basswood vs. poplar

[HubbardsFate]

I recently purchased a basswood-based bass (??) from a fellow TBer, should receive it on July 29th, plus or minus. It'll be the first basswood axe I'll have owned, and most of what I have read in this thread has been encouraging...

 

[Ron Johnson]

One of my jobs is working at a lumber mill. I think poplar would be best for a budget bass body, and any stain could make it look good. Plywood or particle board would be difficult to keep the edges from chipping. As for necks, go for a more stable wood, not any of the woods on this list.

 

[tfer]

You say particle board is absurd yet you want to build a bass from plastic wood (oxymoron?). I didn't realize one could buy trees in a can! Would you post pics of the plastic wood tree? Where does it grow best?

This one isn't mature yet. It turns pink or green as it ages...

 

[RED J]

Nobody has mentioned Luthite.

 

[my man pookie]

You should check out willseasyguitar on youtube, great advice on choosing the righttone wood

 

[Frenchy-Lefty]

Not all alder bodies are born equal
Not all basswood bodies are born equal
Not all poplar bodies are born equal
Not all...

In a nutshell there are some tremendous sonic differences between the same wood families. It depends in many things such as the region it comes from, the proximity of a river, the age of the tree blablabla.

I tend to like ash bodies but my soft maple Squier VM sounds stunning so I learn to just try an imstrument before making a judgment.

 

[RED J]

When I look up the Peavey Axcelerator 5 and Axcelerator I find only poplar.[/QUOTE

Did you sell your Forum P-J and remaining Foundations?

I do know the top line Axcelerator was Ash, MasterBass! had one in the classifieds recently. Some of the Unitys were Koa, I had one of those come and go.
I still have the Forum P-J, Forum 5 and Foundation.
All three play and sound so good, I know I would regret letting them go.
I put out a trade feeler that flopped on the 5 recently, and I was relieved.
I've learned to never say never, but second thoughts would always come around. It would take something pretty unusual or special to trade or partly trade, because I have no need i can justify.
Kinda like @Dr. Cheese, happy with what I have but it doesn't mean no more GAS period.

 

[kodiakblair]

@Ron Johnson

I think you could be right. Price on basswood is $525 per cu.M, poplar is down at $270 per cu.M.

 

[58kites]

@ Red J Al
Yup the Axcelerator Plus was ash and the regular 4 and 5 Axcelerator models were all poplar.
I'm pretty sure your Forum P-J is poplar. Peavey manuals call out poplar on all the Forums.
I'm pretty sure the earlier Foundation 5's were made of poplar and then alder after 1992 or 1995.
Peavey manuals say the four string Foundations were made of poplar, maple, ash, or alder, depending on year.

 

[jmlee]

Guild Pilots were either poplar or maple me-thinks.

 

[RED J]

I wood have thought this thread wood have ended by now.

 

[DaveAceofBass]

Basswood seems to be a very popular choice of tone wood for budget basses nowadays. Most older budget basses used poplar wood. Are they comparable? Why don't they use poplar anymore? Any ideas?

Poplar is not what I'd consider to be a budget wood, it's a decent tone wood. Many old Italian upright basses have poplar back and sides. It is more durable than basswood, which is so soft you can scratch it with your fingernails. Basswood needs a thicker finish, and is very plain looking so it is best with a solid color. Poplar has green streaks in it, which can take on a darker shade when you use a translucent finish. Poplar is probably somewhat similar to alder in terms of tone. Basswood has more upper mids and is brighter sounding with tight lows because it's lighter weight...more similar to lightweight ash, but poplar gives a warmer sound.

 

[FrenchBassQC]

Does it come from the old Ampeg factory?

No

 

[TyBo]

I've liked the (unamplified) sound of some basswood instruments I've owned. Paulownia was mentioned earlier in this thread - I'm just finishing a cheapo build using a paulownia body, and it sounds terrific (again, acoustically). Light as a feather, too, just under 7 pounds. I'm gonna love playing this thing, it's great. So yeah ... paulownia, even if it's not on the list here.

 

[Hopkins]

i voted basswood, but would like to see alder on the poll, and actually one of my lightest basses is mahogany.

btw, i don't think broccoli has the tonal depth of carrots.



agreed that there is no "best".

Last time I sourced lumber for new bass builds, 8/4 alder was double the cost of 8/4 poplar.

 

[Hopkins]

This is the story I've always heard as well.

Warmoth says Alder is very middle of the road in their tone chart, same with Poplar...the Poplar being slightly heavier weight.

I've used tons of Alder and Poplar, they are pretty even as far as weight goes. Some poplar boards are heavier than alder, some alder boards are heavier than poplar. Alder is nicer looking, and works slightly easier than poplar. Poplar is a bit stringy and is more prone to tear out than alder, but its still an easy wood to work with, and both finish very nicely

 

[yodedude2]

Basswood is very poplar but I prefer Paulownia.

me too!

 

[fhm555]

I always liked ash because it takes and holds threads better than the usual suspects.

 

[Dadagoboi]

I use both, poplar is cheaper than alder and I agree with Hopkins on the weight. As far as trans stain I've had no problems with poplar.

 

[PillO]

Is ironwood the best tonewood for metal?