Best wood for bass?

[Gnal]

My preferences have always brought me back to the following:

Ash Body - Every bass I've enjoyed the tone of enough to buy has had an Ash body, the grain pattern under transparent finishes looks great too!
Maple Neck - Every bass I've enjoyed the tone of enough to buy has had a bolt-on Maple Neck
Ebony Fingerboard - I feel that (in addition to looking great) Ebony provides an immediacy to the attack of the notes, similar to Maple but without being overly bright or brittle, which sometimes seems to be present in Maple. The one rosewood fingerboard bass I have is actually Kingwood and to me it feels and sounds closer to Ebony than to any Rosewood boarded bass I've had before (which is probably why I still have it).

Overall, Its hard to single out a feature of one species of wood when used as a single component within the instrument. I feel the combination of an Ash Body, Maple neck, and Ebony Fingerboard provides a clarity / definition to the tone and perhaps a bit of an aggressive up-front attack to the notes that are played.

 

[Canadian APII]

This is where the tonewood argument falls on its face, when people contribute the tonal differences between two entirely different basses to the woods they are made of.

You seem set to start an argument here. There are many aspects that contribute to a basses sound. If you are not blessed to experience the wondrous variety of tones elicited by such an amazing work of art as a bass then I feel very sorry for you. My statement was to illustrate that there are significant tonal varieties by totally different basses. I chose that example because I recently heard it and the difference was so pronounced. I am looking at two Aria Pro II CSB BnG's on my wall right now. Virtually Identical and factory fitted. The tone from them is very different. one bright and trebly, the other warm and bass. I love both. The wood is a contributing factor not the only. Get out there and play different basses and just bathe in the tone from each.

 

[Canadian APII]

Beautiful! I've always wanted to try an ironwood neck. Can ironwood be left unfinished or does it have to be sealed?

How heavy would ironwood be? Would its density make it so heavy it would neck dive all the time or too heavy to gig with. Thinking about it again..... If the neck was super short to balance out the weight then the strings wouldn't be tight so they could sound very ominous.

 

[Canadian APII]

I was talking to the luthier at my local shop a few years back when I was buying an acoustic guitar. I found one That I really liked the sound of. He was saying how interesting it was to hear the slight tone difference due to the player. Not just the style, but the actual person. A fat guy with stubby fingers might sound different than a skinny girl with slim fingers. I'm sure it is more noticable on an acoustic instrument, but I bet there is something there on an electric as well. I wonder if there is some science on the effects of bodyfat on tone?

Bass of Doom. Jaco Pastorius could pull amazing tone out of that bass. Presently it is held by Rob Trujillio. A fantastic bass player in his own right, but still nobody else could make that bass sing like Jaco. Jaco had other basses also and they didn't sing like the BoD. Perfect combination of bass and player.

 

[Double E]

Bass of Doom. Jaco Pastorius could pull amazing tone out of that bass. Presently it is held by Rob Trujillio. A fantastic bass player in his own right, but still nobody else could make that bass sing like Jaco. Jaco had other basses also and they didn't sing like the BoD. Perfect combination of bass and player.

The construction of the BOD has been altered so much that it will never sound the same...a large portion of the original alder body was removed to make way for a figured maple top, untold quantities of adhesive was used to reunite all the broken pieces and a shiny new finish applied to boot. That said, I do not disagree with the premise of your post.

 

[M.R. Ogle]

You said that the wood provides the tone, and the pickups are just microphones that amplify the tone that the wood gives. As a builder, I can tell you that that is simply ridiculous. If it were true, pickup location wouldn't matter, pickup type and winding wouldn't matter, string choice wouldn't matter and hardware wouldn't matter. If wood does anything it contributions to the over all tone are very nominal.

No, pickup location WOULD still matter... just like a microphone.
Pickup type and construction WOULD still matter... like with a microphone
I don't know how you negate string choice in this at all.

The analogy is VERY substantial.

 

[Hopkins]

You seem set to start an argument here. There are many aspects that contribute to a basses sound. If you are not blessed to experience the wondrous variety of tones elicited by such an amazing work of art as a bass then I feel very sorry for you. My statement was to illustrate that there are significant tonal varieties by totally different basses. I chose that example because I recently heard it and the difference was so pronounced. I am looking at two Aria Pro II CSB BnG's on my wall right now. Virtually Identical and factory fitted. The tone from them is very different. one bright and trebly, the other warm and bass. I love both. The wood is a contributing factor not the only. Get out there and play different basses and just bathe in the tone from each.

I was just pointing out how off the wall your statement was. You compared two totally different basses, with totally different electronics and pickup locations and made the argument that the tonal difference was due to the wood they are made of.

 

[Hopkins]

No, pickup location WOULD still matter... just like a microphone.
Pickup type and construction WOULD still matter... like with a microphone
I don't know how you negate string choice in this at all.

The analogy is VERY substantial.

I haven't negated string choice at all, the post I was replying to suggested that pickups and electronics simply act like a microphone to amplify the voice of the instrument which comes from the wood. I was simply pointing out how ridiculous that statement was.

 

[Canadian APII]

I feel like this is getting too complicated... It's a very simple question. I'm not asking about pickups or strings, I'm asking about wood and wood only. Like a few people said, there are other things than tone. I do believe wood vs pickups and strings etc. is a very interesting conversation, but I'm asking about wood. If you believe wood makes no difference, just don't respond from here on. I do believe this is an awesome subject, but I'd like to get it back on track a bit...

