Alder vs Swamp Ash, Maple vs Rosewood and a Neck Swap – The Definitive Comparison with Audio Clips
A while back I wrote this post concerning the differences between alder and swamp ash when used in a strat-style guitar and what tones/genres of music those combinations suited best. I originally wrote that post to satisfy my own curiosity, but also to share with others and participate in discussion. Three years later it is still the most searched topic on this site and continues to bring in a steady stream of traffic. Apparently I’m not the only one curious about these things….
Since I wrote the original post, I realized that I was missing a big chunk of the puzzle: how the wood the neck and fingerboard were made from influence the tone of the instrument. I realized the only way 
to truly see this was by comparing the two most popular neck wood combinations for a strat-style guitar (maple neck with rosewood fingerboard and one piece maple neck & fingerboard) on the same guitar.
To conduct this comparison I used two Suhr Classic guitars with identical electronics (V60LP pickups and the Silent Single Coil system). One was alder with a one piece maple neck and the other, swamp ash with a maple neck and Brazilian rosewood fingerboard. I recorded both clean and dirty passages utilizing every pickup combination on each guitar, then swapped the necks and repeated the process.
note: swapping necks on a Suhr guitar will void your warranty if the factory doesn’t perform the work.
What follows below are the audio clips organized by pickup position so that you can compare the sounds of the different wood combinations within the same context.
NECK POSITION – CLEAN TONES
Alder Body – Once Piece Maple Neck
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Alder Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard
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Swamp Ash Body – Once Piece Maple Neck
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Swam Ash Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard
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NECK POSITION – DIRTY TONES
Alder Body – Once Piece Maple Neck
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Alder Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard
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Swamp Ash Body – Once Piece Maple Neck
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Swam Ash Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard
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NECK + MIDDLE POSITION – CLEAN TONES
Alder Body – Once Piece Maple Neck
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Alder Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard
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Swamp Ash Body – Once Piece Maple Neck
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Swam Ash Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard
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NECK + MIDDLE POSITION – DIRTY TONES
Alder Body – Once Piece Maple Neck
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Alder Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard
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Swamp Ash Body – Once Piece Maple Neck
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Swam Ash Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard
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MIDDLE POSITION – CLEAN TONES
Alder Body – Once Piece Maple Neck
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Alder Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard
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Swamp Ash Body – Once Piece Maple Neck
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Swam Ash Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard
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MIDDLE POSITION – DIRTY TONES
Alder Body – Once Piece Maple Neck
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Alder Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard
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Swamp Ash Body – Once Piece Maple Neck
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Swam Ash Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard
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MIDDLE + BRIDGE POSITION – CLEAN TONES
Alder Body – Once Piece Maple Neck
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Alder Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard
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Swamp Ash Body – Once Piece Maple Neck
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Swam Ash Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard
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MIDDLE + BRIDGE POSITION – DIRTY TONES
Alder Body – Once Piece Maple Neck
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Alder Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard
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Swamp Ash Body – Once Piece Maple Neck
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Swam Ash Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard
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BRIDGE POSITION – CLEAN TONES
Alder Body – Once Piece Maple Neck
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Alder Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard
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Swamp Ash Body – Once Piece Maple Neck
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Swam Ash Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard
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BRIDGE POSITION – DIRTY TONES
Alder Body – Once Piece Maple Neck
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Alder Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard
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Swamp Ash Body – Once Piece Maple Neck
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Swam Ash Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard
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Thanks Pete, that was awesome. I am surprised I can hear the difference, and at times, I’m surprised that the difference is very subtle.
Ahh, glorious confirmation that swamp ash sounds better than alder!
Thanks for the comparison clips, very thorough. The ‘clean’ tones were edgier than I consider for clean but they work. When I think of clean Strat tones, I think of Sultans of Swing, etc, you know, chimey bell-tones. Surprised at how much more I prefer the Alder – the Ash body seems harsh in comparison. And the Maple neck sounds fatter and warmer than the Roswood fingerboard neck, was expecting the opposite.
The dirty clips were too overdriven for my personal tastes, I had no preferences for one wood or another.
Alder and rosewood works for me!
Great experiment, thanks.
Great way to compare, thanks for the clips. The swampash/maple/maple clips remind me of what I like about my swampash Tele with all maple neck. It’s great for funk.
I can hear a slight difference, but its so small theres no reason think one is better than the other.
A little EQ tweaking could make them all sound identical
@Matt Parsons
The audio quality of the swamp clips is better, but the Alder timbre sound is “better”.
I heard Alder timbre sound more masculine. The swamp one a little cleaner, but the timbre is more effeminate.
So i prefer the Alder sound.
@Robi
The Swamp clips have more gain.
@Robi
Everything was done with identical settings. What you’re hearing is the impact that the wood has on the tone.
@Gary
While sound is part of the equation, EQ’ing won’t change the responsiveness of the different woods in your hands when playing in different settings. Amp volume (whether clean or overdriven) is like using a microscope for sound….it will further bring out the inherent foundational qualities of these wood combinations.
Wonderfull work!, definitely I prefer Alder + maple/maple, bright clear, no harsh, chimey/twangy. All the 50´s, 60´s flavors!
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thanks mate that has helped me confirm that ash and maple is for me.rock on..Jazz on country on ………..Funk on
Pete,
Can you tell us the neck shapes on your Suhr strats? I’m trying to decide between the even C slim or the 60′s C shape Suhr neck for a Suhr custom build. Also, have you found the Single coil silencing technology installed in your suhrs to affect tone at all? By the way, thanks for taking the time to do these recordings. This is just what I was searching for on the net!
