# Anyone have experience with sassafras as a tone wood? Compared to swamp ash?



## white buffalo (Jan 31, 2016)

In the process of having a custom build made by a very well known builder. It's his variant on a Strat style. I'm deciding between sassafras and swamp ash as the body wood. Apparently Fender used sassafras in a considerable amount of their early builds, but it was just assumed to be regular ash by most for many years. One of Eric Johnson's main Strats from the 50's ended up being a sassafras one. So I'm kind of intrigued by the option and slightly leaning in the direction. Just wondering if anyone here has experience with it as a tone wood- would love to hear your thoughts, especially regarding how it compares to the much more commonly used swamp ash. Thanks.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

I've heard it's considered toxic. That might make it hard to find. Long as it's light enough.......
Reminds me of oak


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Would buy one just to have a reason to say the word regularly.


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## Festus McCorkindale (Dec 17, 2017)

The Fender promo video about Eric Johnson’s sassafras strat is cool. Yes, I know it’s “Boomer Bait” 😆


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## anthonyrogan (Nov 2, 2020)

white buffalo said:


> In the process of having a custom build made by a very well known builder. It's his variant on a Strat style. I'm deciding between sassafras and swamp ash as the body wood. Apparently Fender used sassafras in a considerable amount of their early builds, but it was just assumed to be regular ash by most for many years. One of Eric Johnson's main Strats from the 50's ended up being a sassafras one. So I'm kind of intrigued by the option and slightly leaning in the direction. Just wondering if anyone here has experience with it as a tone wood- would love to hear your thoughts, especially regarding how it compares to the much more commonly used swamp ash. Thanks.


I actually built a strat body with sassafras and it was great, very similar to swamp ash and just as light


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## Yamariv (Jan 15, 2018)

Very timely thread for me actually!! 

Last year I had a huge "Swamp Ash" fall over in the back of my yard and I counted 138+ rings on it which was super cool..I saved a huge piece to possibly make a 1 Piece Strat body down the road. The wood is currently drying out and my buddy was cutting the rest of the tree up and said he doesn't think its Swamp Ash as it smells different and makes him sneeze as he works the wood. He said he thinks it's Sassafras 

I had never heard of this wood and the limited research I just did said he doesn't grow north of Toronto and the trees don't get big like the one I had..I'm in Ottawa so what else could this wood be  Could it be Sassafras way up here? The tree was HUGE and looked exactly like all the other dead ash I had to cut in the yard..

Subscribed to the thread, very curious how this wood would or could be used in a guitar body..


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Perhaps the most common ash look-alike is Sassafras _(Sassafras albidum)._ When viewed from the face grain, the wood bears a strong resemblance to Black Ash, closely matching its color and grain pattern. Even its light weight (31 lbs/ft3 average) closely matches the density of Black Ash (34 lbs/ft3 average). However, the x-factor is the scent of the wood: Sassafras has a very distinct, root-beer-like scent that is hard to confuse.


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## Yamariv (Jan 15, 2018)

From what I found online, Sassafras is usually smaller sized trees correct? In my case, the old tree that died and fell over was huge, nice big single trunk straight up 80-100 feet.


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## Legato (9 mo ago)

I just bought a G&L doheny that's allegedly sassafras. It's a nice bright sounding wood to me. Very light too. I like it. I'm not big into tonewoods cause they don't seem to matter as much to tone as the amp or pedals I use, but its nice to play unplugged when I don't feel like hooking up. Such a sweet lovely sound. Dont know if sassafras is why or if it's just so excellently set up but I like it.


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