poplar vs alder

[Steven Cook]

Hello all,


Does anyone have a strong preference one way or the other for for an electric guitar or bass body blank? I can get poplar (Liriodendron) locally for significantly cheaper than alder (Alnus) but it seems like some folks really like the traditional woods.

Having looked at several wood-working sites it appears that the two have somewhat similar characteristics and I've wondered if alder is really superior to poplar, or Fender, being a west coast company, simply found a suitable supply of wood close by and went with it. If they were an east coast company, would poplar be one of the go to body woods?


Thanks,

Steve

[Rodger Knox]

With an opaque color finish you won't be able to tell the difference, if that's how you're planning to paint it.

[Nick Middleton]

I can't hear the difference between the two. I prefer Alder for bodies that you'll be able to see the grain. If price is not a big difference, then you might as well get the Alder.

[Steven Cook]

Thanks for the replies. I will probably just use the poplar as a body blank and cap it with something figured. I have curly maple, QS oak, QS sycamore, cherry, walnut, osage, and mulberry on hand if I decide to stain instead of paint.

The poplar I can get is about half the cost of the alder. The poplar is QS and can be obtained in thicknesses of 4/4, 6/4, or 8/4. The alder is only in 4/4 and is generally flat sawn, so I think poplar gives me the most options.

Steve

[Rob Carty]

I've only worked with each species once or twice. But for whatever it's worth, I've found alder to be much nicer to work with. In my admittedly limited experience, poplar tends to get fuzzy around the edges. And of course it's hideous. That said, if there's a big difference in availability and price, poplar is a fine wood for a solidbody.

[Tim Douglass]

Hmmm... I've never had a problem with poplar being fuzzy when machined - in fact one of the nice things about it is that it can be shaped very neatly, which is why it is popular for making cheap furniture. I wonder if what you had was actually willow or cottonwood, both of which occasionally get mis-labeled as poplar.

[Rodger Knox]

I've noticed the fuzzy from sanding, not so much from cutting.