Fender Electric Bass Guitar

Fender used ash for guitar and bass systems more or less solely from 1950 to mid 1956. All along, but and right-up to the current, Fender features proceeded to utilize ash on a somewhat few instruments. Guitars and basses with blonde finishes, including, typically have ash systems because lumber “takes” that one finish specially really.

There are lots of kinds of ash trees; for the purposes, we’re speaking genus Fraxinus. A lot more specifically, we’re talking Fraxinus americana, also referred to as United states ash. It’s a local united states hardwood, together with trees, which are rather breathtaking, are located all around the eastern 50 % of the continent from Nova Scotia into the north to Florida inside south, so that as far west as Minnesota right down to eastern Tx.

Powerful, dense, straight-grained and light in shade, United states ash is usually found in daily programs. Besides electric instrument figures, it’s preferred for floor coverings, furnishings and baseball bats, among various other things. There are 2 kinds always make guitar bodies—northern ash and south or “swamp” ash. The latter may be the additionally made use of of the two. Two or three pieces are glued together in order to make an instrument human body, even though there being single-piece bodies.

In general, north ash is harder, denser and heavier, and takes much longer to develop. As an electric guitar timber, it produces more treble and great sustain, with less warmth than other electric guitar forests.

For Fender, south “swamp ash” is when it's at. Leo Fender chose swamp ash for their very first Esquire, Broadcaster and Telecaster guitars in the dawn regarding the 1950s. Found primarily when you look at the wetter environs of U.S. South, swamp ash is lighter than the north variety, with big available pores. Which makes it extremely resonant and sweet sounding, with obviously chiming highs, defined midrange and powerful reasonable end. Higher overtones tend to be more obviously defined in reduced registers, increasing harmonic content. More, the timber has actually a beautiful whole grain and color that make for gorgeous transparent finishes. Ash is tough to utilize, though; the skin pores must certanly be filled before finishes tend to be used, as well as 2 swamp ash guitar bodies are more inclined to vary from each other tonally than two-bodies made of alder, which has a tighter, much more constant grain.

All in all, swamp ash imparts articulation and presence with outstanding balance between brightness and heat, therefore looks great. In order to see (and hear) why numerous ash-body Fender guitars regarding the ’50s are very prized.