Wood

[caraluzzo]

I like my guitars with alot of weight. I find Alder and Mohogany to have great sustain IMO and i was wondering what wood would is heaviest of the two?

[shreddermon]

Tastes great!

Less filling!

[Mr Metal]

Mahogany is denser and heavier than Alder, and therefore sounds darker too.

[Joe_Steeler]

I prefer Alder, to my ears a more balanced sound and have obtained the best results or at least the most consistent. I have seen Alder duds the same way I've seen others.
Mahogany is certainly a bit darker and would be a second or third choice. Have not experienced many failures from Mahog since it is the prefered wood of PRS.

The reason I have Mahogany slipping into third is that Ash has provided me with many cool sounding axes.

Basswood has been hit and miss for me.

[ADR]

Mahogany is heavier & denser than Alder.

Joe: I love my Southern Swamp Ash tone and very light weight. My Charvel (Alder) feels like a tank next to it.

My old 86' Jackson was "Poplar" and not "Alder" like you might expect.

[Cygnus X1]

Some actual wood density ratings:
Values are US Lbs. per cubic foot
Alder: 25-30
Ash: 40-45
Basswood: 25-28
Ebony: 50-65
Hickory: 40-55
African Mahogany: 30
Cuban " "40
Honduras:35
Phillippine: noted "not a mahogany"
Oak (red, white, English Brown): 45-47
Rosewood: 50-55
Source: Thomas J. Glover's Pocket Reference

Other considerations of course are "hardness", which translates to grain structure and workability, grain cross section, and of course, overall
resonance (tone). A section of plywood of varying grades may have all
of the mathematical hardness and density of a solid wood, but lacks the tonal qualities due to ultimate grain dispersal, and glue.

Thus one of the "secrets" of a Stradivarious, <sp>, or a strat (!) is the craftsman pinging the wood for resonance.
And, as we all probably know, two parallel sections from the same board cut in two can sound different. Lumber selection for an instrument use is a complex subject, material being only the first step in the process.

Just my two cents, probably more than what anyone wanted to know.

[RacerX]

My old 86' Jackson was "Poplar" and not "Alder" like you might expect.

A lot of 80s Jacksons were poplar.

[Burn]

Heh heh heh huh huh. you said wood. huh huh heh

[skorb]

if you want heavy with great sustain try an all maple body.

I have a pretty heavy poplar Tele that is just kickass.

[KBRR]

My mahogany KBRR is lighter than my alder RR24

[j2379]

yeah mahogany is NOT always heavier than alder.

[caraluzzo]

Yeah well i like the feel of a heavier guitar, not if its going to sound like shit. As i said before, mohogany has always provided me with great sustain. But then again my Dean ML dosnt way much and my Squier stagemaster is one of the heaviest guitars ive played and there both mohogany.

[Model1VH2]

My vote would definately go to mahogany.

[Grumpy]

Add anther vote for mahogany, but I have always perferred northern ash. A little brighter than alder, poplar or basswood and makes for a good heavy guitar.

[ihocky2]

Weight doesn't always translate into tone. Ash and alder are both lighter than mahogany, but are brighter in tone. Maple is heavier than mahogany but is much brighter, same with rosewood or ebony. Walnut is heavier than mahogany IIRC and is generally considered to be darker in tone than mahogany. There is no real rule to weight vs. tone. All woods are different and have their own characteristics.