This is like the sister to the tonewood thing. I think we've all heard the story that classic nitro finishes (which are very light and thin say compared to some poly coatings) makes a tone difference. I must say like people who are "tonewood deniers" I was sort of in that camp...Until I bought this Gibson Les Paul with a nitro finish. Clearly that finish gave the instrument a different sound and feel. And in my opinion it was for the better, too. Of course old-style nitro finishes have problems with durability and things but clearly a finish changes the sonic characteristics of the body just like using a different wood can do as well.
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Different tone from different wood, really?
- Thread starter Robsco
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This is like the sister to the tonewood thing. I think we've all heard the story that classic nitro finishes (which are very light and thin say compared to some poly coatings) makes a tone difference. I must say like people who are "tonewood deniers" I was sort of in that camp...Until I bought this Gibson Les Paul with a nitro finish. Clearly that finish gave the instrument a different sound and feel. And in my opinion it was for the better, too. Of course old-style nitro finishes have problems with durability and things but clearly a finish changes the sonic characteristics of the body just like using a different wood can do as well.
Smooth_bass88
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- Oct 31, 2006
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A ) yes there is a huge difference between them .I play Ibanez premium lines and some prestige in my band albums .ibanez active sound is kind of more modern with a lot of clear range .in passive mode Ibanez premium is like jazz bass am on steriods .
B) squier is fine but there is a lot of difference in tone and feel of the bass.
I'm not fan of fender basses but I can tell you there are some huge difference.
But warning sign there is a huge difference between affinity squier and their bigger brothers like vintage modified or classic vibes.
I would never ever buy squier affinity but I may buy classic vibe or vintage modified.
So be careful there is a huge difference between squier affinity and classic vibe or vintage squiers.the tone ,feel and shape .let me tell you squier classic vibe can be as good as fender mim and even min .
Squier affinity is just starting instrument with low quality and good price.
In squier affinity price range ,ibanez sound better . Ibanez tmb100 ,can be a better choice . still you should try out yourself .
Different woods sound differently .but not in this price range because under 1k$ pickups can do more big changes than woods .
There are many opinions differing if we are talking acoustic instruments or electric instruments. On an acoustic the tonal differences can take years to fully manifest and on electric it can take even longer (if ever) so for most people those differences are really aesthetic or esoteric.
On electric if you use a big slab of a particular wood for the body or neck compared to another contrasting wood you can in some cases hear a different sound quality, but for people who claim to be able to "hear" the quality of some thin veneer of some exotic wood--nah, again I say nah.
On my old Carvins for instance I have three that have body and necks of Koa with Ebony fingerboards and a fourth that is Hard Rock Maple body and neck with Ebony fingerboard. There is a noticeable characteristic known to Koa compared to Maple described as a certain warmth or growl while still having the same snap, clarity and brightness as the Maple. But remember we are talking big slabs of wood that are quite expensive to do these days in comparison.
On electric if you use a big slab of a particular wood for the body or neck compared to another contrasting wood you can in some cases hear a different sound quality, but for people who claim to be able to "hear" the quality of some thin veneer of some exotic wood--nah, again I say nah.
On my old Carvins for instance I have three that have body and necks of Koa with Ebony fingerboards and a fourth that is Hard Rock Maple body and neck with Ebony fingerboard. There is a noticeable characteristic known to Koa compared to Maple described as a certain warmth or growl while still having the same snap, clarity and brightness as the Maple. But remember we are talking big slabs of wood that are quite expensive to do these days in comparison.
Only in the morning...
Your experiment would seem to add credence to my belief that the main difference between a "decent" sounding bass, and a "great" sounding bass, is how any particular neck and body react to each other. I think that neck/body relationship is like a guitar's DNA, baked right in.
I am a former builder. Acoustic instruments. And a few electrics. Thousands (literally) under my belt.
