can anyone tell me, or describe me how good is this wood? how does it sounds like? and how it will work with a maple neck with rosewood fretboard? im building a bass now, so i need some help with that, i just wanted to figure out the sound
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basswood body
- Thread starter Delapaz
- Start date
Jazzdogg
Less barking, more wagging!
One of my basses is made of basswood. It is lightweight and sounds good to me.
Basswood is fairly soft, so it needs to be finished with something hard and durable. Additionally, strap pin screws should have coarse threads and should be be longer than usual to assure they don't loosen over time.
Because basswood has a rather plain appearance, a painted finish is ideal.
Basswood is fairly soft, so it needs to be finished with something hard and durable. Additionally, strap pin screws should have coarse threads and should be be longer than usual to assure they don't loosen over time.
Because basswood has a rather plain appearance, a painted finish is ideal.
It's fine, but a bit softer. So be prepared for some dings and dents.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/show-me-your-baswood-dents-dings-760384/
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/show-me-your-baswood-dents-dings-760384/
As long as you get a qaulity example of basswood for music instrument body it can be excellent choice. Isnt as dark as mahogany but can provide plenty of articulate low bass with a little boost to bass eq. Is midrange emphasizing in a good way, growly, with lots of presence. Several basswood basses and guitars Ive tried did lack sustain when compared to other woods I like. But if one finds a real good one it sustains easilly as well as those.
It is softer then the more traditional body woods. But some are softer then others. Same for royal palowania. Cheap versions are the softer and should be avoided imo. Still, it does ding easier then woods like mahogany, alder, and ash.
Basswood body with maple top also works well sound wise. Basswood isnt as trebly as alder, so maple tops sound tweak is more akin to how that works on mahogany body. Maple neck and rosewood fretboard does work well with basswood body wether or not body has maple top imo.
Id describe basswood as a nice growly midrange rich (but in good way) tonewood with strong bass ability and moderate treble. Less treble then alder, but not treble shy as such. Brighter then mahogany.
It is softer then the more traditional body woods. But some are softer then others. Same for royal palowania. Cheap versions are the softer and should be avoided imo. Still, it does ding easier then woods like mahogany, alder, and ash.
Basswood body with maple top also works well sound wise. Basswood isnt as trebly as alder, so maple tops sound tweak is more akin to how that works on mahogany body. Maple neck and rosewood fretboard does work well with basswood body wether or not body has maple top imo.
Id describe basswood as a nice growly midrange rich (but in good way) tonewood with strong bass ability and moderate treble. Less treble then alder, but not treble shy as such. Brighter then mahogany.
- Feb 16, 2008
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- John K Custom Basses
generally, i avoid basswood bodies, as i find most of them to be dull, dead and lifeless, that is not to say that i haven't come across a few great sounding ones, but it's more of a rarity (depends on the specific piece of wood), so, personally, i prefer alder or swamp ash over basswood.
My p bass is made out of basswood. It is a Squier CV p bass. Sound great and warm. The wood is quite light, so you well get a noticeable lighter bass than with Alder. My Geddy J is far heavier than my p bass
I know that was Alan Holdsworth's favorite body wood for his guitars, I have imagine he must know something.
The body on my MTD CRB is basswood and sounds great. The wood grain is a bit boring, however, which is why I opted for black instead of a sunburst finish.
I have one basswood-body bass, a cheap imitation P-bass. It sounds good to me. I am always hesitant to say "wood x sounds like y" due to the many variables in construction. That being said, the bass in question has a nice midrange growl. It is also a bit neck-heavy...
If you're finishing it yourself, use a hard, durable finish. Wipe-on oil or wax finishes tend to dent too easily with softer woods like basswood, and don't relic nicely.
I've played a few basswood guitars that sounded great, although perhaps more that sounded like junk because they were el-cheapos. Regardless, guitar wood tends to be a little more about pairing the right pickups with the woods.
The tonal impact on a bass will probably be more relative to the type of pickups. Some color the sound a lot more than others.
Good sound! My Peavey FL Millennium BXP Fiver weighs in at 8 lbs. 7 oz.
8.7 is alright, but my alder Cirrus 5 weighs about 9lbs on the nose and my swamp ash CB 4 weighs about 7.
I owned a basswood body CIJ Fender Jazz Bass and it was one of the best sounding jazzes Ive ever encountered. Maple neck, rosewood board. There was a thicker richer sound than other woods. My SBMM SB14 is also basswood, finished in Tobacco Burst. Not much grain, but its a wonderful sounding bass. Thick when you roll off the treble but still snarls like the best of the MM basses. Can't complain about it for a tone wood other than the softness.
Two of my favorite sounding basses are basswood - my Warrior and my Joiner Fretless. Both have great sustain and a really nice mid growl. Really great neck joints contribute I'm sure. The Warrior has purpleheart top, and the fretless is a one-piece (painted).
The Warrior...
The Joiner Fretless...
The Warrior...
The Joiner Fretless...
Great photos, ExaltBass!
By comparison with my alder or mahogany bodied axes, my fretless basswood does not collect dents. It's a good tone wood (not THAT soft), and if you want lighter weight, you might go w/ swamp ash as spade2you mentioned.
By comparison with my alder or mahogany bodied axes, my fretless basswood does not collect dents. It's a good tone wood (not THAT soft), and if you want lighter weight, you might go w/ swamp ash as spade2you mentioned.
