Wood vs metal comparison

Two piece bats usually have discernable flex.  Ash is softer than maple and theoretically would have more whip so your friend may be onto something.  But I doubt you'd feel anything anything like the whip a 2 piece metal or comp bat has in any wood bat. I would go with maple.  It'll lasts longer, and because it's harder it will feel a little bit more like hitting with a BBCOR.

The thought process behind your friend's answer is understandable, but there really isn't any correlation to be made between 1 or 2-piece metal bats and wood bats. 

What I would suggest is for you to try a composite bat that will usually be very well balanced and that will allow you to learn how to hit with wood without breaking too many bats. Their feeling isn't quite like an actual wood bat, but it's a very start.

My other suggestion would be that you go with a model that is well balanced like a 271 or 141. It will be easier to swing than a bat that has a bigger barrel and will have a lesser risk of breaking if you get jammed or hit one off the end of the bat.

I agree with JCG that maple offers a better feeling in general. But that is really for you to test!

Choose a thin handle, large barrel wood bat and you may get that flex feel. Maybe? What you will get, as a trade off, is a wood bat that is more endloaded than the typical -3 alloy or comp bat.

And once you find that bat that you like, as luck, or bad luck would have it, it might break on you. You need at least 2 wood bats, maybe 3 to get through a wood bat tourney if you're not used to using wood.