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Can you guys educate me on Poplar wood bodies?


elsupermanny14

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Since the 50's the three main woods Fender used on Strat bodies are Poplar, Alder and Ash. Poplar is very similar to Alder. Poplar is a hardwood (but a softish hardwood) lots of companies use it from high end guitars to mid-range. Mahogany was sometime used on mid 60's strats. In 1982 about 200 Strat bodies were made from hackberry wood which was a substitute for alder much like poplar.(A.R.Duchossoir - The Fender Stratocaster page51). Basswood is next in line to take a hiding......

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If it's good quality, poplar can sound great. I have a poplar body guitar that sounds excellent. The reason poplar isn't used as much as alder is because it doesn't look particularly attractive with a finish that's clear or semi clear. It has a lot of knots in it. This is why poplar guitars are typically painted with solid colors.

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The most collectable MusicMan basses -- the ones from the mid/late 1970 -- had poplar bodies. Unfortunately, MusicMan switched to ash for their basses. Players love those original poplar MusicMan basses for their snappy response.

 

I believe MusicMan does use poplar for the body of the Steve Morse signature guitar.

 

 

 

 

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Most, if not all, Fender Mustangs and Duo Sonics, even from the 60's, are made from poplar. My wife's Classic Series 50's strat is poplar and it sounds better than my American Series Alder Strat.

 

 

 

http://www.stratcollector.com/newsdesk/archives/000204.html

 

Since 1956, most Strats had been made of alder, except for the ash-body transparent finishes.

 

Dan Smith:

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