Some players felt that this tapered feel at the nut offered easier fingering. While it was reminiscent of the Telecaster, its double cutaways were unprecedented. Fender used ash for electric guitar and bass bodies more or less exclusively from 1950 to mid-1956, and to the present continues to use ash on a relatively small number of instruments. Ash body at this price is a rare find! Other basses at this price range commonly use Basswood or Agathis, but Sire Guitars chooses the traditional North American Alder which is known for its loud, clear, full-bodied sound, with beefy mids and great lows that is perfect for the classic jazz bass sound. Ash costs about twice as much as alder, which is what most fenders are made out of. Get the facts on Fender guitar body woods. Since it grows from Southeast Alaska to Central California and almost always within 125 miles of the Pacific Coast, a plentiful and affordable supply existed practically in Fender’s backyard. Maple top on Alder: Takes Alder to a tone closer to solid Swamp Ash, but without the dynamics. Ever since, it remains the body wood for the majority of Fender electric instruments. My experience with these woods isn't related to jazz basses per say. Softer woods include Alder, Swamp Ash and Basswood. I've had a few ash body basses and one alder. Your strings don't touch any kind of wood. Not especially dense, it’s a lightweight, closed-pore wood that has a resonant, balanced tone brighter than other hardwoods, with a little more emphasis in the upper midrange. Actually, I quite disagree with that - should we shut out the fact that the strings may get a kind of positive-feedback helping their vibration due to the bridge-body contact, the bass being resonant? Fender adopted alder for electric instrument bodies in mid-1956, probably for no other reason than it was there; it was readily available and more affordable than ash. Guitars and basses with blonde finishes typically have ash bodies because the wood “takes” that particular finish especially well. It’s very easy to work with and it glues well. Jazz Bass® (2) Precision Bass® (1) Orientation Right-Hand (3) Color Woods Fingerboard Material Body Material Neck Shape D Shape Pickup Type Modern (3) Price $1,000-$1,999 (1) $2,000-$2,499 (2) Apply Cancel. And with few exceptions, two mainstay woods have been used throughout Fender history for fashioning electric instrument bodies — alder and ash. ), Tomastiks on a Guild Acoustic Bass Guitar. The Jazz Bass® body was introduced in 1960 as a counterpart to the Jazzmaster® guitar and shared many of its features, including an offset waist and dual pickups. A popular choice for most bass guitars is the North American Alder. They touch cheap metal, cheap plastic, then cheap metal again and then cheap metal again... Alder and agathis are in the ash family and trees are as unique as people. Of the 30 or so alder tree varieties, the fast-growing red alder ranks among the world’s largest, reaching heights up to 100 feet. There are several kinds of ash trees; for this purpose, we’re talking the American ash. Combining exotic tonewoods with premium pickups and appointments, the limited-edition Rarities Collection creates a truly unique musical experience. Evey one is telling me that i should use my USA Alder based jazz. The effect on the Alder is similar to the effect on Basswood. But he also thought the pu's, electronics, strings were the deciding factor on a solid-bodied electric. My experience has been that ask is a little heavier, and the density gives it a little more sparkle in the highs and boom in the lows. It is often considered as the other "traditional" Stratocaster body wood. It was and still is a very good choice. Softer Woods. the ash has more bass and the highs are stronger - it has more clarity than the alder guitar. Be the first to know about new products, featured content, exclusive offers and giveaways. A small number of instruments with mahogany bodies were made in 1963 and 1964, and several mahogany-body instruments are made today. Side by Side comparison of Sire V7 4ST Bass - Alder vs Ash. Alder is generally considered to be one of the "traditional" Stratocaster body woods. Bodies When the P Bass first hit the scene, it had quite the distinct look. What are they, and where do they come from? The one i am using most is a 2000 Japanese fender jazz bass with basswood. Fender adopted alder for electric instrument bodies in mid-1956, probably for no other reason than it was there; it was readily available and more affordable than ash. Bodies made from Red Alder are constructed from two to four pieces glued together and features a tighter, more