- Feb 16, 2008
- 21,240
- 23,633
- Disclosures
- John K Custom Basses
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Another "Does Wood Matter" thread (with different trajectory).
- Thread starter keyofnight
- Start date
Come on, Dan, everyone knows that flamed maple
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gives you a warm tone.
It's all in your hands but the wood selection is critical while the bridge doesn't really matter except that it needs to be high mass unless you want a vintage tone so pickups are the important factor plus mojo which must be present for the instrument to be broken in and sound and play it's best but strings make a bigger difference than anything and also how much the bass weighs and what it is painted with or oiled which lets the bass breathe but don't forget to use the right cable and mostly it's all your karma anyway.
And how tightly to your belly you hold it....
Every part in the bass matters. To say something doesn't, play without it. Everything works together as one instrument. Better quality parts and build contribute to better overall instrument. Less than average materials put together in an average way will sound average
Heh. Well... the "wood doesn't matter" thread should really be called "wood doesn't matter much". I agree with the OP of that: wood has some small effect, but it's pretty insignificant when compared to other factors.
Think of it this way: a P-bass and a Stingray are essentially the same bass (bolt-on solidbody) except for electronics. When playing each solo, it's always easy to tell the P from the Ray (assuming they're run clean and flat)... and that's true regardless of the woods they're made out of.
OTOH, there have been a bunch of threads here on TB that show that we bassists can't tell the difference between one wood and another, even when all else is equal. Voting is always close to 50% in these blind tests.
Bottom line: it's all opinion, no proof one way or the other. If you think it matters then it matters. If you think it doesn't then it doesn't. Those who say they know for certain have a brown aura.
Think of it this way: No two P basses or Stingrays or J basses or any other examples of the same model sound exactly the same even if they're made of the same woods, set up the same with the same strings, etc.
True, but the differences are extremely subtle even with the bass solo'd in an ideal listening environment. Put the bass in a band mix, in a live setting, with ambient reflections and those subtle differences disappear.
The sound guy will have a more meaningful impact on your tone than wood. Buying him a beer is a better tone investment than exotic tonewoods.
- Feb 16, 2008
- 21,240
- 23,633
- Disclosures
- John K Custom Basses
Why are there more "Wood matters" threads than
Nuts Matter
Glue Matters
Bridges Matter
Tuning pegs Matter
Pickguards Matter
Screws Matter
Threads matter
..?
Nuts Matter
Glue Matters
Bridges Matter
Tuning pegs Matter
Pickguards Matter
Screws Matter
Threads matter
..?
This again?
Look, if you blindfold me, HAND me an ash-bodied Precision, then an alder-bodied one, I'd tell you in about five seconds which was which. Without even plugging it in. Most people would feel the difference in response under the fingers easily.
If someone else were playing them,still, people will hear a difference. They may not guess correctly, LOL, but they WILL perceive a difference.
If someone else played them, recorded them and played it back through computer speakers, it's generally a toss-up.
If you were in the back row of a crowded bar listening to a bassist in a band at concert volume, I couldn't tell the difference between a Fodera and a First Act.
But, if my luthier told me that "wood doesn't Matter", I'd run screaming out of his shop as quick as possible. Of course it does.
Look, if you blindfold me, HAND me an ash-bodied Precision, then an alder-bodied one, I'd tell you in about five seconds which was which. Without even plugging it in. Most people would feel the difference in response under the fingers easily.
If someone else were playing them,still, people will hear a difference. They may not guess correctly, LOL, but they WILL perceive a difference.
If someone else played them, recorded them and played it back through computer speakers, it's generally a toss-up.
If you were in the back row of a crowded bar listening to a bassist in a band at concert volume, I couldn't tell the difference between a Fodera and a First Act.
But, if my luthier told me that "wood doesn't Matter", I'd run screaming out of his shop as quick as possible. Of course it does.
It's almost certainly much easier to hear any difference when you don't plug it in, becuase you are hearing, quite directly, the acoustic response of the wood.
(EDIT: which may have been your point!)
How often do you gig or record unplugged?
Obviously wood matters, yes. The focus of these debates is how much wood matters.
How much difference the wood makes is going to be highly dependent on other factors, and whether you're talking fretboard or neck or body. Fret material, pickup transparency, string type, etc.
Anyone who can tell the difference between two different neck or body materials (not fretboards) with flatwounds is just kidding himself.
Anyone who can tell the difference between two different neck or body materials (not fretboards) with flatwounds is just kidding himself.
