Engineer Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 Can you tell the difference between Swamp Ash and regular Ash just by looking? If so, I would like to know what to look for. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primal Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 From what I gather the two ashes don't look much alike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank falbo Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 Actually they do. The grain is pretty similar, and the best "swamp ash" is from down around the base of the tree where it's soaking all the time. That makes the pores a little more swollen and makes a lighter, more airy and snappy sounding guitar. You can have two blanks from the same tree and they'll be different as night and day. If you're looking at it in person, just pick it up. There's a huge weight difference. But if you're looking at a photo, hard ash can be more yellowish compared to the creamy peach tones of Swamp Ash. Those are broad generalizations. The biggest giveaway, even if I'm looking at a photo of a sunbursted guitar, is the size of the pores. Its a pretty small difference but I can make an educated guess based on the size of the "holes" overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killahworm Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 dang I thought it was two different spiecies... You learn as long as you have a liver(or was it as long as you live?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitone Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 Go with swamp ash! 100% I built my first guitar out of solid ash. It came out nice, but man is it heavy! You have to put it down after a couple of songs and rest your shoulder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarfrenzy Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 Go with swamp ash! 100% I built my first guitar out of solid ash. It came out nice, but man is it heavy! You have to put it down after a couple of songs and rest your shoulder. Swamp Ash to me sounds better and is also lighter. I consider myself to be lucky enough to live in an area that it's easy to get. But even with the wood we have there is differences in the weight from one piece to the next. So you have to be very selective in what you choose to work with. I like light guitars myself. Basswood is also a favorite for that reason.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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