Northern Ash

They're the same species; differences in harness/density are attributable to growing conditions. You'll still have to fill the pores if you don't want them to telegraph through the finish.

 

My Ken Lawrence is northern ash. From what I gather, it's a little less full down low and a little brighter than swamp ash. I bump the bass up just a hair and it's it's big and rich, but still articulate and has great sustain. I really love this bass. I know Ken had mentioned that he prefers it over swamp ash.

 

I've been using Northern Ash for the bodies of all of my basses for about 12 years, up until recently. It has wonderful characteristics of weight and strength that make it perfect for bodies. It does have a very deep grain that requires filling. I use black-tinted West Systems epoxy.

However, a very big warning about Northern Ash: A few years ago, there was a huge infestation of Emerald Boring Beetles which wiped out a large portion of the ash trees across North America. Infested boards were everywhere, and had to be destroyed. You can read up on it if you want. I don't know if they have it under control yet. As a result, most lumber suppliers here in the US stopped carrying ash, or if they have any, it's narrow little boards.

I had an infestation of the beetles here in my own shop. I bought several ash boards from a good supplier, and they looked clean. Six months later, the larvae began crawling out of the boards and eating up all of the other ash boards I had in my shop. They won't touch any other wood, just ash. There is nothing you can do to treat the wood or kill them off. They are incredibly tenacious. They bury their eggs down deep in the wood, and the next generation pops out the following spring.

Worse yet, I built two of my top-line Scroll Basses with bodies from those boards, before I knew that they were infested. No visible signs during the build process. The bodies were completely sealed and painted. During final assembly, little holes started appearing. The little buggers ate their way up through the paint and started spitting out little piles of sawdust. I had to build two whole new bodies for those basses.

To show you how tenacious they are, I kept those two infested bodies and hung them outdoors for over two years in the direct Southern California sun and occasional rain. Since the bodies were junk, it was also an interesting durability test of the paint and glues. Now I have those bodies hanging in my office. It's been four years, and fresh holes and little piles of sawdust just appeared a few weeks ago. They aren't going to give up until they've completely eaten those two bodies.

I've gotten rid of all of the ash in my shop, other than those two bodies. And I won't use ash any more, as much as I like it. It isn't worth the risk. I use poplar now, which is pretty close in characteristics, and in plentiful supply.

I would be very cautious about buying and using Northern Ash. There's a good chance that the boards that your supplier has were from infested trees, and were sneaked out of the US and sold for cheap overseas. If you see any little holes (about 1/16" dia), run away! Even if you can't see any holes, I'd think about it before buying it.

 

i see its advantages when youre making semihollow or slim profile body and want to retain some mass to prevent neck-heaviness. the wood stains and finishes beautifully and doesnt depend on protective (in the mechanical sense) function of a finish, since its so hard. its not expensive. due to the greater mass sounds a bit more ringy and articulate. some builders use it for the necks also.

 

Northern Ash makes GREAT, very responsive necks. I had an MTD 535 with an ash neck (maple board) - KILLER tone!

 

My favorite wood for a body (for all types of basses, graphite neck, wood, neck, fretted or fretless).

I love that hard edge to the attack and that snap you can get.

Its just so yummy.

 

The Emerald Ash Borer is a big problem, but we have not had lumber problems with them here in Michigan. Lumber for export does not leave the US without being fully inspected and cleared before export, they won't export infested wood. I have been using White Ash for many years without a problem. We may have more stringent inspection for lumber grade material here as we are right in the middle of the little buggers feeding area, but we have plenty of large thick boards here and I keep a good deal in my shop for use as necks and bodies.

Pay attention to the pieces you select, as Northern (white)Ash can vary in weight greatly. I find the whiter the piece, the lighter it usually is.

 

Musiclogic;

Well, that's interesting. Here in Southern California, most of the suppliers have pretty much stopped carrying ash. My regular supplier only has a small stack of boards barely 3" wide. They said that they lost a lot of money on wood they had to trash, and their main customers (local furniture builders and finish carpenters) are afraid to use it now.

That's kind of where I am now. I really like ash, but I'm afraid to take the risk of building basses out of it. Those two Scroll Bass bodies were worth $1000 each in lost labor. I had the boards here in my shop for six months before I used them, and I didn't see any signs at all that they were infested during the construction process. Then, about ten months after I bought the boards, the beetles popped out. So, how am I supposed to know if a board is clean and safe to use?

I hope they get it under control. I'd like to eventually use ash again.

 

Working as a furniture maker (and first-time bass builder) in the UK, I use imported American white ash practically daily.

All of the American timber we use (mainly white oak, poplar and ash), is extremely stable and defect free.

This supports what you say about the grading, of export timber.

I suppose we pay for the privilege. I suspect that the profits on export make it more worthwile, than selling this domestically.

 

Yeah Bruce, My broker carries a minimum of 1000 bd ft in rough sawn White ash and 500 bd ft of dimensional stock. The head saw there tells me there is very little infested lumber that gets through the mills anymore, as you stated, the eggs get on anything or the larvae, and it becomes swiss ash, and you know what that could do to an Ash mill's stock. Something the L&S mill was stricken with 10 years ago in Central Michigan. 20,000 bd ft of stock, 2 5000 sq ft kilns and 3 sawing mills all destroyed because of an EAB infestation. Our prices here went up to $7+ a bd ft for a couple years, which was hard, when you're used to paying $2.50...LOL

I am sure Larry Davis probably knows much more than I do about the import/ export and EAB control efforts.

 

You could try and import some English Ash if you still want Ash without fearing borer beetles. Its very similar to Northern Ash but is in fact a seperate species, I have used it for bodys, 1 piece (with seperate fboard) necks and neck laminates.

 

Emerald ash beetles.........they are mostly up in the northern states, but I have heard of a few in the southern states. The only Emerald Ash Beetles I have ever had in my shop came from a highly custom European ash board, burned it and all the sawdust. Most of the mills I purchase my swamp ash from, soak them in a chemical before they kiln dry them. They have never had any ash beetles in any of their material for the last 100 years.
I just had over 1500 bdft. shipped out that will head overseas; it had inspection and a phyto that verify that it is "Bug Free".

 

When I worked for Paxton we ran a really nice moulding for Batesville Casket and they then cut it for the sides of an urn box.

They had a customer bring back a box made from Ash that had these "holes" appear overnight.

The box was made by Batesville one year before, moulded by Paxton one year before that, the lumber was purchased by Paxton a year before that, kilned by Shannon two years before that, and felled and milled about a year before that.

It took five and a half years to have the borer pop out. And at a very inconvenient location, I might say. Borers suck.

 

I hope the ash bodied Jazz I am working on doesn't start getting little holes a year after I finish it. You guys have me kind of worried now.

 

Very nice bass........how much does it weigh?

 

Semi hollow. People pay extra for that.