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Any other good sounding plywood instruments?

Eilif

Eilif

Grooving under the MDW runway.
Oct 1, 2001
9,756
9,645
Chicago
#1
So I just picked up an '89 Korean squire for 99 bucks and it turns out the body is plywood.

I know I may have paid a bit much, but at GC it sounded so good, the neck was extremely strait, and felt as nice as my '62 reissue neck (I am not kidding) and the body was not only quite resonant, but was routed at the controls and pickups only, so it looks cool without the pickguard.

Anybody else have a plywood instrument that sounds just dandy?



The rest of the story for those interested...
I got home and found that the pickups are extrememly microphonic in certain situations, so a set of emg selects is on the way. However the neck is as good as I thought it was in the store, and the tuners are just fine. I'm trying to build the best bass possible for the least possible cash. Here is the plan.
used squire Jazz - 99 bucks
emg select Jazz set - 40 bucks
grizzly cast bridge - 14 bucks
push/pull for series paralell - 12 bucks
pickup covers - salvaged from other projects- free
Radio shack Ric-esque knobs - 4 bucks
total $170, not bad if it turns out well.
I'll post pics when it's finished.
 
#2
Wow!!! I am not sure if I should congratulate you on your purchase or laugh on your purchase of the plywood bass. I defintely want to see a picture. I do think it is neat how you are trying to build the cheapest, but best sounding bass ever. I personally don't think building something cheep can have a good sound, but I am looking forward to hearing the update when you are done. You have peaked my interest.
 
#3
My first bass was a Mako Warlock(yes I was into Motley Crue at the time) which was a plywood body with a maple neck and rosewood fretboard. Surprisingly, the fit and finish was really nice and it sounded amazingly good. My only problem was that it weighed a ton and there was serious neckdive. I actually recorded with it through an Ampeg portaflex and it had balls. It can be done.
 
#4
My first bass, a Peavey Milestone IV, has a plywood body. I dropped a Basslines Quarter Pound pickup in it and it sounds and plays great. A friend of mine actually said he would be willing to trade his Stingray for it years ago, if it wasn't for the wrath it would cause in his dad. Just a surprisingly good feeling bass for what it is.
 
#6
Spector_Ray said:
My first bass was a Mako Warlock(yes I was into Motley Crue at the time) which was a plywood body with a maple neck and rosewood fretboard. Surprisingly, the fit and finish was really nice and it sounded amazingly good. My only problem was that it weighed a ton and there was serious neckdive. I actually recorded with it through an Ampeg portaflex and it had balls. It can be done.
Click to expand...

Was that the one that resembled a leaping trout?
 
#7
mkettner said:
Wow!!! I am not sure if I should congratulate you on your purchase or laugh on your purchase of the plywood bass. I defintely want to see a picture. I do think it is neat how you are trying to build the cheapest, but best sounding bass ever. I personally don't think building something cheep can have a good sound, but I am looking forward to hearing the update when you are done. You have peaked my interest.
Click to expand...

mkettner,
You can congratulate me and laugh at me. :D

I should clarify though, I'm not trying to build the best bass ever. I am well aware that this bass will never equal some of the other basses I own. I am trying to make the the bass with the best ratio of quality-to-price. I'm shooting for near MIM quality/tone while keeping the price under that of a new Squire Jazz.

After a very positive experience with an SX SJB-62, I was going to get another one to try this with, but I went with the squire, because I was able to try it out first, the neck pocket is MUCH tighter, if it feels this good and the neck is this good 17 years out, it's a good sign that the bass is going to last, and I didn't want to have to invest in a frett dressing on an SX.

Spector_ray,
As for the neck dive and weight issue, it seems to weigh the same as my MIM precision, and there is no dive, so I think I may have really lucked out here.

BenWC87,
That's exactly how I feel about this bass.

Anyone else with a plywood gem?
 
#8
i think this Epiphone is made of plywood. it has upgraded EMGs, and that's about it. it sounds decent. here it is:

Efull.jpg
 
#10
g00eY said:
i think this Epiphone is made of plywood. it has upgraded EMGs, and that's about it. it sounds decent. here it is:

Efull.jpg
Click to expand...
I used to own a similar Epiphone (my first bass) which also had a plywood body, that bass had dozens of problems but its sound wasn't one of them. I once took it to a pretty skilled jazz/funk cat who used to live near me (he owned a nice 70s Jazz) and he told me he thought it sounded really good.
 
#11
My first bass, an Arbor P/J Thing, was made of plywood. I made that discovery when I dropped it in the street one day and took out a chunk of the wood. Sumbitch weighs 15 pounds, yeesh.
 
#13
WoodyG3 said:
I have an old Korean Jazz Bass that has a plywood body. I was removing the finish and hoping to do a natural finish when I discovered that it was plywood. I painted it construction orange and dropped some Fender "Original" pickups in it. It sounds great. The neck needs some work, though. Here's a pick:

JazzBass2.jpg
Click to expand...

Very cool, that's probably pretty close to the same bass that I have. What process did you use for painting and finishing the bass. It looks quite nice.
 
#14
That's the most obnoxious orange I've ever seen in my life. I love it!

I bought some parts off of various TBers recently to put together what is turning out to be the most half-assed bass I've ever seen, and it happens to have a plywood body:

Plywood P-bass body (make unknown): $25
unknown make P-p'up: $8
MIM J neck (off my first bass)
a set of tuners that don't match: 10bucks
Assorted costs (pots, string tree, etc): $20-ish
Florescent Orange Spray paint: $5.99

Spray painting "BLING" across the front of the body: completely worth the look on my drummer's face when i finish it and bring it to practice tonight.

Reprehensible? Perhaps. This was getting built as a beater to bring to leave at my drummer's house, I have some nice equiptment, I wanted somethign that could take abuse...I'll post pictures :hiding:
 
#15
WoodyG3 said:
I have an old Korean Jazz Bass that has a plywood body. I was removing the finish and hoping to do a natural finish when I discovered that it was plywood. I painted it construction orange and dropped some Fender "Original" pickups in it. It sounds great. The neck needs some work, though. Here's a pick:

JazzBass2.jpg
Click to expand...

Reminds me of John Myung's first bass. I like it!
 
#20
flatwoundfender said:
there are some great sounding plywood uprights out there.
Click to expand...

I have an engelhardt of said composition, but plywood and hybrid (solid top and plywood sides/back) uprights are much more common and accepted than plywood solidbody electrics.
 

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