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Fender discontinues use of Ash?
- Thread starter Admiral Akbar
- Start date
It only takes one jerk in Michigan to ruin guitar making for the entire world..
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I live in Lawrenceburg Indiana. The Ash Boarer came through here about 3 years back. Wiped out pretty much every ash tree around. I have a big ash tree in the back that shaded my deck wonderfully. It's dead now and I'll be taking it down this spring. This insect is really bad and it needs to be contained. If you don't have it in your area yet your trees can be treated to reject the insect. It came through quickly.
I'm just glad the government intervened. We almost lost rosewood 2 years ago until they put it on cites. Luckily, in 2 years the rosewood has completely replenished worldwide and now we can have rosewood fingerboards again legally.
If it's the grain you covet, paulownia isn't a bad fallback. I've always wondered how beech, birch, and elm would do as body woods. Maybe now we can find out.
My 2000 Ken Smith BSRJ has the Ash Body. I thought about selling, but pulled it down a few days ago.
Is that an American Pro Jazz? I had the same bass an loved it but had to return it. I never forgot how beautiful that natural finish looked, so I sourced the below bass instead a few years later, AV 60s Hot Rod Precision, also ash:
It is a pro! They did a decent job matching the 2 pieces, can barely tell from most angles.
And yours is a beauty as well!!! Love the grain!!
Bark beetles are killing pine trees all across the West. They are turning once beautiful forests of pines into ugly dead fire hazards. Look it up.
Wow!
This is screwed up!
What will Ernie Ball make Stingrays out of now?
Mike.
This is screwed up!
What will Ernie Ball make Stingrays out of now?
Mike.
it's been my understanding that maple bats have become increasingly popular anyway due to being harder. downside is maple breaks in shards that are incredibly dangerous flying about
impulse bought a one piece swamp ash body from warmoth a decade ago. i don't believe in the tone wood bs but it looks purdy. guess I'm even more glad now that these will continue to get rarer
My first Jazz Bass was ash. I sold it because it was obnoxiously heavy and I thought the idea of "tone wood" was overstated, but I realize now that I haven't found a JB since that sounded as warm and full.
Dang... I have a custom Dingwall on order with an ash body. Time to check in and see if my order will still be built as spec'd.
JeezyMcNuggles
Inactive
- Feb 23, 2018
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Ash is far and away my favorite body wood. Swamp ash is pretty good, but regular old northern ash rocks my socks. I love it for everything, in fact, floors, trim, cabinets- hell, it's even excellent firewood. I've been watching our local ash populations dwindle, writing letters to the right people, and hoping we can get it under control. If porcelain berry (look it up) is any indication, I'm not real hopeful. What a bummer. When will America start giving a rat's ass about protecting some of the world's oldest, most unique, most specialized ecosystems from invasive species?! We know how to mostly prevent it, but once established they're all but guaranteed to stay for at least generations, maybe forever. I guess about the same time we start realizing that we're giving our lives and livelihoods away every day to save cents per unit on most of what we buy...
Addressed last year: Changing Times, Changing Timbers: Why the guitar industry's swamp ash shortage won't interrupt our mission to make the world's best guitars.Wow!
This is screwed up!
What will Ernie Ball make Stingrays out of now?
Mike.
