weight of swamp ash strat vs. alder strat?

[chcjunior]

My G&L Legacy 2HB FINALLY arrived. This is the swamp ash model which happens to weigh more than the alder Legacy I've owned for a couple of months now. What should the average weight of a swamp ash strat style guitar be?

[shred4Him]

Are you sure it isn't "just" ash, and not swamp ash? They both come from the same tree, but the swamp ash was the stuff under the water. Swamp ash is lighter since it isn't as dense due to being under water. The "northern" ash is just the stuff higher up on the tree, and it is more dense. Usually heavier and brighter than the swamp ash.

You also could just have a heavy piece of swamp ash or a really light piece of alder.

[chcjunior]

Are you sure it isn't "just" ash, and not swamp ash? They both come from the same tree, but the swamp ash was the stuff under the water. Swamp ash is lighter since it isn't as dense due to being under water. The "northern" ash is just the stuff higher up on the tree, and it is more dense. Usually heavier and brighter than the swamp ash.

You also could just have a heavy piece of swamp ash or a really light piece of alder.

It's supposed to be swamp ash, and the guitar isn't THAT heavy...it's actually lighter than the mahogany body/maple cap guitar I own. I just expected it to be lighter than it is. You may be right....I could just have a really light piece of alder.

[Lake Placid Blues]

Can you give a comparison of the sound to your alder one?

[chcjunior]

Can you give a comparison of the sound to your alder one?

I will in a couple days. I haven't had the chance to play it outside of the house yet in practice.

[tone?]

well it seems quite normal that the Mahogany with cap would be the heaviest of the three. Alder and Swamp ash should be about the same in weight as well.
i guess that Swamp ash should normally be lighter than alder but i think that it is more difficult to get a great piece of lightweight ash than a good piece of alder. Alder seems to be in more supply than Swamp ash.

One thing i have learned about wood is that just by going with the species doesnt mean a thing. That is, that alder should be like this and Mahogany should be like that. Depending on the quality of the wood it could be almost anything. You could get for example a Mahogany body that weighs much less than a piece of alder.

One tree differs from another and sometimes either the crap that some guitar builder is using or the great resonant wood that another is using.

Wood from the same tree will sound different and weigh different.

yeah the basic rules apply but in the guitar businsess it isnt always true.