A nice piece of ash... or a "dreadful" comparison...

[GardMan]

Wouldn't it be fun to sample guitars made from all of them?

That's the quest upon which I (to my wifes' chagrin) have embarked... all the Guild tonewoods, in dread bodies (at least, for starters). I figure, by the time you count the back/side woods (mahogany, pear, ash, maple, rosewood), back design (flat vs arched), and top wood (spruce/mahogany) there are nine combinations... so I'm a little over halfway there. It would be fun if we could get the entire range together at Arlington next year!

Added: that's not counting the relative handful of custom shop koas that were made... I have only seen pics of them, and they are out of my league!

 

[gilded]

Ash is the wood used in most '50's Telecaster bodies, as well as the first few years on the Stratocaster models.

The other wood Fender used (in the '50's and '60's) was Alder. Compared to Alder, Ash has a stronger, harder-hitting sound; think of that resonant, 'Spank the Plank' twangy-sound from the early black-guard Teles.

It would indeed be neat to hear an Ash-bodied acoustic at Arlington next year. I'm looking forward to it!