hey,
i am going to make a bass in the VERY near future (well actually just the body, i'm buying everything else) and i am unsure of what woods would be best to use, so here we go

i'm thinking of having an ovangkol body with flamed maple front and back (i think the warwick infinity has the same,but only with the maple on the front), could you describe the sort of sound this combo would have?

any other ideas? i want the tone to be as "all-round" as it can be as i play all styles, and i want it to be fairly light weight so it's easy on my shoulder for long jams.

thanx for any help

l8rz

Tom

P.S. i want the wood in the middle to be dark and the front and back pieces to be light

for my money your doing overkill if you want an all around bass. Those exotic woods all have great tones but many of them are very specific sounding. Try these links for some details.

For me light weight and vestile means 3 woods.

1) swamp ash
2) maple
3) alder

I would imagine your design would have a lot of natural highs and a very clear bottom, but that jsut my guess and I haven't messed around with the exotic woods to much.

http://www.edromanguitars.com/wood/

http://www.warmoth.com/common/frames/bodies.htm

I'd like to see what the pro builders have to say? I learn something new with every post. This is a great new board

Ovankol is the European equivalent of Schedua which is a waxy wood that can be very pretty and also heavy, but not always. If you are looking for a versatile bass, with good voiceing you can consider a mahogany core or an ash core......you will get good tone at both ends and a nice midrange and a light weight. ash will be more hollow in the mids and mahogany will have a more piano like voice. alder would also make a good core.....it will be warmer than the other 2 woods mentioned.

You didn't say what you want for a neck, but good luck with your bass!

Cheers,
Michael Tobias

in answear to the neck comment i am thinking of havng a koa neck with a pau ferra fretboard

any comments/suggestions?

l8rz

Tom