Hard ash (whether roasted or kiln-dried) is an excellent choice, particularly for our Thinline bodies. It retains the classic appearance of Swamp Ash, allowing for a beautiful and authentic transparent or sunburst finish, but is stronger and much more resilient to damage. In this application, the increased density (when compared to Swamp Ash) is mitigated by the Thinline construction. Thinline Joyrider and Jugular bodies constructed from Hard Ash tend to weigh in the mid 3lb range (around 1.6kg).

Many people find Hard Ash a bit too heavy for a Solidbody, but it is absolutely a viable wood if you don’t mind (or prefer) a heavier guitar. Fender switched to using Hard Ash in the 1970s for many of their models, and it’s not a great deal heavier than most of the Alder you’d commonly find today.

Ash of all kinds will require grain-filling if a flat mirror-finish is desired, otherwise the finish will be absorbed variably and the grain structure will be visible in the clear coat, even when using a solid-coloured finish (think of a 1980s black ash veneered speaker cabinet, and you’ll have the right idea). Professional finishers should know exactly how to handle this (just make sure to communicate your ideas clearly), and there is a wealth of information available online regarding grain-filling ash and similar porous woods if you plan to finish the body yourself. As always, one approach is not superior to another – what’s important is to be clear in your own mind what you are aiming for. Some people love the effect of variable absorption, others don’t, and everyone can be happy!

Popular opinion would suggest that Hard Ash is a bright sounding timber for Solidbody application, but I find it has great clarity and strength in the low-end, and often results in a very balanced sounding guitar that can be a versatile platform for many different pickup and control configurations to work well.

As above, but with a beautiful dark roasted chocolate colour in the same neighbourhood as rosewood. Kiln-dried Roasted Hard Ash is naturally so stable that the benefits conferred by thermal treatment are a lesser consideration than they might be for other timbers, so we recommend you choose between the two based on appearance.

Roasted Alder
We’re delighted to finally have a stock of Roasted Alder! Requiring no introduction, Alder has been used extensively for solidbody bolt-on guitars from 1956 to the present day.

The roasting process replaces sap present in younger wood with hard resin and air pockets, as if naturally aging the wood by decades or centuries – so it’s an excellent choice to nail a vintage tone right out of the box, and its closed pore structure make it a dream to finish, too.

The torrefaction process results in a “honey-roasted” colour that is darker than green or kiln-dried wood, but looks just right underneath an opaque sunburst or blonde (or even poking through a relic finish)!

Alder’s middling density will result in a guitar with vintage heft in handling – not too heavy and not too lightweight, but a familiar and happy medium.

Maple of various kinds has a long history of being used to craft instruments, from violins to drums to acoustic and electric guitars, and for good reason. Due to its close-pore structure, it can be worked to a very smooth surface and does not require grain filling. Like Hard Ash, it was once popular as a body wood for electric guitars, but can have a tendency to be heavyweight and a little “peaky” in that application. Today, it is generally considered more suitable as a body wood for bass guitars (which operate in a different frequency range and where the higher density can mitigate neck dive), in hollow and acoustic guitar construction (where the hollow cavities bring their own flavour to the instrument’s tone) or, of course, in neck construction.

We use it for our Thinline Joyrider and Thinline Jugular bodies, and it has a great deal to recommend it. It is naturally light in colour with subtle yet attractive grain that makes for an attractive transparent or sunburst finish and takes all finishes well, making it a great choice if you plan to apply a ‘soft’ oil or hand-rubbed finish. It is naturally very strong, durable and resonant; so it is a great choice for a hollow instrument with intricate details like f-holes which could be quite delicate in other timbers. In short, it’s used widely in this application, and for good reason.

Limba was first used in guitar construction by Gibson in the late 1950s in the original Flying V and Explorer models, and was marketed as “Korina”. They were looking for a mahogany-like wood which had the fashionable blonde appearance of their competitors’ guitars, and most people are now agreed they hit the jackpot – it is now considered one of the most desirable and sought-after construction woods for the solidbody electric guitar, and some have even branded it “super mahogany”!

We have been fortunate to source a shipment of limba and have had it thermally treated (roasted) for the benefits that provides to stability, and for the sake of structurally emulating vintage / antique wood at a cellular level. It is medium-weight with a density comparable to Honduran Mahogany, and we think it sounds a lot like Honduran too.

As an open-pored wood, and one which commonly exhibits tiny pinholes, it does require grain filling if a flat mirror-finish is desired. But we think this timber is as delicious as the insects do – beautiful folded grain patterns, rich colour, and with a natural lustre that is only enhanced by the heat treatment. Some pieces even exhibit jet-black mineral streaking that is reminiscent of spalted woods or Brazilian rosewood – every piece is unique, and they all seem to ring like a bell.

We use it for our Thinline Joyrider and Thinline Jugular bodies, and it has a great deal to recommend it. It is naturally light in colour with subtle yet attractive grain that makes for an attractive transparent or sunburst finish and takes all finishes well, making it a great choice if you plan to apply a ‘soft’ oil or hand-rubbed finish. It is naturally very strong, durable and resonant; so it is a great choice for a hollow instrument with intricate details like f-holes which could be quite delicate in other timbers. In short, it’s used widely in this application, and for good reason.