It was recently announced that Fender will be phasing out ash for production-line electric guitar models. What little Ash we are able to source will continue to be made available in select, historically appropriate vintage models, as supplies are available. Here, Justin Norvell, the Executive Vice President of Fender Easy Things To Make And Sell Out Of Wood Us Product, gives Guitar World an exclusive look into the reasons behind the decision and how the easy things to make and sell out of wood guitar plans to move forward through these challenging times First off, going back historically, non-Fender luthiery always used things like spruces but also exotic tropical hardwoods.

Slel used materials that were widely available. He went to a lumberyard and woods like alder, ash and maple were easy to get.

They would clear forests of ash to make room to grow other things. What exactly prompted the decision to stop using ash for your production-line models? This is not like it will go away for a couple of seasons and eventually grow back. We actually only easy things to make and sell out of wood guitar the bottom part of the tree, where the water is.

But unfortunately due to the circumstances our ash production will be winding down. We were using ash all the way down through to Squier before! Are there any other woods that could match the visual and tonal qualities of ash?

There was a decent amount of that stuff back in the day - we made some pine guitars and have even used it recently. Pine is a great wood. But for those that insist on ash, it is what it is due to scarcity, which always drives demand. This ot how we adapt to that scarcity. A lot of people vote with their eyes… ash has a much more pronounced, swirling grain pattern compared to alder, which is more uniform in its look.

We did ash versus alder east hear the differences. Ash was my tonal preference, it has a little more of a scoop in the mids. Alder has more of a peak. When you are playing with a annd and need to cut through, the alder has a better peak and allows you to claim more space in the song. Every piece of wood is different. We have full chain of custody on all our woods, to know exactly where they came from right from the beginning.

The great thing about working at Fender is nothing is more than a few easy things to make and sell out of wood guitar away, you can always swap things around! A uniform dark ebony is nice, but streaks are unique and nice, giving the instruments a signature look. Especially right now, guitar players will be eager for something new and exciting to inspire them. I guess as we all walk back out into the light and adjust our eyes, our idea is to continue our plan of releasing new products.

In the '90s a friend of mine offered me a Tele Deluxe with the trem on it from '74 or ' Maake, I try to keep everything I have. Guitar World. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer.

Topics Fender.