Different tone from different wood, really?

[Rallypoint_1]

Same here! 2 basses, same brand model, pick up, strings, just different color. One is HEAVY and a thump monster. The other is a lot less heavy and has a brighter tone. So yes, wood type makes a difference.

 

[The13thFret]

Here is a question that has kept me awake some nights.
As has been mentioned, I get that in theory the pickup may only "see" the string, and I understand induction.
What tweaks my melon, is why with a passive bass, unstrung, if I scratch the pole of the pickup with my fingernail I can hear it through the amp?

 

[Camarillo]

This.

The hardness of the wood translates into how the strings vibrate.
Imagine if you put the strings on a body of Styrofoam. The vibrations would be muted due to the softness of the supporting material.

Now imagine if you mounted the strings to a Titanium one-piece body, surely they would resonate brightly.
The woods are just every variation in between.

Plus yes, you can hear the difference.

 

[Daniel Piper]

Interesting conversation.

Michael Tobias, who works seemingly exclusively with bartolini electronics, and has made thousands of very very similar and high quality basses- seems to think that he can hear the nuances of different woods.

 

[mark5009]

The 2 big questions are, a) will I really notice much difference between a Squier p-bass and my ibanez active bass, and b) is there going to be much between a custom Fender and a Squier Affinity (granted I don't think you can get an affinity with a jazz pickup).

(a) Yes. I have an Ibanez active bass (GL104) and I made a PJ because, well, it was awesome fun!!!! These are two very very different 4s basses. One is active, the other not. One has rounds, the other tapes. One has 2J actives, the other PJ passive. And the woods are completely different. Bottom line: They feel different, they sound different, they play differently, they ask to be used in different contexts. My home-made bass is not worse than the Ibanez, just very different.

(b) I can't (and won't) talk to this. I am not a Fender-guy. Best advise from me is go and try a lot of different P- and PJ-style basses, regardless of price. Listen to them, find out what you like from a playability point of view, then work out what you can afford. Personally, I'd also keep the Ibanez around, but that's me

Good luck!

 

[Eidolon0274]

Starting a tonewood debate thread like this one should be an instant talkbass ban.

Commenting on one too.

Please moderators, take away the pain.

 

[StatesideRambler]

Without trying to sound too naive...

Surely the sound coming out of a bass is from the strings vibrating, and being picked up by the pickups.

Where does the wood of the body, or even the neck, come into this mix? as-in, realistically, and humanly-detectable.

I currently have an Ibanez active bass (SDGR) which has been great for a good couple of years now, but I'm keen on getting a p-bass (prob a special with the additional jazz pickup), and been eyeing up some Squiers on ebay.

The 2 big questions are, a) will I really notice much difference between a Squier p-bass and my ibanez active bass, and b) is there going to be much between a custom Fender and a Squier Affinity (granted I don't think you can get an affinity with a jazz pickup).

Hopefully the answer is "unless you're filling Wembley or Madison Square Garden everynight, you can get most tones out of most basses.

(I'll still get the p-bass regardless - just want to know whether I'll be blown away by the sound difference or not).

Cheers,
Rob

Yes. Really.

 

[Jack Butler]

In order, the factors that affect the tone of the bass (excluding amp and mixing):
1) player technique and ability
2) pickups
3) playing environment
4) quality of construction the bass, e.g. bolt on vs neck through vs hollow vs semi hollow
5) neck wood and fretboard
6) body wood
7) connections to amp/sound board
8) audience

How was this list order determined? Strange that the thing I’ve noticed would probably be about #3 isn’t even on your list. Strings.
Also pickups, are you talking about type, brand, or location? I’ve observed location makes the biggest difference.

 

[cataract]

Is titanium the best wood for metal?!?!

Nope. Heavier and more costly to mill.
6061-T6 aluminum is the best wood for metal.

 

[interp]

You clearly have missed the other discussions that have occurred on TB about the contribution of the wood to the sound of an electric instrument. And you are right - the wood does not produce the sound coming out of the cabs. But the wood does contribute to how the string vibrates. String, body and hardware all couple to form a vibrating system. The nature of that vibration is affected by each component. If something in that system, aside from the string, absorbs a particular frequency, that frequency will be suppressed in the rest of the system, including the string. And since the pickup only "sees" the string, it will not see the suppressed frequency. Regardless of how the sound is captured, the system as a whole will have vibration characteristics that will vary with every change to the system. The degree of change to the sound from the change of any one component may be subtle, but it's there.

One sure indicator that the wood makes a difference is something we see all too often - dead spots. When you hit the resonant frequency of the instrument's body, much of the energy of the string is absorbed by the body, leaving less energy in the string to keep it vibrating. If you change the resonant frequency by adding mass like a Fat Finger, the frequency shifts and that note is no longer dead.

