I've been looking at some ESP basses lately and noticed some used a material called agathis, never heard of it before. Can anyone tell me what it's like?
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Agathis
- Thread starter Flongoid
- Start date
I love to see people make gross assumptions with little actual information. 
I've got a Cort Curbow Retro that is made of agathis, and it's a great bass. Sounds and plays beautifully. After 3 years, I've had no problem with the finish getting dinged, so the wood is obviously not too soft.
I don't know how attractive the wood is, but since I've only seen it on basses with opaque finishes, appearance isn't a big deal.
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I've got less than $400 in this bass, and it blows away basses 3x the price.
Cheap wood does not equal cheap sound. Period.
I've got a Cort Curbow Retro that is made of agathis, and it's a great bass. Sounds and plays beautifully. After 3 years, I've had no problem with the finish getting dinged, so the wood is obviously not too soft.
I don't know how attractive the wood is, but since I've only seen it on basses with opaque finishes, appearance isn't a big deal.
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I've got less than $400 in this bass, and it blows away basses 3x the price.
Cheap wood does not equal cheap sound. Period.
My Brice V2 is made of Agathis. If the fact that the wood is inexpensive means a lower price for me, that's all good as far as I'm concerned. It's a fine wood for making basses.
I own an ESP F254 made of agathis it sounds great!!! so if you are planning to buy one you should take the bass in you have, feel it and play it and see if what you get is what you are looking for.
Also used in low end Ibanez instruments and Squiers as well.
Not a bad wood, just an inexpensive one.
Not a bad wood, just an inexpensive one.
The guys who said agathis is only used on cheap instruments-ignore them. Play it for yourself, it's a good wood for a bass. Those ''bassists'' think that cheap basses are poo, yet have never probably played an agathis bass in their life and are still in the red after that extra money went on a bass for a label saying ''Made in USA''.
eleonn said:
That's the bass I was thinking of buying, however none of the shops have one in stock, so I'd have to order one and i'd feel rather rude to order one and then say that I didn't like it. It's also £600, so I'm not very sure.
It's a native wood to the asian continants. It's similar to Basswood in apperance and is used in maufacturing of instruments in Asia for logistics reasons. It's simply more economical.
There is nothing wrong with it. It's light weight, obviously not as dense as alder or ash.
There is nothing wrong with it. It's light weight, obviously not as dense as alder or ash.
Tonally, Agathis is similar to Mahogany. Infact, I believe they are wood-cousins. It's an inexpensive wood, but it sounds good and is very light. My Ibanez is Agathis and sounds great.
Thanks all you guys who support Agathis basses as I have just ordered a bass that is made of this wood. So its reassuring to hear some good comments on it. 
From a sound perspective, it beats the hell out of basswood.
Most people don't know, but the main reason Leo Fender started building with alder is because alder was largely considered garbage wood at the time and could be picked up almost for nothing. I don't recall what exactly it was used for in large amounts, but apparently there was a great deal of it available for free.
Most people don't know, but the main reason Leo Fender started building with alder is because alder was largely considered garbage wood at the time and could be picked up almost for nothing. I don't recall what exactly it was used for in large amounts, but apparently there was a great deal of it available for free.
bassman10096 said:Most people don't know, but the main reason Leo Fender started building with alder is because alder was largely considered garbage wood at the time and could be picked up almost for nothing.
I know people who live in the NW where alders are very common, and they can't understand why people would think that it is anything special. It all depends on your perspective, I guess. I have a plywood bass that sounds way better than a couple of my fancy wood basses. Go figure.
Anyway, Agathis isn't bad wood, so don't worry.
