Bubinga Body thickness

[MAJORdorMo]

My bass plans call for a 2 inch body, but I was talking to my dad and he said that it may be difficult to find bubinga that thick.
I have also read that bubinga is a very heavy wood.
Could I make it say 1-1.5" thick instead of 2 inches thick without a major sacrifice in sound and durability?

 

[eleonn]

If you plan to use a top and back the bubinga core wouldnt need to be that thick. You can always make the body thinner than usually but keep in mind the limits you will need for that for example the size of you pots in case you are using a push/pull pot, battery in case you are going for an active setup or preamp size.

Another way would be to use a strip of another wood (lest say walnut or ash) as the core of the bubinga body.

 

[SDB Guitars]

Most basses are ~1.75" thick. Bubinga is *very* dense (read: HEAVY). You might consider making it about 1.5" thick.

6/4 and 7/4 bubinga is available at my local Windsor Plywood store in widths up to ~30"... it's just spendy...

 

[Kennethfaria]

while we're on the thickness of body subject, i've got a quick question and hope im not hijacking the OP thread.

Could a body be made 2.25" thick? 1.5" thick?

 

[pilotjones]

Any thickness you like. Fenders are 1.75; semi-acoustics can be several inches; a Rick is 1.5 or maybe 1.25. Make it the way you want. It just has to be thick enough to give all the hardware and pups something to mount to, and thin enough not to be painful or too heavy.

IMO.

 

[Kennethfaria]

alright sounds like a plan. haha rihgt now i'm just testing my skills on 2 3/4" plywood stuck together. got it glues tonight but only have 2 clamps. Luckily i have an old tv i can put on it

 

[wilser]

for a solid bubinga body I would go with a pretty thin profile, 1.25", either that or shape it so that it's thinning towards the outter edges, like Ibanez on their soundgear series with the bubinga bodies.

 

[SDB Guitars]

for a solid bubinga body I would go with a pretty thin profile, 1.25", either that or shape it so that it's thinning towards the outter edges, like Ibanez on their soundgear series with the bubinga bodies.

...or radius the body, like Warwick does with the Corvette bodies.

 

[wilser]

...or radius the body, like Warwick does with the Corvette bodies.

the corvette bodies are flat, you mean like the streamer and thumb models.

 

[SDB Guitars]

the corvette bodies are flat, you mean like the streamer and thumb models.

Indeed, I stand corrected. D'oh!