bubinga necks

Bubinga is used as neck laminates on alot of the older Warwick (pre 99 or so?) basses, but no, not as the main neck wood.

Also, James Hart is in the process of building a bass that has Bubinga laminates *and* a Bubinga fingerboard. He might have some input, although his bass isn't completed yet AFAIK so he might not be able to give you specifics. (*cough*James this is your excuse to post pictures of the insanely hot Bubinga you're using*cough*).

Sorry I dont have much information other than that!

John

 

Warwicks, Thumbs specificly, pre '00 had Buninga necks, well, Bubinga and Wenge necks. I also believe that the Dingwall ABII's are solid Bubinga necks as well.

 

Warmoth do bubinga necks. No idea of the sonics or stability, but my guess is it'd be OK.

 

I had one (with a fretless wenge board). Solid as a rock, but quite heavy.

I never A/B'd with other necks on a single bass body. I had it on a warmoth mahogany jazz body with with bart soapbars, and the overal sound was deep and dark, but with good articulation. I sold it when I got a Rob Allen.

 

Well, a bit more like the other way round. Wenge necks, and wenge necks with bubinga stringers.

I've seen bubinga mentioned as "not suitable as neck wood" by respected luthiers.

 

I believe the Korean company OBG custom uses a solid bubinga neck (and bubinga body) for their Andre-V 5-string bass, which is the signature bass of Ahhn of Korean thrash band Crash.

I'll bet that thing weighs like an anvil.

 

thanks John

I'm going with a Wenge & Bubinga neck, Acrylized Bubinga fingerboard, top and back of Bubinga and a butternut core. It's going to be a bolt on necked, single pickuped, fretless 6

Here is the board and top I chose:




Here is my board with the one I passed on.
(I think the one I gave up is a little cooler, but it was too much with the top)


I'm going for a warwick meets musicman typed tone. Kinda like Scott from Ed McCain's band gets... but warmer and fuller.

I'm not concerned about the weight, I like a heavy bass. The butternut is a Walnut but generally lighter than Alder. I've no personal experience with a bubinga neck... I've gone on recommendations and LOTS of research... as well as a good understanding of what makes what sound like what

I'll let all y'all know the results in a few months

 

Not a neck, but here's my new Roscoe SKB-3005 with, IMO, a wicked Bubinga top. If it could only have a Bubinga nbeck...

 

That is a beautiful top man, very nice.

 

My SR500 has a bubinga/wenge neck and I do notice that it gives the bass a tone closer to that of a Warwick than your average SR...and it looks real nice too!!!

 

Thanks!
I sifted through quite a few pieces before choosing this one.
I believe the name is "Waterfall Quilt/Pomelle."

 

There is nothing quite like playing a bass made of a wood you cannot even pronounce.

It's like going out to dinner and ordering a near-extinct animal.

I dig wenge, I can tell yall that much, but bubinga... it looks pretty.

 

Yeah, my SR-506 has the 5 piece Bubinga/Wenge neck also. For the price, that bass plays and looks great and more importantly, gets a great tone. Some of the best money I've ever spent on gear.

Have Fun!

 

What type of finish does it have? From the part where the light hits it it looks like it's more then simply "oil" (or maybe that's what oil finishes look like when they're first done?)... i'm curious because it looks really nice, i've never been one for really glossy or overly-finished wood.

 

It has just a sealer coat right now. There will be a standard gloss finish applied very soon. One thing I've noticed about Roscoe is that they don't "over-gloss" the poly finish. It's there, but it's classy and at the same time durable ad protective. Certainly the way to go IMO.

 

Mind naming some of these 'respected luthiers'?

Warmoth will make you a solid bubinga neck, and Dingwall Afterburner basses feature bubinga necks as well.

Warmoth has a reputation for building top notch necks, and Dingwall basses are among the best on the planet.

 

I can't comment on bubinga necks, but my Skjold Custom 5 has a bubinga fingerboard, and I love the sound. It seems to add some slight compression to the upper mids, which give it a good attack (IMHO, at least). Of course, Pete uses pretty thick fingerboards, so you may not hear this with all bubinga fingerboards. FWIW, I also own a Corvette Standard fretless with a bubinga body, and a Tobias Basic 5 with bubinga body wings. No necks, though.

 

Bubinga by all accounts should make a great neck . It is twice the price of maple though ( and good maple ain't cheap !) and heavy . I have used it as stringers and they work great .

Ovangkol is closely related to bubinga . It is also called shedua . As you know it was the wood that Warwick used to replace Wenge in the neck . It seems to work well to if you like that tone .

The stuff I have used has always been very stable . Like I said though it is heavy and it is more expensive . That is one reason I think you don't see it in mass use for necks .

Pete