Fender Original 50s Ash or Alder
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mimmo
Poster Extraordinaire
Don't want to give you a wrong answer, but I am pretty sure that the AO 50s have an ash body.
HomeOffisRockstar
TDPRI Member
AO 50’s are Ash, AO 60’s are Alder, AO 60’s Thinlines are Ash, AO 70’s are Alder
Yes that makes sense but ....
I just realised I've asked on the wrong forum LOL Are we allowed to talk about Strats on here?
I'm a Les Paul guy and I tried a White AO Strat in 2018 and loved it. The other day I tried a friend's Ash Telecaster and loved that too
In 2018 the AO Strats came in Gold, White and Sunburst, now they come in Silver, White Blonde and sunburst
Some websites say Stratocasters with White Blonde finish are the only ones that come in Ash. Just wonder why they say that when the Fender website says all the AO 50s come in Ash? So was that White Strat in 2018 was Ash or Alder? Probably Ash?
From Fender.com page on the AO50's Strat:
My guess is that "some websites" are wrong. Which ones are you referring to? I don't know if/how Fender's specs for the AO series have changed over the years, and I'm also guessing that some people are confusing the AO series with the specs of the actual vintage instruments.
As you've discovered, all of the AO 50s Strats are ash, but this wasn't the case in the actual 50s. Starting in 1956, Fender used ash for the blonde Strats and alder for the sunburst and custom colors. Sometimes a custom color Strat would be ash, but most were alder. That was the case until the 70s.
Just about all the websites that aren't Fender. Keep in mind sometimes the manufacturer's websites have errors too. From what you're saying about the 1950's guitars it would be period-correct if the AO 50's sunbursts etc. are Alder
Let me explain my situation a bit better
I'm not very familiar with Fender guitars but there are two that I've tried that stood out to me. The Telecaster the other day which was definitely Ash and the White Strat a few years ago. I don't know if that was Ash or Alder. If it was Alder then its not an Ash vs Alder thing but if it was Ash then its probably what I like about them
Where I live there is a shop with a White Blonde AO 50 in stock but I don't like that colour. I can get a Sunburst but it will have to come from the Eastern States and if its Alder then I'd be reluctant to order it in
My question is; does anybody know for sure what these guitars are made of, regardless of what websites say?
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HomeOffisRockstar
TDPRI Member
Yep, that was just for the Tele's, not strats
HomeOffisRockstar
TDPRI Member
Do you have the serial number?
If so you can look it up at https://serialnumberlookup.fender.com/lookup/ and it will tell you all the specs.
If only I knew! I'm kicking myself for not buying that Strat in 2018
Ya know every time I Google I end up more confused than I was before. Here is a video from 2018 which states the Aztec gold and Sunburst are Alder and the White Blonde is Ash...However, I thought that white Strat I saw in 2018 was solid white
I'm going to keep Googling to get to the bottom of this and be hell-late for work!
Twang Tone
Friend of Leo's
The AO 50s Tele is Ash, and the AO 50s Strat is either Alder (Solid colors or Sunburst) or Ash (White Blonde).
I think the most likely explanation is the white Strat I saw in 2018 had a less see-though finish. I can't find any evidence of a solid White AO 50s Strat. They dropped Aztec Gold for Inca Silver and I thought they might have changed the White as well
I've always struck-out with Strats. I put a deposit on one in the 90's but backed out. I bought one about ten years ago and just couldn't cope with the Modern-C profile and a few other things so I took it back for store credit and got a MESA BOOGIE
Fenders have so many variables like neck profile, radius, 21 - 22 frets, colours. I just can't find one with a chunky neck, 12" radius, Ash body and a colour I like
So I'm going to make one!
I've always struck-out with Strats. I put a deposit on one in the 90's but backed out. I bought one about ten years ago and just couldn't cope with the Modern-C profile and a few other things so I took it back for store credit and got a MESA BOOGIE
Fenders have so many variables like neck profile, radius, 21 - 22 frets, colours. I just can't find one with a chunky neck, 12" radius, Ash body and a colour I like
So I'm going to make one!
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