consistent grain than that of ash. There are two types used to make guitar bodies—northern ash, and southern or “swamp” ash. The wood produces more treble and good sustain, with less warmth than other guitar woods. Which body wood do you prefer for jazz basses? The ash-bodied bass was "meh." It’s a native North American hardwood which can be found all over the eastern half of the continent — from Nova Scotia in the north to Florida in the south, and as far west as Minnesota down to east Texas. Fender has used other woods for its electric instrument bodies at various points in its history. So, the more resonant the body, the more string-sustain; not the other way round. Most bassists know the Fender Jazz specs off by heart. Gold Supporters see zero ads! Here’s a brief rundown on each one. To me, it seems that the energy is lost in the case where the bass is not resonant, whereas it reflects back in the opposite case: the strings are free to vibrate more with the same amount of energy (our fingers). Sire Marcus Miller V7 2nd Gen Bass Guitar, Alder, 5-String, BMR Red w/ Gig Bag Description Living Legend and His Bass. the alder is not muddy - the ash just has more spank no matter what pup or amp I use. It was and still is a very good choice. The wealth of regional varieties falls under two main types — black alder or European alder, which is native to most of Europe and to Southwest Asia; and red alder, which is native to the U.S. West Coast. Many Japanese-made Fender instruments of the 1980s and ’90s had basswood bodies, but only very few models are made of basswood today. This is a real workhorse of a bass. Alder feels lighter to me and my hypothesis is that makes the tone more mid focused. Classic Vibe '70s Jazz Bass® V. $479.99 2 colors Compare. Thank you for your support! Wood is overated in solid body electric basses. The latter is more commonly used, and was chosen by Leo Fender for his first Esquire, Broadcaster and Telecaster guitars. The Fender Jazz Bass, released in 1960, offered players an offset-waist body, which was drawn from the Jazzmaster guitar introduced a couple of years earlier. I wanted to make the following general point as a reminder....which for some reason does not come up enough on these bulletin boards (it is not in response to the person who posted just above): This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. The Jazz Plus Bass was available with an alder body and the option of a natural-finish ash body on the four-string model for a $100 upcharge, either a maple or rosewood fretboard on the four-string and pau ferro (an exotic hardwood whose tone is brighter than rosewood yet … some people describe swamp ash as having a mid scoop - i'd say its flatter in the upper mids than alder, maybe slightly less low mids, but not a dramatic scoop. Rosewood is a commonly used wood on the fingerboards of bass guitars. Ever since, it remains the body wood for the majority of Fender electric instruments. Looking for a beginner guitar? So you can see — and hear — why many ash-body Fender guitars of the ’50s are so highly prized. I have two alder Precisions (AVRI '57, Classic '50s) and I used to have an ash FSR. When you’re looking over the specs of a Fender electric guitar or bass, one of the first things you’ll see listed is the kind of wood the body is made of. Fender Player Jazz. TalkBass utilizes technology from Skimlinks that may give us a small affiliate commission on purchases made via links on our site. Found mainly in the wetter environs of the U.S. South, swamp ash is lighter than the northern variety, with large open pores. As you might guess, red alder is the one used for guitars in general — and Fender guitars in particular. That makes it remarkably resonant and sweet sounding, with clearly chiming highs, defined midrange and strong low end. The neck is bound and blocked beautifully! The Jazz Plus Bass was available with an alder body and the option of a natural-finish ash body on the four-string model for a $100 upcharge, either a maple or rosewood fretboard on the four-string and pau ferro (an exotic hardwood whose tone is brighter than rosewood yet … It’s not overflowing with features, but it is packing serious Fender tone, from an affordable Mexican-made instrument to boot. http://www.warmoth.com/bass/Options/WoodDescriptions.aspx, (You must log in or sign up to reply here. Notably, alder also takes finishes well — with a light brown color and a tight grain that’s only slightly visible, it’s ideal for solid colors rather than the transparent finishes that look so good on ash. They were all strung with TI Jazz Flats, and the Classic '50s and the FSR had Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound pickups. A popular choice for most bass guitars is the North American Alder. All in all, swamp ash imparts articulation and presence with a great balance between brightness and warmth, and it looks great. Traditional woods such as Alder, Ash, and Mahogany will retain their characteristic sounds, while being slightly rounder and more airy. Our interactive gear guide, FindYour.Fender.com, matches you with the perfect model by learning about your sound & style. Softer woods have a mellower, warmer tone. 1000s of songs.START YOUR FREE TRIAL. Alder produces a very resonant and balanced tone with the upper midrange pushing through as well as great sustain and extra attack. Other woods in use today on a very small number of Fender electric instruments include poplar, pine and koto. Ash usually looks better with transparent finishes. DiMarzio Model J‘s sound great on this bass. While it is bright and clear, it has a bit more warmth and darkness than the other common fingerboard wood - maple. Instrument bodies made of red alder typically consist of two to four pieces glued together. And you could have a pretty good guess at the Player series, which replaced the Mexican models in 2018. you have some nice explanations here at the warmoth site. ... Fingerboard – Hard Maple (Swamp Ash)/Rosewood (Alder) The original Precision body was ash; now you can choose from models with ash or alder bodies. Sort: Select Sort New Arrivals Best Sellers Product Name A - Z Product Name Z - A This bass has excellent sound, however I recommend replacing the pickups and bridge. Strong, dense, straight-grained and light in color, American ash is commonly used in everyday applications, including flooring, furniture and baseball bats. Discussion in 'Basses [BG]' started by oaklandthumb, Feb 7, 2015. If we are going to see this physically, in the non-resonant case the strings with the feeded energy are subject to an attenuated oscillation with a higher damping factor and in the resonant case to an attenuated oscillation with a smaller damping factor. The alder bodied basses were the well-known P sound: present, deep and articulate. Why have those two woods been used for so long in most Fender electric instruments? Red alder boasts many sonic advantages. The Rarities Flame Ash Top Jazz Bass features a two-piece alder body with a Plasma Red Burst flame ash Ash can be difficult to work with, though; the pores must be filled before finishes are applied, and two swamp ash guitar bodies are more likely to differ from one another tonally than two bodies made of alder, which has a tighter, more consistent grain. The bass that was delivered to me was a natural finish five string jazz bass with an American Swamp Ash body, a one-piece Maple 20 fret neck with a Maple fingerboard. Why those two? Supporting Members list unlimited gear with no listing fees in the Classifieds, get instant Keyword Alerts, and get Free Shipping at the TalkBass Store. It imparts excellent sustain and sharp attack. $449.99 2 colors Compare. Alder belongs to the birch family and grows around the world throughout the north temperate zone, a large area which extends from the Tropic of Cancer to the Arctic Circle. Ash: exhibits a "snappier" tone with a bright edge, but with a warm bass and long sustain. reply; Christ. The upper mids of Maple come through, as Alder does not suppress upper mids. Fender PlayStep-by-step lessons. This moved the mass of the body forward and out of the way of the player’s right arm. My experience with these woods isn't related to jazz basses per say. For Sale: Bass Guitar Strings and Accessories, The TB Bazaar: Gear For Sale from our Sponsors, For Sale: Double Bass Amps, Strings & Accessories, Wanted: Bass Guitars, Amps, and Accessories, Wanted: Double Basses, Amps & Accessories. Two or three pieces are glued together to make an instrument body, although there have been single-piece bodies. Other basses at this price range commonly use Basswood or Agathis, but Sire Guitars chooses the traditional North American Alder which is known for its loud, clear, full-bodied sound, with beefy mids and great lows that is perfect for the classic jazz bass sound. The Jazz Bass neck tapers as you get to the nut (roughly 38mm), where the strings are routed tighter. You’ll be well on your way to finding the right guitar for you. It’s often used for furniture and cabinetry. Contemporary Active Jazz Bass® HH. Phil Kubicki believed the majority of tone/sound character came from the neck, not the body. The open resonance of the Alder comes through with the sharper attack and brightness of the Maple on the top end.