Absolutely the best description of the situation I’ve ever seen, especially the last sentence of the first paragraph.

I find it fascinating that the most strident defenders of the “wood doesn’t matter” school never come right out and say that the body/neck wood of solid body instruments has zero effect on tone. They always, or nearly always, use terms like “minimal” or “negligible.” Well, that’s not the issue, is it? As Turnaround correctly states “...the sound from the change of any one component may be subtle, but it’s there.”

Period.

 

[Chrisk-K]

Yes, different wood is responsible for 1/1,000th of the final tone.

 

[OldStrummer]

Not basses, but the guitars below are both Fender Stratocasters. The first is an aluminum-bodied 40th Anniversary and the second an Eric Clapton artist series. If you close your eyes, you can't hear a difference between the two.

 

[crguti]

Here's another bit of evidence to add to the discussion.

I have 2 Fender Precision basses. One is MIA, the other MIM. The MIA sounds better. It also has a pickup with Alnico 5 magnets. The MIM uses Ceramic bar magnets. So could the difference be the pickups? To find out I swapped pickups keeping everything else the same. The MIA with MIM pickups still sounded better. So with the pickups still swapped, I swapped the strings on both basses. No change - the MIA still sounded better. I swapped bridges - so now I had a MIA with MIM pickups, MIM bridge and the strings from the MIM and vice versa. Still the MIA sounded better.

To be fair, the MIA sounded different than when it was all MIA parts, but the basic sound that set it apart from the MIM was still there. And the MIA parts on the MIM made some changes to the sound - not really a significant improvement, but slightly different. Still didn't compare the the MIA.

I'm not going to say what was the defining factor in the difference of these two basses, but I know what it wasn't - not the pickups, the strings nor the bridge.

What does it mean for you ‘it sounds better’?

 

[Chickenwheels]

What’s a different tone?

 

[Robsco]

Thanks for everyone's views.

It's obviously quite a personal thing, as to what we all determine to be "different" and by how much.

I don't think anyone can dispute the acoustic differences in tone, with no amp in the picture, tho I'm not sure how many of us play an electric bass unplugged?

All the other points about absorbing frequencies, etc. makes perfect sense, especially when you see evidence with dead notes.

Will be interesting to see what difference I hear myself when I eventually find what I'm after.

 

[The13thFret]

If you close your eyes, you can't hear a difference between the two.View attachment 3328134

I'm not really surprised that fender managed to make a strat that pretty much sounds weighs and looks like a strat. Maybe it was intentional, and some resources were put into designing and making an aluminium body that sounded like Alder or Ash. Diverting from the formula or leaning towards innovation does not seem to pay off for Fender.

 

[lfmn16]

There's this thing called "search" here on TB which is good for topics that have been discussed to death.

Short answer - yes there's probably a difference, no you won't hear it live or in the studio, and most importantly, who cares?

 

[Really]

Here's another bit of

I have 2 Fender Precision basses. One is MIA, the other MIM. The MIA sounds better. It also has a pickup with Alnico 5 magnets. The MIM uses Ceramic bar magnets. So could the difference be the pickups? To find out I swapped pickups keeping everything else the same. The MIA with MIM pickups still sounded better. So with the pickups still swapped, I swapped the strings on both basses. No change - the MIA still sounded better. I swapped bridges - so now I had a MIA with MIM pickups, MIM bridge and the strings from the MIM and vice versa. Still the MIA sounded better.

To be fair, the MIA sounded different than when it was all MIA parts, but the basic sound that set it apart from the MIM was still there. And the MIA parts on the MIM made some changes to the sound - not really a significant improvement, but slightly different. Still didn't compare the the MIA.

I'm not going to say what was the defining factor in the difference of these two basses, but I know what it wasn't - not the pickups, the strings nor the bridge.

Your’s test does not prove anything,that’s for sure.if you do same test blindfolded you don’t know which one is which.so don’t tell bullcrap .only mia fans belive you. Truth is fender is as good as squier.Your’s test does not prove anything.

 

[chris_b]

The materials, design and components of a bass might, will, can and do make a difference to the sound. Could be big or small but differences will exist. That so many can't hear the differences does not mean they are not there. Just means the differences are not large or important enough for them to notice.

That so many hear nothing and use that as a reason to discount any possibility that others can, just says volumes about human nature.

 

[obimark]

I think most here have missed one important point- that is your fingerboard wood has the MOST effect on tone.
Maple fretboards have a much different tone (brighter usually) than ebony ones and the darker woods. Body wood is secondary to tone IMO.