Alder

A pale hardwood of the birch family, straight-grained and light, and the most common timber for solid guitar bodies.

It machines cleanly and takes a finish evenly, and it weighs little enough that a full-size body remains comfortable. Its character is usually described as balanced with a slight dip in the middle, which leaves room for both the bass and the treble to be heard at once. Because it looks plain, it is normally hidden under a solid colour, which is why so many opaque-bodied bolt-on guitars are alder underneath.

Example: an alder body under a solid colour, with a maple neck and two single coils, is one of the most recorded combinations in electric guitar history.

typical use: Solid bodies, especially bolt-on designs, and occasionally necks.

Alder

See also