Poplar and Alder

[1trussell]

I have a 1992 Charvel 650 xl which I was told has a poplar body. It is strung up with .11's and has a Duncan Distortion in the bridge. A friend of mine has a 1996 Soloist XL with an alder body strung up with .09's. He also has a Duncan Distortion in the bridge. The two guitars sound markedly different. Mine tends to be a bit thicker and chunkier (a quality we both like). What are some of the other things that could be causing this difference? Also what are some of the tonal characteristics of the woods themselves? Which wood is preferred beacuse of these differences?

[mguitar11]

Re: Poplar and Alder

I was just at the Warmoth site and they have a page that describes the tonal characteristics of different woods.

The two guitars have different string gauges ... that might have something to do with it. Is there a difference in neck and fretboard wood?

[Gpops]

Re: Poplar and Alder

poplar and alder are prety similar, the heavier sound you get out of your guitar might just be the heavier strings. or it could be that your guitar is a little denser than his. there's alot of factors.

[toejam]

Re: Poplar and Alder

Yes, poplar and alder do sound very similar in tone. The weight can differ in both woods, also. I've read that usually poplar is a little bit heavier, but both of my string-thru Dinky HX models are poplar (bolt-on maple necks) and are the lightest guitars I own. My Charvel Model 5A is poplar and a little heavier, and when I had my Model 6, that was even heavier (both maple neck-thru). My Fender, Carvin and other Jacksons are alder, weigh in between the Dinky and Model guitars, but the alder Jackson with the Floyd feels a little bit heavier... they all sound about the same acoustically. Like Gpops said, string gauge and pickups, as well as other factors, will play a role in the amplified sound.