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Best wood for bass?

#163
Hopkins said:
So you think that wood plays a bigger part in the overall sound than pickup, pickup location, and electronics?
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In an electric bass constructed of wood, hardware, pickups and electronics. Each part plays an equal role. Remove any one of the four elements and there would be zero sound.

Do you ever change your strings? Why would you, if you believe that the tone is simply metal moving around over a magnet, it shouldn't matter enough to bother changing the strings.
 
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#165
Double E said:
In an electric bass constructed of wood, hardware, pickups and electronics. Each part plays an equal role. Remove any one of the four elements and there would be zero sound.

Do you ever change your strings? Why would you, if you believe that the tone is simply metal moving around over a magnet, it shouldn't matter enough to bother changing the strings.
Click to expand...

Sigh,

Tone starts with the strings, string type and age are the biggest contributing factors next to pickup location.

Flats vs Rounds, or extreme neck vs extreme bridge position will both change the sound much more than alder vs ash, or maple vs rosewood
 
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#168
Hopkins said:
Sigh,

Tone starts with the strings, string type and age are the biggest contributing factors next to pickup location.

Flats vs Rounds, or extreme neck vs extreme bridge position will both change the sound much more than alder vs ash, or maple vs rosewood
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What does string age have to do with the tone... you still have the same amount of metal vibrating above the pickup?
 
#169
Dead spots.

Isn't this proof enough that the wood/structure has early influence (first say) on the inherent sound of an instrument? Pickups can't fix dead spots. I would not say (looking at it in terms of "most" )that wood was the Greatest Contributing Factor to the overall sound. I WILL say that it's an overriding consideration that will influence everything in the signal chain after it.

This discussion always comes down to what has "the MOST" influence on a basses' sound. In terms of sheer decibel output, that would be the amp, them backwards up the signal chain to the instrument, of course.
 
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#172
Double E said:
In an electric bass constructed of wood, hardware, pickups and electronics. Each part plays an equal role. Remove any one of the four elements and there would be zero sound.

Do you ever change your strings? Why would you, if you believe that the tone is simply metal moving around over a magnet, it shouldn't matter enough to bother changing the strings.
Click to expand...

When you have an instrument made of metal, plastic or graphite etc... it is hard to think that wood does matter, I think the construction is more important ( Bolt-on VS Neck Through VS Set Necl ).
 
#174
M.R. Ogle said:
Dead spots.

Isn't this proof enough that the wood/structure has early influence (first say) on the inherent sound of an instrument? Pickups can't fix dead spots. I would not say (looking at it in terms of "most" )that wood was the Greatest Contributing Factor to the overall sound. I WILL say that it's an overriding consideration that will influence everything in the signal chain after it.

This discussion always comes down to what has "the MOST" influence on a basses' sound. In terms of sheer decibel output, that would be the amp, them backwards up the signal chain to the instrument, of course.
Click to expand...

A dead spot can and will be present regardless of wood choice, it doesn't really fit into the tonewood argument. It would be different if certain woods were more prone to dead spots than other woods, but that isn't the case.
 
#177
Clef_de_fa said:
Yes it plays to pitch but it looses some "life" that treble zing just vanish after a while.
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So, the string loses harmonic overtones when it ages? Can folks really deny that the construction materials of an instrument do not affect the harmonic output of the string? Haven't you ever played a bass that produces harmonics better than others? What do you think contributes to that?
 
#178
Hopkins said:
Seriously? Are you really this dense or are you just screwing with me.
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I am proving my point...harmonic overtones are important to tone right? You establish this yourself by stating strings can be "dead". The ability of a material to absorb vibration at the anchor points of the string will also effect the sound a string produces...not opinion.
 
#180
Double E said:
I am proving my point...harmonic overtones are important to tone right? You establish this yourself by stating strings can be "dead". The ability of a material to absorb vibration at the anchor points of the string will also effect the sound a string produces...not opinion.
Click to expand...

I never said that wood has no effect on tone, if you read my posts I have always said its effect is minimal, and that almost every component in the signal chain will Affect the tone more than wood. Also wood is such a varied and imperfect material, that giving hard descriptions of the tonal qualities by species is impossible. I have had mahogany blanks that were softer and lighter than a piece of poplar. I have had an extremely heavy piece of alder. Boards cut from the same tree can vary wildly.

The major exception to this rule is the fretboard material of a fretless bass. It will have a pretty big impact.
 
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