks have just as much to do with tone as bodies even reverse head stocks sound different they have more low end. I don't mean to be an ass but some of these postings are way off swamp ash is not brighter than Alder. Cheers ! ccasion14:

 

[Cagey]

Swamp Ash is just a trade name for white or green Ash, like Black Korina is for Limba. Where the confusion comes in, especially when comparing it to Alder, is that Ash trees that actually grow in a swamp will have the lower 6 feet or so of the main trunk substantially depleted of saps, minerals and so forth. As a result, they sorta resemble driftwood. Still hard, but light. So, you can end up with two different grades of wood from the same tree - the lower stuff being lightweight, while the higher stuff is heavy. Changes the tone a bit, so when comparing to Alder you can get different results from the same wood. Ash trees that with their trunks above the waterline are more uniform and heavy over their length.

As you might expect, more ash grows outside of swamps than inside, and only a fraction of what's harvested from inside is lightweight, hence the higher cost.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Well, to please everyone, how 'bout Alder with a Ash-like Formica Laminate Top? arty07:

 

[BIG_HOSS]

I currently have a Swamp Ash, Cypress and Pine bodies.  Although very similar the Swamp Ash and Cypress look different they have virtually the same sustain.  My Pine body Tele is from wood from the 1790's and was very difficult to route however I believe that the wood density in the Pine for its age holds way more sustain.  Just my two cents

 

[guitarslinger]

I tend to like Alder for my Strats, Swamp Ash for my Teles.  The Alder seems to give a little more "body" to the single coils, and teh Ash a little better "twang" to the Tele PUPs...