Body woods

[Soledad]

I may possibly fancy a crack at something. I do furniture anyway so have wood stocks, machines, hand tools etc.
But was thinking about body woods. I have an ash Tele (swamp, US build) and like the weight / balance but also it has a ring that the alders don't have (to my ears).
I note Fender have stopped swamp ash on normal production due to limited supply and quality. They are using roasted pine as an option I believe.
I have an amazing board of ash (not swamp) and I know it'll be heavier but it's a possible.
But the one I'm wondering about is western red cedar - I can get thick boards, quite wide ( 1 centre joint likely) and it seems it would tick some boxes: light, quite snappy tonally (used on some fine acoustics), a little soft but a decent thin finish would be OK I think.

 

Anyone used or using w r cedar, or even Euro cedar for bodies?

 

I'm thinking maybe a Nashville Tele 3 p'up. I'd probably buy a finished neck.

[Dad3353]

Just my opinion (and therefore not always popular..!), one must have supersonic, young, ears to be able to hear any difference at all from the wood choice of an amplified electric guitar; I certainly can't, and never could. I'm discounting stuff like balsa (although I've never heard a balsa guitar, so...). In any particular essence, there is so much variation, even from the same part of the same tree, that attributing any sonic difference to the essence itself seems futile. I would argue that weight, ease of working, ability to take a finish, or having agreeable veins etc are far more factors for choosing. To each his/her own (and some folk maybe have supersonic ears..?), but to me, 'tone wood' is a powerful marketing concept in solid-body electric guitars. OK, let the shooting begin... 

[randythoades]

Have to say that I'm with @Dad3353.

I also can't tell the difference with different tone woods. My own custom built stratotele is mahogany and my esquire is swamp ash. I have exactly the same pickup and electrics in them and I can't tell any difference in the sound alone when I have recorded them, the difference comes to me when playing, but that is feel and weight etc playing their part.

Same on bass... I have a custom precision that I built using Paulownia, a feather weight wood and it sounds the same as my regular boat anchor of a precision with an alder body (same pickups again).

 

But my hearing just ain't what it used to be!!

[Crusoe]

I'm another one in the "it doesn't really matter" camp. I doubt if I could tell the difference between the most expensive wood and plywood, other than the weight.

[Jimothey]

+1 to all the above answers, IMHO I think the whole tonewood thing is nonsense

 

I make all my guitars out of scrap/reclaim woods like pallets, scaffold boards etc and I’ve sold quite a few now with no complaints……

[Andyjr1515]

On 23/03/2023 at 10:36, Crusoe said:

I doubt if I could tell the difference between the most expensive wood and plywood

I agree with that.  One of - no, I have to say THE best sounding guitar I ever had was an Epiphone LP junior - and that was, indeed, plywood.

 

On the other hand, neck timbers - especially where they have vastly different stiffness characteristics, do in my view make a difference.  But the difference in sound with different body timbers of a solid body electric, I am pretty certain, is inaudible to the average human ear.

 

Oh - and why do I specify 'solid body'?   Simply because, against all of my perceived logic, I pin my belief to the mast that you simply cannot get a Gibson 335 to sound like a Gibson Les Paul, and you cannot get a Gibson Les Paul to sound like a Gibson 335.  It's subtle, but it's different.  Same pickups, same scale length, same neck construction...