What type of wood is Stratocaster?

Alder is the most common choice for Stratocasters, Jaguars and Jazzmasters as well as the Jazz Bass due to its warmer balanced tone. More specifically, Red Alder is used by Fender as it is fast growing and readily available.

What is the Stratocaster made of?

Modern Stratocaster bodies are still made of the same woods the originals were made from over 60 years ago: alder and ash. Most contemporary Strats are alder, while the Strats featured in the Deluxe range feature ash bodies.

What wood are Fender guitars made of?

There are three main types of wood that Fender has used on its guitars from the early days to the present—ash, maple, and alder.

What is the best wood for a Fender Stratocaster?

Alder body

Alder is used in most Fender Strats mainly because of its light weight and it’s easy to finish due to minimal grain lines. Alder is also the most neutral sounding of the commonly used wood types with a full tone, well balanced lower end a hint of mid range.

Is alder better than basswood?

The mids of alder aren't as pronounced as basswood, but there is more emphasis on the highs and a bit more breathing room for the lows. Alder is overall a bit more dynamic than basswood, making it suitable for a wider range of sounds, but it's mostly found in Fenders and Fender style guitars like Squiers.

How To | Types of Wood for Guitar Necks

What kind of wood are Squier Strats made of?

It's most likely to be poplar. Poplar is probably my favorite wood for strat style guitars because it's got all the dynamics of alder with more top end and more sustain.

What is the lightest guitar wood?

Basswood is a lightweight tonewood that is relatively soft compared to other woods listed in this article, but it's abundant and therefore relatively cheap. Because of its soft and lightweight nature, it's never used as a laminate material, or on necks or fretboards.

Is Stratocaster good for metal?

Stratocasters are not usually used for metal because they have a fairly thin and bright tone, and are susceptible to feedback. However, it is possible to use a Strat for metal. Consider using a noise gate, distortion or EQ pedal and adjust the amp settings to reduce the brightness and add more depth.

Can a Strat play hard rock?

The basic Strat design features three single-coil pickups (SSS), and that's fine for rock, blues, and country. However, a humbucker will sound better for metal and hard rock. Most Bullet Stratocasters also have “hardtail” bridges.

Why are Strats so twangy?

All pickups have twang but the reason why Fender pickups have more twang than others is because of how they're designed. The magnets in Fender pickups are the pole pieces so they are closer to the strings. Gibson pickups have the magnets deep in the pickup and they have pole pieces extending the magnetic field.

What type of wood is used in a Gibson Les Paul?

Its typical design features a solid mahogany body with a carved maple top and a single cutaway, a mahogany set-in neck with a rosewood fretboard, two pickups with independent volume and tone controls, and a stoptail bridge, although variants exist.

How much does a Stratocaster weigh?

A typical Fender Stratocaster weighs around 7 – 8.5 lbs (3 – 3.8 kg). What is this? The weight can vary as strats are often built using various woods including alder, ash, basswood, mahogany, and more.

Is alder heavier than mahogany?

Mahogany guitars are generally heavier, with alder being quite light. Because of this, alder gives a light bright sound, and Mahogany gives a deeper Les-Paulier sound.

What wood is a Squier Affinity strat?

Squier Affinity Stratocaster Tech Specs

The most notable difference is the body wood, in this case, it's alder wood and it's known for the standard body wood of strat guitars.

What is agathis wood?

Also known as “kauri” or “dammar,” Agathis is a genus of 21 species of evergreen trees in the family of conifers (pines) that grow in the southern hemisphere. It is an easily worked wood, with characterics somewhat similar to alder. In musical instruments, it is used primarily for guitar bodies.

Is Squier a cheap Fender?

In a nutshell, Squier makes more affordable versions of Fender's biggest-selling models, though they do also have their own lines and models. They're made in the Far East and most of them are made using cheaper components.

What is the heaviest guitar?

Gibson Les Paul

This is the heaviest guitar on the list weighing in at 9-12 pounds (4-5.5 kg).

Is swamp ash heavier than alder?

Alder is a lighter hardwood. Most quality guitars made with ash use Swamp ash, which is usually slightly lighter than alder.

Do heavier guitars sound better?

Heavier guitars generally have better sustain, and more resonance than lighter guitars. This is often due to the wood type, and the body size. Thicker guitar bodies, cause the tone to be fuller, warmer and louder. It's also good to remember how body type influences tone.

What kind of wood does Epiphone use?

Typically, Epiphone uses a very thin maple veneer, which is common for many companies when using a figured or flamed maple; however, Epiphone still uses a thin maple veneer when using plain maple tops too. Both Gibson and Epiphone use several pieces of wood glued together to form the body of their guitars.

Is Poplar good guitar wood?

Poplar is a superb solidbody wood, even though there's nothing particularly impressive about its tone. Tonewoods matter much less in electric guitars, which rely on the pickups, string, and gain stages for the overall tone. However, the balanced sound of poplar can make a decent-sounding body.

Is African mahogany a good tone wood?

As a tonewood, mahogany offers a warm tone with pronounced lower mids, mellow high-end and superb sustain. It's slightly warmer than many other hardwoods, thanks to its density. Honduran mahogany projects very nicely with a strong sound and quick response.

What type of guitar is used in heavy metal?

Equipment. Shred guitar players often use electric solid-body guitars such as Ibanez, Gibson, Fender, Kramer, Kiesel/Carvin, Jackson, Charvel, Schecter and ESP.