Building a bass, guide me on wood choice

[KSDbass]

I'm putting together a bass from Warmoth, and I just wanted to double check that it wouldn't sound ear splittingly awful. A Swamp Ash J-bass body, maple fingerboard, and a maple neck? I'm looking for a good slap tone, but with bottom end P-bass thump.

I'm also undecided on pickup choice, can anyone guide me? I'm pretty sure I want an Aguilar preamp though.

[()smoke()]

Originally Posted by KSDbass

I'm putting together a bass from Warmoth, and I just wanted to double check that it wouldn't sound ear splittingly awful. A Swamp Ash J-bass body, maple fingerboard, and a maple neck? I'm looking for a good slap tone, but with bottom end P-bass thump.

I'm also undecided on pickup choice, can anyone guide me? I'm pretty sure I want an Aguilar preamp though.

i love swamp ash bodies for Js...i have a fretless and fretted with wenge necks

every piece of wood is different, but speaking in generalities and my experience, the maple/maple should give you a nice bright slap sound--for P-bass thump, i don't think that is something that a J does, but you can get very close with the right pickup/preamp combinations

i'm sure others will have good advice, but i'd say go for it...a lot of people on TB favor nordstrand pickups, and he winds a few J options, so you might check him out--i prefer lollar, but seymour duncan is probably a good bet as well for something 'familiar'

good luck

[T. B. Player]

Hey -

If you're a KSD person, and you want that combination, I've got a KSD jazz proto you can buy (check the link in the signature).

Ash J body, maple board, and maple neck - 6 strings...all you'd need to buy is the pre-amp.

But you're probably looking for a 4 string....

As for tone, ()smoke() is right on the money! Maple board for snap, but you need to get some wenge in there for killer tone. Ash/Maple/Maple is very bright (as is my KSD), and it's hard to get a full bodied tone that will cut through the mix and still have enough snap to make a great slap/pop.

The BEST combination I've heard lately is a Pulcinella with a wenge neck, ash body with maple top. I'd have put a maple board on it for a little more snap.

For tone, you gotta have something like wenge in there to balance out the brightness. Nordstrands are an excellent choice as well for pickups.

Good luck!!

Z

[KSDbass]

I'm actually not digging my KSD so much anymore, however I put American J bass pickups in a few years ago so that may be why... So what I'm thinking now is like that Pulcinella, Maple board on a Swamp ash body, and a wenge neck? And some Nords, with an Aguilar?