What's The Deal With Swamp Ash ?

It seems everybody wants lightweight guitars so my guess is the demand is and has been pretty high. Lots of partscasters made the last 4 years.

And from what I understand Swamp Ash is more about where it is grown and the fact that the lower part of the tree is saturated with water. Then when dried it’s very lightweight. But that puts a limit on supply as it has to be grown in those conditions and be the lower part of the tree.

So the ole supply-demand thing.
 
SpiderWars said:
It seems everybody wants lightweight guitars so my guess is the demand is and has been pretty high. Lots of partscasters made the last 4 years.

And from what I understand Swamp Ash is more about where it is grown and the fact that the lower part of the tree is saturated with water. Then when dried it’s very lightweight. But that puts a limit on supply as it has to be grown in those conditions and be the lower part of the tree.

So the ole supply-demand thing.
Click to expand...
Well, dammit if we can't have nice things !

:mad:
 
I think that's actually why we've seen Fender offer pine as a lightweight alternative option to the alder bodied American Professional Series II Strats.

Pine.jpg




Weight of most alder bodied strats by comparison:

Alder.jpg


I'm curious about pine as I love the idea of a guitar that is 7lbs or lighter. I'm not too worried about them denting easier, but I have heard some people express concern about the softness of the wood with regards to trem use over time and the wood not holding up well where the bridge is attached.

I noticed too Suhr offered a Paulownia Classic S run a couple years ago and both Ibanez and Suhr use Basswood for some of their RG and AZ guitars and in their Moderns.
 
PurityS.L.G said:
Leo Fender stated that tone woods don't matter. He built guitars with whatever materials were available. Grab what you can brah
Click to expand...
I got a Swamp Ash body on order from Warmoth, but they told me this was the last one anyone would be seeing for the foreseeable future..

Just wanted to know what that was about.

🤷‍♂️
 
I've got a Swamp Ash body from Warmoth, an Alder body from Warmoth, a 'Big Leaf' Maple body from Warmoth and a Hard Ash body from Musikraft. Tone in order from best to 'least' best: 1) Northern Hard Ash; 2) Alder; 3) 'Big Leaf' Maple; 4) Swamp Ash.

My Hard Ash Musikraft body is the ugliest piece of wood I own. (multiple coats of tru-oil) and it is hands down the BEST sounding guitar i have ever owned. HUGE, TIGHT, CHUNKY, but no brittleness or harshness. It's da' bomb. It sounds best with low DC vintage winds in it like the Duncan '59, and the Whole Lotta Humbucker. I do like my Swamp Ash partscaster, but it just sounds 'lightweight' the way it feels. It sounds better with a Duncan Custom in it - the Ceramic mag gives it some ballz. (I'm wondering if a Ceramic Mag Duncan Distortion would even sound better? Or if it would get too muddy??)

Swamp Ash to me is SO lightweight that it crosses over into some of the unpleasant tonal qualities of Poplar, Basswood and Mahogany. And I mean Mahogany with no top - not a Mahogany Les Paul with a nice, dense Maple top...

Point is - I wouldn't sweat the disappearance of 'swamp ash' from the guitar landscape. Others may differ...
 
PDC said:
I've got a Swamp Ash body from Warmoth, an Alder body from Warmoth, a 'Big Leaf' Maple body from Warmoth and a Hard Ash body from Musikraft. Tone in order from best to 'least' best: 1) Northern Hard Ash; 2) Alder; 3) 'Big Leaf' Maple; 4) Swamp Ash.

My Hard Ash Musikraft body is the ugliest piece of wood I own. (multiple coats of tru-oil) and it is hands down the BEST sounding guitar i have ever owned. HUGE, TIGHT, CHUNKY, but no brittleness or harshness. It's da' bomb. It sounds best with low DC vintage winds in it like the Duncan '59, and the Whole Lotta Humbucker. I do like my Swamp Ash partscaster, but it just sounds 'lightweight' the way it feels. It sounds better with a Duncan Custom in it - the Ceramic mag gives it some ballz. (I'm wondering if a Ceramic Mag Duncan Distortion would even sound better? Or if it would get too muddy??)

Swamp Ash to me is SO lightweight that it crosses over into some of the unpleasant tonal qualities of Poplar, Basswood and Mahogany. And I mean Mahogany with no top - not a Mahogany Les Paul with a nice, dense Maple top...

Point is - I wouldn't sweat the disappearance of 'swamp ash' from the guitar landscape. Others may differ...
Click to expand...
I love Mahogany.

:unsure:
 
Arch Stanton said:
Well, dammit if we can't have nice things !

:mad:
Click to expand...
Akira said:
I think that's actually why we've seen Fender offer pine as a lightweight alternative option to the alder bodied American Professional Series II Strats.
Click to expand...
I’ve built two pinecasters and granted they were a Tele and an offset Tele but they both kick ass. Both lightweight.

My understanding is that Pine messes up blades and other equipment from all the pine tar/sap or whatever it’s called. That’s my guess why Warmoth doesn’t offer it. But I finished both of those bodies without issue. Offset was eBay and the Tele was Guitar Mill.
 
SpiderWars said:
I’ve built two pinecasters and granted they were a Tele and an offset Tele but they both kick ass. Both lightweight.

My understanding is that Pine messes up blades and other equipment from all the pine tar/sap or whatever it’s called. That’s my guess why Warmoth doesn’t offer it. But I finished both of those bodies without issue. Offset was eBay and the Tele was Guitar Mill.
Click to expand...
I've cut a lot of pine, and it has so much oil/sap in it that it will literally burn up saw blades if you get in a hurry.

:rolleyes:
 
I have an American pro lightweight Ash tele and it is really, really nice. Under 7lbs too.
 
PDC said:
Swamp Ash to me is SO lightweight that it crosses over into some of the unpleasant tonal qualities of Poplar, Basswood and Mahogany. And I mean Mahogany with no top - not a Mahogany Les Paul with a nice, dense Maple top...
Click to expand...
You play the "chugga chugga" ?

:unsure:
 
  • Like
Reactions: PDC
Arch Stanton said:
I love Mahogany.

:unsure:
Click to expand...
I get you - straight mahogany with no top like a mahogany strat body or an SG can be hit or miss. Some pieces are so warm and full, others are just soft and tubby no matter what. Straight mahogany with no hard wood cap or top can be a bit more finicky and more pickup dependent. Some lower output pickups can just get lost in too soft a piece of mahogany. But I totally get that some pieces are absolute ‘keepers.’
 
PDC said:
I get you - straight mahogany with no top like a mahogany strat body or an SG can be hit or miss. Some pieces are so warm and full, others are just soft and tubby no matter what. Straight mahogany with no hard wood cap or top can be a bit more finicky and more pickup dependent. Some lower output pickups can just get lost in too soft a piece of mahogany. But I totally get that some pieces are absolute ‘keepers.’
Click to expand...
Like all gear, it depends on the tone/playing style you're into.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PDC
And PS - ‘Thought is the enemy of flow’ is pure gold. Sounds like something Bruce Lee said. The older I get, the more appreciation and respect I learn for that simple premise!!
 
PDC said:
Not so much that I play dedicated ‘chugga’ - but growing up in the 80’s, there are lots of times that you really need that tight, defined palm muted ‘chunk’ to make things happen!!
Click to expand...
It makes a big difference in what a player thinks is "good" or what works for them..

I find that everything from pickups to tone-woods to speakers are diametrically opposed to what I like when it comes to that style.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top