John asked me to post this, which I had previously PM'ed.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by iPlay15151515 What is the most noticeable difference between a carved top and a liminated top with respect to the sound? |
Let's take, say, Scott LaFaro's Prescott or Edgar Meyer's dot-bass as the mythical "100% Great-Tone."
Let's also posit Yer Chinese Bass-Shaped Object ("BSO") with crap strings, factory bridge & post and maple fingerboad as 40% GT. The sound has less complexity and depth. The notes simply don't last as long. It sounds "tubby." It's harder to play in tune because of both of those things.
Now let's consider a Juzek ply with an ebony board, proper neck-angle, real strings and a decent bridge & post. The notes are now clearer and last longer although the essential quality of the sound is still plywood tubbitude. But because you can hear what you're doing I'll stick it past 50% on the GT meter. A well-made plywood bass with a good setup -- including a careful fingerboard dressing -- can be a powerful tool, even though the odds are still overwhelming that the sound is going to lack nuance compared to wood.
Now let's put a real wood top on that same well-setup, otherwise-plywood instrument. The sound will be more complex and suble, and less tubby and indistinct. "OK" is probably the low point, and "pretty darn decent" is the upper range, depending on strings, setup and your personal sonic model.
Excepting grotesque thangs with completely improper neck-angle and atrocious setup, just about any solid-wood DB will deliver a much more nuanced sound than just about any plywood bass. THERE ARE, I hear, exceptions. Christophers are supposed to be nice. New Standards have a fine reputation. I haven't tried them. My personal experience is that the worst-sounding solid-wood bass can be set-up to get you over the 80% mark, although a shabby setup can make any bass sound like dogmeat. But don't take my word for it -- search around! I suspect that the more basses you play the more you'll see the generalizations bear out.
Finally, I know that in the bluegrass world you'll occasionally hear some idiot toting a $5,000 vintage Martin say that plywood basses sound more "authentic." Hand him a plwood guitar and tell him where to point the peghead. Better sound sounds better, no doy, and the people YOU play bluegrass WILL be happy to hear better sound from you.
The fact is that Ron Carter is still gonna sound like Ron Carter playing on your BSO and you won't sound like Ron playing on his bass. But John, if you're playing a BSO, moving up to a real-wood bass or at least a hybrid will bring a noticeable improvement in your sound. You can even keep your BSO to leave in the car over the weekend.
No doubt I'm making some people annoyed here. Please accept my apology if I have insulted the bass which has brought you, o reader, so far in your travels. There are hundreds of records made on plywood basses that leave my sound in the dust. There are thousands of bassists playing plywood who leave my playing in the dust.
) only go back to the 30's or so?