Sure. The one piece maple neck was the 60′s C medium while the maple with Brazilian rosewood fingerboard was the Even C medium shape. Both necks featured a 10-14″ radius. The shape is really a matter of preference in what feels comfortable in your hand. I find the radius to have more of an effect on your playing than the neck shape. For me, anything rounder that 10-14 is too “vintage” for my playing style.
As for the Silent Single Coil system, I think it is a wonderful innovation. The ability to play single coil pickups with all their delicate, glassy, punchy and gnarly glory without hum through high gain is amazing. I do think that the in-between positions feel and sound a little different because of the polarity being the same (vs RWRP on typical strats), but its not enough to make be want to switch back. That said, if you think they sound fine in my clips here then you should be more than happy with them.
Thanks for digging the clips. Please spread the word!
Haha…whatever it is, they all sound like great strats…:):)
Thanks Pete for doing such a systematic comparison. I was surprised to hear so much difference. For me the big, round tone of the alder body/maple neck combo was streets ahead. This was a surprise since conventional wisdom says that maple is brighter than rosewood. If my physics lessons serve me correctly, the density of the woods will be more important than the actual species of the woods in determining tone.
Awesome work Pete, thanks a lot for spending so much of your time and for working so thoroughly! I am currently thinking about getting a swamp ash with rosewood and in the clips it has been my fovourite comination. Did you mention yours or did you leave that out on purpose?
ATB
Martin
Thanks Martin. I left my preference out on purpose as I wanted everyone else to make their own decisions. I will certainly say that through this process I’ve learned what combinations I prefer for various genres of music or particular musical settings, but that’s just my opinion.
thanks for that, that changed my mind in general. only thought which neck would sound different. the swamp ash has a perfect punch, the alder is quite soft in comparison.
@Gary
don`t think so, swanp ash has more “body” in my ear. had the problem when i tried to make my emg sa sound like proper strat-coils. they missed the punch in any way. days of trying – no chance!
i tried to identify the samples blindly. body is obvious the first time you hear it. the neck is not that big difference and i absolutly agree with tom: the maple neck sounds fatter!
Nice comparison. Thanx. Slight differencies in neck construction also changes the tone. The shape of the neck profile, thickness and so on.
Great review! I t would have been interesting to list these without telling what the woods were and then get the comments, since many of us think we know what this wood or that wood will sound like. If only they would sell Brent Mason and or Eddie Van Halens fingers :p
alder/maple sound good together, ash/rosewood also sound good..both have a good balance. alder/rosewood sound thuddy/lifeless, and ash/maple are to bright. Just my .02 cents worth,i personally would choose ash/rosewood..real bluesy tone
I’ve been listening to all the samples over and over again… In different days and different moods but in the same room and via the same sound system. My conclusion is the swamp-ash + rosewood f’board sounds better, IMO. As StratCat well stated, the ash body + rosewood is sort of a perfect balance, as the rosewood “smoothes” the natural “brightness” of the ash body.
My main guitar is a 1 piece, ash-bodied, 1959 Stratocaster with a rosewood board. Some people say it’s a quite rare guitar as Fender changed to alder sometime between 1956/1957. Also, the pickups in this one have a bit more output than later Strat pickups wounded in the then-modern, automatic winders.
However, Pete’s audio samples sound quite close to my old Strat. And to be completely honest (and a bit biased, I admit), I just love the sound of my Strat, hence, my preference for the ash + rosewood combo.
Ahh! They all sound so different and so similar at the same time… To me the fretboard woods have remarkable differences in the sound, prove that the a small piece of wood like the fretboard will make a big difference in the sound. I love both Alder and Swamp Ash ans I own guitars on both woods. It’s a matter of taste and prefereces, that’s all it is!
BTW, how much do you get the classics nowadays? Is it still in the $3000 range? A friend of mine told me he got his for $2000, but he had to wait for 10 months
I like the swamp ash for the neck and bridge pickups, but the alder for the rest. Too bad nobody makes a switch to toggle between woods!
I could also hear added complexity in the rosewood fretboard, but i much preferred the tonal purity of the one-piece maple neck. To me, that added complexity just muddied things up.
Alder and Maple is the winner for me. Not that the others sounded bad by any stretch.
I only need to hear it from one clean position say, MIDDLE maybe. I want hear more woods!
I ALSO WANT TO HEAR THE DIFFERENCE IN TONE BETWEEN BRIDGES. SAY, A VINTAGE TREMOLO AND A HARD TAIL BRIDGE.
@Justin Case of course you like that one best. you’ve already paid top dollar for it!
To my ears… The all maple neck has fewer harmonics(more fundamental) than a maple neck/rosewood board (thicker, harmonically richer tone)… The ash body has fewer lows/mids than alder…
A guitars neck oscillates out of phase with the strings vibration causing phase cancellation at certain frequencies.. A stiffer neck will have more highs because it oscillates less causing less phase cancellation, hence more treble…
Thanks for all the effort you made toward putting to rest this long running debate. I agree with the quote above… was expecting the maple neck to be brighter than the rosewood. The differences are subtle but the alder/maple combination sounds a bit warmer to me. In the end, the difference is in the ear of the beholder so to speak.
Thanks, Im looking this article over the past 2years and gladly found it here..the audio sample also helps a lot
i can clearly hear the difference
greetings from Indonesia
You can get the Pro series for less that 2k but then you have no control over the specs. If you are very specific about what you want for a classic (and I would HIGHLY suggested getting the SSC system), you’re still looking at the 2-3k range.
To my ears maple isn’t brighter, it just cuts better in the mix, especially when paired with alder. Not much low end in that scenario, but when you’re playing with a band that shouldn’t matter.
Glad you enjoyed this and found it useful. The purpose of my posts is to keep people from wasting money on things that I wish I knew about when I was younger! Please learn from my mistakes!