Funnily enough, that's what I first thought. But I've never heard of MIJ having poplar bodies back then.
MIJ '62 Strat - basswood?
- Thread starter Flyboy
- Start date
The OP's guitar is by Fender Japan who did not use poplar.
Sure, I'm just saying the grain looks similar to my poplar bodied guitar and unlike either of my alder ones or my basswood guitar.
I make no claims to know what it is, just pointing out it's difficult to tell sometimes.
DOC DYA
Tele-Meister
A lot of MIJ Fender are made of alder or basswood. Never heard of poplar bodies. My MIJ Tele (see avatar) is alder. Wood is one thing. Quality of wood is another thing. As another poster said, many high quality guitars have been made with basswood. Should I add that a lot of rubbish guitars were made with alder, ash, whatever... That might be a reason that US, Korea, China,... made guitars, using the same "wood" have VERY different prices (and sounds?).
That said, I think you guitar is alder.
That said, I think you guitar is alder.
teleplayr
Friend of Leo's
What's wrong with Basswood?
As stated in other posts, many MIJ/CIJ Fenders actually came with alder or ash bodies (I have owned a few, and still have 2 CIJ Telecasters: both are unmistakenly ash) The grain of this one definitely looks like alder, to my eyes.
wildschwein
Tele-Afflicted
Jeff Beck prefers basswood bodies.
It has 'boring' grain.
Wound_Up
Tele-Holic
What's wrong with basswood besides aesthetics? That looks great to me. I don't stare at the grain on my guitar while I play, or any other time, so its no big del to me. Grain lines, much like headstock shape, is one of the most useless parts of a guitar. How they look means absolutely nothing to a guitar. And they matter the least.
So it's crazy to me to see people make such big deals of them. I don't stare at my guitar while I play so grain lines matter almost none. I don't stare at it while it hangs on the wall, either. So "boring" grain has no bearing here. Grain is grain is grain. When it sounds and feels good, grain means squat.
Just like headstock shape.
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Many of us feel, based on experience, that basswood does not possess the same desired tonal characteristics as say alder and ash.
Yes, certain famous guitarists use basswood. Yes certain high end builders use it as well. To me neither is a valid counterpoint. That's like saying there's nothing wrong with soy because McDonald's, a multi-trillion dollar corporation, uses it in their food. Food which some people enjoy.
I have owned more than 10 basswood Fenders, about 5 basswood Godins, and 3 or 4 basswood Ibanez's. Although many were well made instruments, I never fell in love with the sound.
With the Fenders, I had the benefit of owning basswood and alder and ash versions of the same models at the same time. The basswood consistently lacked the pleasing audible properties of the other woods, pickup variances be damned.
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