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Body TONEWOOD - Myth or Fact?
- Thread starter bitwo
- Start date
If you don't take any pleasure whatsoever in saying the word "Bubinga" out loud, even in your own company, well...there might be something wrong with you. 
There are always the trolls (or are they just insensitive posers) who love to get things going with Tonewood makes no difference posts. (Note that this is NOT the same as a "Tonewood does not matter" post which is only a subjective opinion) Proof that tonewood makes a difference is easily found by playing a nice Danelectro bass in quality masonite tonewood vs. say some nice mahogany or other standard tonewood bass. As people here like to say: Night and Day. And it is also important to notice that Danelectros in spite of the masonite are totally cool sounding basses.
Say what you will about fact and fiction, there's fact that drugs can outperform placebos, and yet placebos are also absurdly powerful. In a weird sense most people probably couldn't actually tell the difference between two different tone woods, including those that think they can and are convinced of that. There is also a chance that people that think they can't actually probably could too, they've just never bothered to think they could.
Oddly enough, whether or not one actually can tell or not in the blindest of blind tests probably has and will probably have no bearing on what they think and would put their money into. Also, a good guitar is something worth the money, whether or not its tonewood makes an absolutely and easily identifiable good v bad difference in the tone of a guitar. I honestly would say that it's more the attention to detail that a concern in tonewood might indicate that would give me confidence in the instrument - if X builder puts Y hours into picking out the wood for my guitar, they'll probably not skimp out on the tuners, they'll probably care about sanding down that half millimeter bump on the fretboard, and they'll probably care about the balance of the thing. See where I'm going?
I've got a plywood parlor guitar that I absolutely love the tone of, more so than some solid wood guitars. I'd still say a solid guitar is the way to go though if you're inclined to spend that kind of money. I just like having the confidence that if my guitar gets exposed to a bit more or less moisture over the seasons I only need worry about tuning it and maybe working on the truss rod a bit.
Oddly enough, whether or not one actually can tell or not in the blindest of blind tests probably has and will probably have no bearing on what they think and would put their money into. Also, a good guitar is something worth the money, whether or not its tonewood makes an absolutely and easily identifiable good v bad difference in the tone of a guitar. I honestly would say that it's more the attention to detail that a concern in tonewood might indicate that would give me confidence in the instrument - if X builder puts Y hours into picking out the wood for my guitar, they'll probably not skimp out on the tuners, they'll probably care about sanding down that half millimeter bump on the fretboard, and they'll probably care about the balance of the thing. See where I'm going?
I've got a plywood parlor guitar that I absolutely love the tone of, more so than some solid wood guitars. I'd still say a solid guitar is the way to go though if you're inclined to spend that kind of money. I just like having the confidence that if my guitar gets exposed to a bit more or less moisture over the seasons I only need worry about tuning it and maybe working on the truss rod a bit.
what do you wanna bet that it somehow ends up on the front page.
Oh look - it’s on the front page.
This again? How about some wisdom from someone who actually knows something - Roger Sadowsky on tone woods, fingerboards, bodies, necks...
https://www.sadowsky.com/wood-and-sound-in-amplified-guitars-and-basses/
https://www.sadowsky.com/wood-and-sound-in-amplified-guitars-and-basses/
Banjos don't work...unless they're your relative.What's the best banjo head for getting women naked?
I won't claim that wood makes no difference in electric bass tone, because I don't really believe that. I do, however, believe that wood selection is the least significant factor in determining electric bass tone.
I don't believe the average set of ears can tell alder from ash from mahogany from maple from basswood in a full band recording or live performance mix if all else is equal.
I can't even tell a maple from a rosewood from a pau ferro from an ebony fretboard under those circumstances, and I think my ears are pretty good.
I'm sure in a single recorded bass track in a studio, sure, you could hear subtle differences, but with electric basses, 90+% of tone is down to type of construction, technique, pickup type and placement, technique, strings, technique, scale length, technique- everything aside from 'tonewood'.
I don't believe the average set of ears can tell alder from ash from mahogany from maple from basswood in a full band recording or live performance mix if all else is equal.
I can't even tell a maple from a rosewood from a pau ferro from an ebony fretboard under those circumstances, and I think my ears are pretty good.
I'm sure in a single recorded bass track in a studio, sure, you could hear subtle differences, but with electric basses, 90+% of tone is down to type of construction, technique, pickup type and placement, technique, strings, technique, scale length, technique- everything aside from 'tonewood'.
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A vibrating nodal point where the strings contact the bridge, with the head acting as a spring which causes interference with the vibrating string.
Snipped for brevity, but I agree with the whole post.
Probably best worded response I've seen on this.
Are Danos, a brand well known for having very different PICKUPS than most guitars and basses, really a good basis for this argument?
Getting down to the physics, a musical instrument is a resonant system. Changing any part of a resonant system will theoretically change the characteristics of the vibrations that produce sound in an acoustic instrument, or electrical current in an electric instrument. The question is whether or not changing an individual component (eg. the body material) makes a significant difference. I hear differences between my two Roscoe basses. Same body shape, same pickups, same strings, same amp, same cable, VERY similar setup. One has a mahogany body, one is swamp ash. Whether this is all due to the body material, who knows? I like and appreciate them both (as I do my Steinbergers with composite bodies). I doubt anyone in a gig setting would hear any difference.
And somebody post a picture of a Ralphe Armstrong fretless please! It’s been six hours! 
Edit: Acrylic, of course.
Edit: Acrylic, of course.
For everyone saying this is a dead horse / "search the archives", I'd like to point out the P and J threads that are started every week.
