Conference napalm::guitar

>    	Most of the guitar bodies I see in catalogs are either Solid Ash
>    or Basswood, around $80-$90 bucks. I'm no wood expert-- what are
>    the benefits/detractions of each type of wood. I'm not sure which
>    one to choose....
    
    Basswood is *really* light.  If you want an instrument that's
    featherweight, this'd be a good candidate.  Ash is heavier, and usually
    has a nicer grain, so it'll work better for natural finishs. You can
    also find alder, which is sort of in between, heavier then basswood,
    but still not a great lookin grain, and not as heavy as ash.
    
    Greg                                                        

    RE: ash vs. basswood

    Ash is what most Telecasters and some Stratocasters have been made of
    since the beginning of (electric guitar) time. Ash is heavier (denser)
    than Alder or Basswood, has a pronounced and attractive grain (if that
    matters). Because it's denser, it has better sustain characteristics and
    this is most notable in the high end, meaning that ash body guitar are
    generally brighter sounding (a Tele claim to fame).

    But is harder to work on. Not that it's all that bad but there is an
    extra step involved. Ash is an open grained wood, so after sanding you
    must apply filler to fill the pours before sealing. Filler is a putty
    that is usually tinted to match the color of the grain. (You can buy
    filler and tints as well as everything else you might need from
    Stewart-MacDonald.)

    After filling, you lightly sand off the surface to remove extraneous
    filler and then just do the rest of the finish the same as you would any
    other wood.

    --Ron

    While out tele-hunting, I've noticed that on older teles the "lighter"
    ones are more highly prized, and seem to have more of the tele "twang".
    It seems that the wood fender used (I think mostly ash), was available
    in different densities, so the sound of these will vary significantly
    depending on the weight.
    
    Contrast these lighter guitars with today's American Standard Tele,
    which is quite a bit heavier. As such it has less twang, and more
    of the mid range tones.

    Jim's right, the older Teles tend to be much lighter and have more
    twang.  The wood used here is swamp ash.  Swamp ash has a high water
    content before curing, and when it dries it leaves a more open, less
    dense cell structure.  The result, much lighter and more resonant.
    The good news is you can still get swamp ash today; most places that
    know what their doing here (like Warmouth) will let you specify
    swamp ash if that's what you're looking for.  See my recent reply
    under the G&L note; I played a new ASAT with a swamp ash body
    that was identical in weight and tone to a stock '53 Tele I was
    comparing it with.
    
    I'm pretty sure American Standard Teles are currently alder, but
    generally a heavy grade.  Alder was the most common wood on 60's
    Fenders, and these tend to be much lighter and more resonant too.
    
    I'd personally steer clear of basswood.  This is the cheap way Japanese
    manufacturers emulate the "vintage" feel of old Fenders.  Basswood has
    the light weight of old alder and swamp ash, but for some reason
    doesn't deliver the same full tone.  At least imo.
    
    /rick

    You used to be able to get those precut bodies from Stewart-MacDonalds
    in swamp ash.  I don't know if you still can or not.
    
    Greg

        Swamp ash is nice, alder is ok, ash is good for target
        practice. Now, a nice piece of koa, hand rubbed oil finish...
        
        If you want  cosmetic/flash  -  talk  to  Warmoth  with  a  few
        hundred $$$ to spend, choose from: (prices very approx)
        
                Alder           $150+
                Bass/Ash/Maple  $180+
                Swamp Ash light`$200+
                Walnut/Mahog    $220+
                Koa             $350+
                Zebra           $350+
                Rose            $500+
                Fiddle maple    $500+
                Quilt maple     $500+
        
        Alternatively, they do a  thinline  Tele  with  the  F-hole  in
        routed ash (spit) for around  $300  with  a fancy (flame/quilt)
        top.
        
        
        Stew-Mac is a lot cheaper but  the  pockets don't always take a
        standard neck tightly enough to offer great  sustain,  but they
        do  offer  some  fully finished bodies, usually sunburst  at  a
        reasonable price - somewhere around $150-200
        
        Music  Emporium do unfinished Tele bodies in ash and  bass  for
        less than $100
                
        Pays yer money, takes yer choice
        
        Andy

    Notes 942, 2338 & 2715 seemed to have already covered this subject.