How bad is a plywood body? (Yep, that's what I said!)

BassWombat · #1 12-31-2006, 01:59 AM

Now I know that it's not tonally any good etc, but it is very light!! The only reason i ask is that I picked up a $20 Hondo bass from a pawn shop as it had some nice DiMarzio's in it along with good tuners and a decent aftermarket neck (although the pots etc are shot and it's not working) - obviously someone had spent some money on it. Anyway, I've got all the makings for a p-bass and was thinking about refinishing this 17-ply plywood body. As I said, it's very light and balances well so I figured I might see what happens. Of course I could also spend a hundred or so on a replacement ash body...

Anyone happy with a plywood body?

Mudfuzz · #2 12-31-2006, 03:27 AM

I have 3 guitars with plywood bodies, 2 are Frankies and the other is a old Decca someone gave me. They all get a very dano-ish sound. And I have to say I do like them

If you like the sound and it plays ok why not?

JimmyM · #3 12-31-2006, 04:22 AM

I don't mind plywood so much. I have a P copy with a plywood body, an old Kramer Focus guitar with one, and a 70's Epiphone acoustic with one. I love them all. I wouldn't put an expensive neck on it, but it should make a decent bass.

Relic · #4 12-31-2006, 05:32 AM

My motto - If it sounds good, plays good, and looks good who cares what the hell it's made out of? :P

Doctor J · #5 12-31-2006, 06:58 AM

My first bass was plywood and it had a fantastic tone. Once it's painted, who knows what it's made of? It's what it sounds like that counts.

BassWombat · #6 12-31-2006, 12:28 PM

Thanks all (and apologies if it's in the wrong forum, Joshua, but like you I didn't know where else... and I guess I will be repairing and setting it up!)

Fully agreed on the "if it sounds good who cares" principle, it was more just wondering if others have found gold in a plywood. It's also a good opportunity to do a refinish on the body and a complete set-up without potentially dramatic repercussions - what better way to start the new year than with some new skills...

Thursday · #7 12-31-2006, 01:03 PM

I wanna see where this ends at...

BassWombat · #8 12-31-2006, 01:53 PM

Um, me too

joeyl · #9 12-31-2006, 06:22 PM

Had a Korean Squier made of plywood. Worked fine until your screws get loose, such as straploks, pickup height screws etc. THAT plywood body and screws: stripping queen

ScubaSteve · #10 01-07-2007, 08:10 PM

I've got a plywood Korean Squier II P bass with a pretty nice maple fretboard neck. Dont know how to describe it compared to the typical alder and ash, but it sounds fine to my ears.

PilbaraBass · #11 01-07-2007, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joshua

Not really a Setup issue, but I have no idea where to move it.

what??? there's no forum for plywood bodies???

ZombieGhosTrain · #12 01-07-2007, 08:43 PM

My Gretsch has a plywood body...it sounds great!

Basshole · #13 01-07-2007, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joeyl

Had a Korean Squier made of plywood. Worked fine until your screws get loose, such as straploks, pickup height screws etc. THAT plywood body and screws: stripping queen

Legit concern. Fix? Dowels.

joeyl · #14 01-07-2007, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Basshole

Legit concern. Fix? Dowels.

I did that for a while. It just would not hold up to gigging. Better fix: doweled the neck holes so I could fix it up to a new solid alder body

been perfect ever since.

But the plywood sounded fine. More like ash than alder I would say, because it was brighter sounding to my ears

Scott in Dallas · #15 01-08-2007, 12:22 AM

My Peavey strat has a plywood body. Sounds just like a Strat.

eots · #16 01-12-2007, 08:55 AM

I bought a laminated p/j body off ebay that I used for experimenting. Changed pups, a couple different necks, aluminum and copper tape for shielding, tried combinations of wiring w/ series/ parallel, and a paint job.
Here's the end result.
I bought a lefty SX bass just for the neck, which required widening the neck pocket on the body as SX's are 2 9/16" instead of the standard 2 1/2".
Copper tape as the HVAC metal tape doesn't do so well.
Series /parallel pull up master vol.,vol for bridge when in parallel, tone.
And a rustoleum paintjob w/ clearcoat.
I sold the SX body on ebay so the neck W/tuners neck plate and screws was about $100.
All on a plywood body. It's my heaviest bass however. Heavier than my Yamaha BB605 5 string.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/attach...3&d=1160405925

TheApostlePaul · #17 01-12-2007, 09:56 AM

This is going to sound a little funny but it actually depends on the quality of the plywood. Like some of the other people I have seen plywood basses modded to be decent. I have also seen a couple of plywood basses and guitars that literally almost fell apart under heavy use.

The problem comes from the wood that they use to make up the laminate. If it is a soft wood chances are that over time, and if you play with force the screws start to pull out of the body. You can try and fix this with "plastic wood" type fillers, however, this will only be a temporary fix.

I would say mod it up as you desire. Worst case scenario if screws start pulling out you will have to buy a replacement body.

Planet Boulder · #18 01-12-2007, 10:13 AM

Interesting thread. I have an OLD Kent sunburst jazz body lying around at home that I may actually slap a cheapie neck on and add some cheapie pickups, etc., just to see what happens. It has no pickguard, but that's fine because the routing looks good without one.

It's heavy as hell, btw.

TheApostlePaul · #19 01-12-2007, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Planet Boulder

It's heavy as hell, btw.

There is a common misconception that plywood bodies are really light. The opposite is actually often the case. A solid Alder wood body is generally much lighter than a plywood one, for example.

Planet Boulder · #20 01-12-2007, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheApostlePaul

There is a common misconception that plywood bodies are really light. The opposite is actually often the case. A solid Alder wood body is generally much lighter than a plywood one, for example.

And that's actually what I would expect. I would think that all of the compressed glue inherent in plywood bodies would add to the weight.