Tree Age Calculator. I played it and it sounded great so i asked the salesman what wood it was made of but he didn't know. Alder has a light brown color with subtle grain patterns that are straighter than other hardwoods, such as oak or ash. The stem circumference is measured at a height of 1.00 m (3.3 ft.) to 1.50 m (4.5 ft.). With the exception of maple, which has a slick surface, common hardwoods, such as ash, oak, hickory and alder, typically have a porous texture or small indentations or relief patterns that follow the grain. ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica). Alder will not need a filler--it sands to a very uniform, smooth finish. both 1a an 2a sound fatter to me, not sure I know the difference between ash and alder, but I think ash probably has the fatter sound, I might be backwards on that though. If the finish applied is not a good hard finish, the guitar will sound muddy (personal experience). Appreciate the age of the tree. 1. Other ash will usually be heavier. Once the leaves are gone, they add subtle grace and beauty to the tree, softening the appearance of the bare branches. Only Ash trees and Boxelder trees have both opposite branching and compound leaves, but the leaves on Boxelder trees usually only have 3-5 leaflets, not 5-9. Ash is nice, but there are a wide variety that have tonal difference. You can also examine the treeâs bark. USA Swamp Ash is tops. Ash trees are typically in woodlands on any of their native continents, Europe, Asia and North America. 2. Is this an ash tree? Three examples of North American ash tree species are white ash (Fraxinus Americana), green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) and the Arizona ash (Fraxinus velutina). Alder covers a broader tone range. Ash trees usually have 5-9 leaflets per leaf. It was the choice of Peavey from 87-92. Ogle Supporting Member Commercial User I saw this american tele deluxe in a store. Photo: Paul Kirtley. Common softwoods, such as pine, fir, spruce or poplar, have closed pores, resulting in a slick, flat surface without indentations. The boxelder tree is native to a vast portion of central North America. Like one guitarist may say that alder is best used for playing blues while ash is for rock while another may say otherwise. This video will discuss how your can identify an ash tree. C ommon ash, European ash or just âashâ, Fraxinus excelsior, is a common and widespread tree of northern Europe, including the UK and Ireland.. Ash trees make up a significant proportion of British hedgerows and are a key component of many mixed deciduous woodlands in the UK. Alder is the most common choice. Feb 4, 2011 #9 M.R. Leaves provide another method of alder tree identification. Ash will need a filler. Please select the tree type and specify the stem circumference / diameter in cm or inch. White ash buds are paired with a leaf scar beneath the Nevertheless, many guitarists have slightly differing descriptions with the sounds of the guitars they use may it be an alder or an ash. Black ash has 7 to 11 leaflets and is found in wet woods; blue ash has 7 to 11 leaflets and distinctive 4-angled corky wings on the stem. An ash tree by Lake Windermere, Cumbria. The catkins persist into winter. What kind of trees do I have? It is a softer, darker sounding wood. Other native ash trees less commonly found include black ash (Fraxinus nigra) and blue ash (Fraxinus quadangulata) (not shown). The female flowers on an alder tree stand upright at the ends of the twigs, while the male catkins are longer and hang down. But oftentimes, it is the former. There's a significant difference in the hardness of the dark and the light wood, and when you sand you can't get a dead level surface unless you use filler In practice it's not that easy to tell some species of wood from the grain.