You can see here that there are so many different opinions. Mine have evolved over thirty years also. There are so many variables it is mind boggling. I think There is a difference in tone even from body shape. So find a body you like, read up on tonewoods and choose a wood to try. The tonewood charts are general and one piece of wood will sound different from the piece sawn right next to it. bolted, One piece or set neck all contribute to an instruments tone. This is a complicated question and none of us has the answer. You have the answer in your very own ears. So get out there and try every bass at your music store.

 

[M.R. Ogle]

Hopkins: Ahhhh... you probably believe that the sound is produced by the pickups.

There's a LOT of that going around these days.

 

[Canadian APII]

The construction of the BOD has been altered so much that it will never sound the same...a large portion of the original alder body was removed to make way for a figured maple top, untold quantities of adhesive was used to reunite all the broken pieces and a shiny new finish applied to boot. That said, I do not disagree with the premise of your post.

Jaco recorded with the reconstructed bass and it sounded as good as ever. He thought it was just as good as before the accident. Yes there will be tonal variances, but the main part between the nut and bridge was undamaged. And yes I know it was in fifty some pieces. He was very happy with the repair.

 

[Hopkins]

Hopkins: Ahhhh... you probably believe that the sound is produced by the pickups.

There's a LOT of that going around these days.

No, I believe that sound is produced by strings, and the signal is produced by the string vibrating in the pickups magnetic field. Wood does not produce any frequency at all, which is why statements like that are so ridiculous

 

[Canadian APII]

I was just pointing out how off the wall your statement was. You compared two totally different basses, with totally different electronics and pickup locations and made the argument that the tonal difference was due to the wood they are made of.

If that was what you got from that then I probably misspoke. I was meaning there are too many differences or varieties out there. Play and experience the instrument. Go into it with no expectations and choose what is right for you.

 

[Canadian APII]

No, I believe that sound is produced by strings, and the signal is produced by the string vibrating in the pickups magnetic field. Wood does not produce any frequency at all, which is why statements like that are so ridiculous

I am an electronics tech. The tone shape produced is different for every bass. A distinct change in it can be seen when a different wood. body or shape is introduced to the equation.

 

[Baird6869]

I haven't negated string choice at all, the post I was replying to suggested that pickups and electronics simply act like a microphone to amplify the voice of the instrument which comes from the wood.

Also, some preamps are very transparent, some colour the tone slightly and others colour the tone substantially. Same argument could be made for various pickups.

 

[Hopkins]

If that was what you got from that then I probably misspoke. I was meaning there are too many differences or varieties out there. Play and experience the instrument. Go into it with no expectations and choose what is right for you.

This is the statement that I was originally referring to,

Think of the wood as the voice of a singer and the pickups as the microphone. Different materials resonate at different frequencies and different woods have completely different properties. It's just common sense.

Wood absolutely does not produce any signal, the strings and pickups produce the signal. So saying that the wood is the singers voice, and the pickups are simply a microphone is totally wrong.

 

[M.R. Ogle]

My point is that the "sound chain" of an electric bass or guitar is a largely subtractive one.


FIRST: It starts (obviously) with the strings. Strings are King. They provide 100% of the available frequencies to any instrument.


NEXT: The structure you tie them to (the wood, the neck, the hardware) subtract out a certain few of those string frequencies through natural damping and physics.


THEN: The pickups get to "transduce" whatever frequencies are left over. Pickups can’t add frequencies that aren’t there.


The trick is (IMHO) to find the combination of which pickups have the resonant “hump” which aesthetically "compliments" those remaining frequencies. Position, type, windings, construction, all important, so choose wisely. Just like you’d choose a microphone for your singer to compliment their particular voice.



Active electronics can boost or cut frequencies, of course. But they’re still in the signal chain AFTER the pickups, so they still only get to cut/boost whatever frequencies are left.



Strings…structure (wood) …THEN pickups and electronics. This is the heierarchy I follow.

 

[Hopkins]

Also, some preamps are very transparent, some colour the tone slightly and others colour the tone substantially. Same argument could be made for various pickups.

Not really, a magnetic pickup is a much simpler component than a preamp circuit. Pickups are coils wrapped around a magnet, coil wire size, magnet type, size and construction, and number of winds all effect the signal and tone that the pickup produces, but every one of them color the tone. There is really no such thing as a transparent sounding pickup.

 

[M.R. Ogle]

Oh, by the way... dead spots.


Think about it.....

 

[Hopkins]

My point is that the "sound chain" of an electric bass or guitar is a largely subtractive one.


FIRST: It starts (obviously) with the strings. Strings are King. They provide 100% of the available frequencies to any instrument.


NEXT: The structure you tie them to (the wood, the neck, the hardware) subtract out a certain few of those string frequencies through natural damping and physics.


THEN: The pickups get to "transduce" whatever frequencies are left over. Pickups can’t add frequencies that aren’t there.


The trick is (IMHO) to find the combination of which pickups have the resonant “hump” which aesthetically "compliments" those remaining frequencies. Position, type, windings, construction, all important, so choose wisely. Just like you’d choose a microphone for your singer to compliment their particular voice.




Active electronics can boost or cut frequencies, of course. But they’re still in the signal chain AFTER the pickups, so they still only get to cut/boost whatever frequencies are left.



Strings…structure (wood) …THEN pickups and electronics. This is the heierarchy I follow.

So you think that wood plays a bigger part in the overall sound than pickup, pickup location, and electronics?