There is a true answer to the OP's question and I'm not going to answer it. Nobody here wants to hear from the people who might actually know. They just want to hear whatever reinforces their opinion.
People posting these threads, far as I'm concerned, are trolling and should be banned.
There is a true answer to the OP's question and I'm not going to answer it. Nobody here wants to hear from the people who might actually know. They just want to hear whatever reinforces their opinion.
People posting these threads, far as I'm concerned, are trolling and should be banned.
I have had the classic vibe and vintage modified. Both are awesome basses.
Dam it I was saving that one. I don't like to share all my secrets man.u need to put a couple of reverse pitch screws in there for the full effect
Wait...what Mr Angry (Really) was already banned???LOL
I'll toss this in the pile for folks to ignore...
I do not heartily subscribe to the tonewood dealio. I don't care which woods are used... hog, maple, swamp ash, yankee ash, basswood, rose, nut, etc... Just don't care....
What I do care about is consistency. I firmly believe if the two major blanks are quality consistent wood in grain, density, weight distribution, curing, vibrational characteristics, then there is good chance a great guitar/bass can come out of the process. The joins must be true and done correctly. I also do not care if deadhorse or TB is used, as long as it is done correctly, clamped correctly, and cured correctly. I don't care if nitro, poly, or gunstock is used to finish it, as long as it is done correctly. I surely don't give a damn about long/short tenon, bolt or set, etc.. Don't care what the board is either... rose, ebony, maple, BBQ Maple, Wenge, or even da Bakelites, just that it is same as above in quality and done correctly with true joins to neck. IMHO, da Bakelites have a consistency that wood cannot come close to matching... Same with frets, good frets, done correctly.
Slap good hardware and pickups in it, good strings on it, and you've got a good one.
I've played killer Lesters and played dogs. Same with every other brand/model/type...
My theory is with upper lines, MOST will be killer. Law of averages and slack ass QC (hear that Mr. "Levi"?) says a dog will make it out off the loading dock... Some top lines have killer QC (I've never wrapped hands on a bad Suhr or PRS)...
Law of Averages says that with the lower lines, there will be some where the planets lined up and they turn out magical. Just gotta play a bunch more of em to find the magical ones....
J.P. sure seems to like Squier Bullets and his sound righteous...especially white knob. I think in an interview he had played everything in the store and that one was the magic.
Enough of my blathering.... Carry on....
I do not heartily subscribe to the tonewood dealio. I don't care which woods are used... hog, maple, swamp ash, yankee ash, basswood, rose, nut, etc... Just don't care....
What I do care about is consistency. I firmly believe if the two major blanks are quality consistent wood in grain, density, weight distribution, curing, vibrational characteristics, then there is good chance a great guitar/bass can come out of the process. The joins must be true and done correctly. I also do not care if deadhorse or TB is used, as long as it is done correctly, clamped correctly, and cured correctly. I don't care if nitro, poly, or gunstock is used to finish it, as long as it is done correctly. I surely don't give a damn about long/short tenon, bolt or set, etc.. Don't care what the board is either... rose, ebony, maple, BBQ Maple, Wenge, or even da Bakelites, just that it is same as above in quality and done correctly with true joins to neck. IMHO, da Bakelites have a consistency that wood cannot come close to matching... Same with frets, good frets, done correctly.
Slap good hardware and pickups in it, good strings on it, and you've got a good one.
I've played killer Lesters and played dogs. Same with every other brand/model/type...
My theory is with upper lines, MOST will be killer. Law of averages and slack ass QC (hear that Mr. "Levi"?) says a dog will make it out off the loading dock... Some top lines have killer QC (I've never wrapped hands on a bad Suhr or PRS)...
Law of Averages says that with the lower lines, there will be some where the planets lined up and they turn out magical. Just gotta play a bunch more of em to find the magical ones....
J.P. sure seems to like Squier Bullets and his sound righteous...especially white knob. I think in an interview he had played everything in the store and that one was the magic.
