SWAMP ASH | Lumber Guide | 8/4 Swamp Ash

Swamp Ash Lumber: Key Takeways

Swamp Ash lumber is a lightweight low density wood used by luthiers. While swamp ash is not an official specie, it informally refers to lighter density ash wood from the Fraxinius genus from the Southern region of the United States.
8/4 Swamp Ash is the lumber thickness most commonly used by electric guitar manufacturers including Fender, G&L, Ibanez, etc. However, thinline builds use 6/4. Certain Paul Reed Smith and Collings models use 10/4 Swamp Ash, as well.

The NHLA does not have swamp Ash lumber grade standards. Typically, suppliers evaluate the wood using NHLA standards while guitar builders evaluate the lumber by luthier criteria (weight, color, density, width, etc). Because of this, Swamp Ash lumber purchases are especially prone to confusion and disappointment.

Does it come from a swamp? Maybe but not necessarily. In my experience, swamp ash is harvested from swampy areas in the southern United States. The watery-soil of swampland is conducive to fast growth which often yields low density ash logs. However, light-weight, soft texture ash logs are often sold as “swamp ash” regardless of whether or not it was cut in swampland.
How light should a punky ash board be? Under 3 LB/BF is the typical density ceiling. Of course, this varies from supplier to supplier.
The best place to buy Swamp Ash lumber is from a supplier who regularly works with guitar builders. Traditional hardwood lumber companies that occasionally buy Swamp Ash wood often do not know what instrument builders want or need. Accordingly, sawmills reach out traditional lumber companies when they have guitar ash that makes NHLA grade but falls short of guitar builder expectations. You do not want this type of wood.

Fender did not discontinue using Swamp Ash. However, they are not only using it in certain upper-scale models. They discontinued using it in their mass produced Stratocaster & Telecaster models. In my opinion, they did this out of necessity, based on increasingly limited availability.