European Ash

Family: Oleaceae - Order: Scrophulariales / Lamiales - Class: Magnoliopsida Linnaeus

Scientific name: Fraxinus excelsior

Trade name: European ash.

Also known as Common ash

Origin: Europe and southwestern Asia.

Instrumental uses:
Guitar back and sides, fingerboards, bridges, head plates and bindings.

Tonal properties:

As tonewood it is mostly used in electric guitar bodies. Very well balanced in the full spectrum range, punchy and with a great separation of notes, with a fairly sustained woody sound.

The grain is straight but in many cases figured; curly or flamed with silver streaks with a medium to slightly coarse texture. Slightly different and more refined from its American counterpart. It’s characteristics help for a woody, punchy and sustained sound.

Can be sometimes difficult to work but glues and finishes well.

Is stiff and resistant with an average dried weight nearly of 42  lbs/ft3 or 680  kg/m3. 

It is native to Europe and southwestern Asia, occurs on a wide range of soil types, but is particularly associated with basic soils on calcareous substrates. It is a large deciduous tree growing to 12–18 m tall with a trunk up to 2 m diameter, with a tall, narrow crown.

 The heartwood is a light to medium brown color, with darker or silver streaks mostly the European South west kind. From other European regions sapwood is wide sometimes, the heartwood is beige or light brown not exactly demarcated from heartwood.

CITES status is is unrestricted. Is reported on the IUCN Red List near threatened.