Enough of my blathering.... Carry on....
You know one thing I have noticed is some basses sound great before you plug them in and they just seem to be the best tone wise. I just got this cheap squier and I noticed that before I plugged it in it had sustain and I could hear it and it turned out to be a great bass.
well, man, whichever type of wood gets me closer to the true chakra-cleansing frequencies, with the least amount of patchouli oil applied, is going to me by go-to. if i can't feel it in my solar plexus chakra, it's staying in the case.
It's like a gift that keeps on giving. Or pizza with onions (urpf).
Sorry that I haven't read all the answers and may be repeating what someone else said already.
...
«Different tone from different wood, really?»
I've been wondering about that myself. And the problem is that "to my ear this sounds like this or that sounds more like that..." is too subjective to answer that question. There would definitely be ways to answer it more scientifically though. For example, we could take two basses exactly similar in make, same factory, age and both brand new, with the same electronics; but with different wood (or luthite or other material). And then record the same lines and compare the recording graphs on a software.
But until then, I too have come to believe that the body and neck material don't change the sound or tone of the instrument. At least not per se.
Basically, the sound comes from metal strings vibrating at a certain height over an electromagnetic field. So whatever comes into that specific equation can be counted on to affect the sound. I.e. what the strings are made of, the wound, the pickups' wiring, passive or active, etc.
As for the wood essence of the body, its shape and the neck built, since none of that can affect an electromagnetic field, as per the laws of physics, then we have to wonder if it can maybe affect the parts that do.
In short, I think the question boils down to: Can the wood of your instrument (the wood essence, the body's shape, its mass, physical volume, age, etc.) affect either the strings and/or pickups' response to your playing?
Wood essence can be characterized by the relative tightness or looseness of its grain as well as its mass. And right off the bat, my intuition is that such characteristics will affect mainly two aspects of your sound: punch and sustain. Logically, tighter grain wood should absorb your string vibrations less, and thus be punchier. Likewise, different woods, as per their tightness, mass, etc., should affect how long the body vibrates: i.e. the type of sustain you experience. Really, the differences in different woods would reflect what you'd get from simply knocking on planks: Some will be louder, some will resonate a bit longer, etc.
Anyways. My 2 cents, verbose as usual.
...
«Different tone from different wood, really?»
I've been wondering about that myself. And the problem is that "to my ear this sounds like this or that sounds more like that..." is too subjective to answer that question. There would definitely be ways to answer it more scientifically though. For example, we could take two basses exactly similar in make, same factory, age and both brand new, with the same electronics; but with different wood (or luthite or other material). And then record the same lines and compare the recording graphs on a software.
But until then, I too have come to believe that the body and neck material don't change the sound or tone of the instrument. At least not per se.
Basically, the sound comes from metal strings vibrating at a certain height over an electromagnetic field. So whatever comes into that specific equation can be counted on to affect the sound. I.e. what the strings are made of, the wound, the pickups' wiring, passive or active, etc.
As for the wood essence of the body, its shape and the neck built, since none of that can affect an electromagnetic field, as per the laws of physics, then we have to wonder if it can maybe affect the parts that do.
In short, I think the question boils down to: Can the wood of your instrument (the wood essence, the body's shape, its mass, physical volume, age, etc.) affect either the strings and/or pickups' response to your playing?
Wood essence can be characterized by the relative tightness or looseness of its grain as well as its mass. And right off the bat, my intuition is that such characteristics will affect mainly two aspects of your sound: punch and sustain. Logically, tighter grain wood should absorb your string vibrations less, and thus be punchier. Likewise, different woods, as per their tightness, mass, etc., should affect how long the body vibrates: i.e. the type of sustain you experience. Really, the differences in different woods would reflect what you'd get from simply knocking on planks: Some will be louder, some will resonate a bit longer, etc.
Anyways. My 2 cents, verbose as usual.
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