• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

basswood body

#21
Another thumbs-up from me for basswood.

It can be wonderfully lightweight, and one of its biggest benefits is that it is extremely stable - it does not suffer from many of the dimensional change issues of other woods.

It has been used successfully in well-respected production guitars - almost all of the '90s Parker Fly guitars had basswood necks, and AFAIK many of the bodies were basswood also. As noted, many of the MTD imports use it for bodies with good results.

I have some sticks of basswood in my shop that are light, strong, and ring like a bell when struck - they are just lovely-sounding pieces of wood that are destined for neck cores in my composite wood/carbon necks.

Much like poplar (another great solidbody wood), it has suffered a bit in the marketing world because of its appearance. Under a solid color, or for a player who prioritizes sound over looks, it's a great choice.


Cheers!
Martin
 
  • Like
Reactions: tastybasslines
#22
Guess what the Fender P-Lyte which is my bass of choice is Basswood.It puts out wonderfull midrange Growl.The other Fender P-Lyte Deluxe i have is made from Mahogany & doesnt sound so Growly.
Im not sure if its the "wood" or "pickups" but the Basswood seems much better then the Mahogany in terms of usable mids.
Basswood = Growly very mid focused
Mahogany = Darker no mid with heavy top end.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dan Robbins, westrock and bass nitro
#26
Basswood, plentiful in Asia, was (still is?) used in many Fender Japan instruments, and everybody loves them.
I had a MIJ '62 Telecaster Custom reissue made of basswood that was terrific, though it did have a lot of dings from the previous owner....
 
#32
Basswood sucks.

It's cheep and tonally dead like other too light woods.

They just do not transmit tone like heavier woods.

But, wood is not a big deal in the final tone output.

Design and using quality for the other components is
what is going to make this wood acceptable.

Weight and price are the issues here.

I got a 6 and 1/2 pound Bently bass off Craigs List
for $40. I set it up and it sounds descent,

4-13-10.jpg


but, the only reason I got a bass with such cheep
wood is the weight.

But, you get what you pay for to some extent,

So most would prefer to buy quality components to
make a silk purse out of a sow'es ear, which is what
bass wood is.

I grew up around saw mills and have seen folks use
wood for a lot of things.

I grew up knowing that the only thing basswood was
good for was for old farts to whittle down at the County
Court house. That's cause whittling hard wood was
too hard!!!

You guys have not changed my opinion yet,,,,,,,

Tabdog
 
#33
darkstorm said:
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.
Click to expand...

I never knew that alder has more treble than basswood. I once had a fernandes gravity 5x 5-string bass and it has an alder body. it does have a nice punchy sound for a passive bass that has jazz pick-ups, but I never thought that bass guitars with alder bodies has a more trebly sound. I do like bass guitars that has mahogany bodies. my schecter stilletto and my Ibanez gio bass has mahogany bodies and they sounded pretty cool. they do provide smooth dark sounds and that's what I like about those basses.
 
#35
Crystalman85 said:
I never knew that alder has more treble than basswood. I once had a fernandes gravity 5x 5-string bass and it has an alder body. it does have a nice punchy sound for a passive bass that has jazz pick-ups, but I never thought that bass guitars with alder bodies has a more trebly sound. I do like bass guitars that has mahogany bodies. my schecter stilletto and my Ibanez gio bass has mahogany bodies and they sounded pretty cool. they do provide smooth dark sounds and that's what I like about those basses.
Click to expand...

Its just based on comparrison to past alder body ones Ive had. I like alder, its treble seems a little more present then basswood though. That could be more to do with basswoods midrange accent. Trebly bass to me would be maple body ones. Not into those. Lol. With the alder body basses Ive had Ive generally cut treble a little bit or left flat. While with mahogany and basswood body ones Ive generally left treble flat or slightly boosted. Alders pretty much even toned from lows to highs to me. I would be kinda interested to hear a alder body bass with a mahogany top. Dont think Id be much into one with a maple top though. Alder with basswood top might be kewl to.
 
#36
We are talking about the tonal properties of dead wood.

OK,

Here goes.

Basswood is a wood with tight grains. It is probably the
most inexpensive of all the usual guitar woods....... The
softness of basswood means that sharp highs are dampened
and smoothened. The softness also causes a weaker low end.
It is light in weight, but not because of large pores, rather it
is low in mass overall. Deep, breathy lows are not resonated
in Basswood. The reduction in these outer frequencies leaves
the mids pronounced in a hypothetical response curve. It is
somewhat suitable for the typical guitar range. For bass, it
lacks the real low characteristics, but very suitable for lead
guitar, because of its pronounced “out front” sound. Complex
overtones are muted along with the highs leaving a strong,
muted fundamental tone.

In short, it beats balsa wood, but comes in behind to yellow
pine, or just about any wood except balsa.

Japanese companies like Ibanez seem to get a tan colored
wood that is a more uniform basswood while other Asian
companies get a more flawed, yellowish basswood. There
does seem to be a difference in tone. A clearer, darker
basswood should produce more sound, while the yellowish
lower grade seems to have more of the undesirable tonal
qualities. This may be due mostly to moisture content.

Tabdog
 
#37
G-Unit 01 said:
I believe my Ibanez SR405 QM has a basswood body.

Nice light weight, sounds good and has the quilted maple top so looks nice as well.:)

I'm happy with Basswood.
Click to expand...

My SR400QM has a great mids and smoothened highs (which is ok because I don't really slap) and even if the bottom end is a little flat there's always the EQ to compensate (mine's sitting at 1 o'clock)

Is the quilted maple top less susceptible to dings then compared to the back? (which I think is just basswood)
 
#38
Dude play the bass and see how it sounds to YOU! Ask the music store if you can play it thru some headphones and/or a studio speaker/monitor. If it sounds,feel,play, and looks good to YOU, then grab it dude. You will add unnecesarry stress asking what other people think. You wanna know what I think, that's what I think! Good Luck!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Conkal
#40
tabdog said:
We are talking about the tonal properties of dead wood.

OK,

Here goes.

Basswood is a wood with tight grains. It is probably the
most inexpensive of all the usual guitar woods....... The
softness of basswood means that sharp highs are dampened
and smoothened. The softness also causes a weaker low end.
It is light in weight, but not because of large pores, rather it
is low in mass overall. Deep, breathy lows are not resonated
in Basswood. The reduction in these outer frequencies leaves
the mids pronounced in a hypothetical response curve. It is
somewhat suitable for the typical guitar range. For bass, it
lacks the real low characteristics, but very suitable for lead
guitar, because of its pronounced “out front” sound. Complex
overtones are muted along with the highs leaving a strong,
muted fundamental tone.

In short, it beats balsa wood, but comes in behind to yellow
pine, or just about any wood except balsa.

Japanese companies like Ibanez seem to get a tan colored
wood that is a more uniform basswood while other Asian
companies get a more flawed, yellowish basswood. There
does seem to be a difference in tone. A clearer, darker
basswood should produce more sound, while the yellowish
lower grade seems to have more of the undesirable tonal
qualities. This may be due mostly to moisture content.

Tabdog
Click to expand...

I dont know what you all are talking about because I have a MIJ Fender P with a basswood body and it sounds just as good as my MIA Deluxe P.
If you can hear the differences in tone that well you have some pretty good hearing!
 
  • Like
Reactions: The Zen Master

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back