Any MIM Telecaster experts who can tell me if this is ash, alder, or ??

[Dave Locher]

I am looking for an alder Telecaster body for a new project. I have been hunting for a new one, unfinished, because I plan to modify it a fair amount. But while scoping eBay I found this auction: http://www.ebay.com/itm/201802908144?ul_noapp=true
It's actually cheaper than buying a new body, even the eBay ones. (Best price I've found so far for an alder body is about $60-70 including shipping.)

I asked the seller, and he says he was told it is ash, and he weighed it for me and says it's 6-6.2 pounds. That seems heavy!
Can anyone tell me just from the half-@$$ed photos he has posted (OR from your encyclopedic knowledge of Mexican Fender Tele guitars) if this body is ash, alder, poplar, basswood, or what?? The only bare wood is in the neck pocket, and it just looks...whitish.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Any MIM Telecaster experts who can tell me if this is ash, alder, or ??

Well, there is only a fraction of bare wood. That said it does have some of that open grain/pore look of ash........but 6 lbs is about 50% more than what you would want for a body. I'd guess a 9 or 10lb guitar finished.

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Any MIM Telecaster experts who can tell me if this is ash, alder, or ??

That is pretty much what I thought. Probably ash, and definitely heavy as heck. My heaviest guitar has a body that weighs 5-ish pounds.
Thanks for basically typing out loud what the voice in my head was already telling me: Pass.

Edit: I just bought a brand new, unfinished body in alder. Weighs 4.5 lbs. Problem solved!

 

[AlexR]

Re: Any MIM Telecaster experts who can tell me if this is ash, alder, or ??

Brilliant.

Thats on the midrange sort of side. But I've got some great sounding Fenders at that sort of bodyweight in Alder so you'll be on track there I feel.
What is exponentially harder is trying to get the right neck.