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Does older wood really sound better? and how long does it take?

quadrogong

quadrogong

Jul 6, 2006
2,388
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NYC
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#1
Not a 50's or 60's bass w a nitro finish, I mean a typical bass, let's say a fender from the seventies eighties or something from the last twenty years, w a typical gloss finish.
These finishes are tough and thick,
some real respected guitar techs are very clear about how they love the sound of aged woods,
ok, the water evaporates, which gives more stability,consistancy..
Do ya really think It sounds better ?
Is this Mostly myth?
...is there some evidence that it makes a difference?
Does it get better and better??
Or does it stabilize eventually ?
 
#2
I would think that there's got to be something to it. Wood does seem to get more resonant as it gets older and dried out. It might make more of a difference in wood that's not that resonant to start with. I have always thought that it must be hard for moisture to get out of those thick poly finishes. There are people who say that it doesn't make any difference on a solid body guitar, but I've definitely heard a big difference in just changing the body and nothing else, so I do know that different woods make a difference.
 
#3
:cool:

Good tone wood, is good tone wood.
The big difference from the 50's, and 60'd fenders.
And the 70's and early 80's fenders.
Is the wood, they started using more unseasoned wood, after 1975.
But, the finish also was a big factor in there tone.
They went from a light "Nitro" finish.
To a heavy, thick, "Poly" finish.
Which compressed, and choked, the tone wood.
It takes age, time. (about 30 years)
To wear off this heavy finish.
Which opens up the sound of the 70's fenders.
That why say, a 1977 P-bass sound so much better now.
Than it did in 1977.
It's like wine.
They get better with age.
 
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#5
Always an interesting topic. The question about whether older wood sounding better is truly very difficult to answer, IMO. Wood itself, has no sound, and relies of pickups, wiring, potentiometers, string, players, cords and all the components of amplification, collectively, to achieve "sound".

I've never seen a way, yet, to know, test, or tell if WOOD (itself) sounds better when it is older. It seems to me that there are too many variables that cannot be controlled to answer this question authoritatively.

I'm not saying people don't hear different things in older instruments. But what they are hearing, as far as I can tell, cannot be solely attributed to wood, though that may certainly be a factor, and perhaps a significant factor.
 
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#7
More resonance isn't better than the Right resonance for bass frequencies. Like with Fenders, a certain mass and a puny bridge equals The Sound. It isn't the most efficient, but it is what it is.
IMOpinion, the best bass tone comes from either mahogany or a composite of different woods. Unless you want a Fender P sound...
 
#8
time in tone wood is a big factor, most wood today isnt dried naturally its done in like an oven which takes less time, naturally dried wood usually sounds and feels better because of the lack of heat from the oven
 
#10
You should play an electric bass just acoustic when you first pick it up and before you plug it in. That way you can hear if there's a solid stable tone and the resonance that the instrument produces. Do the notes die off or sustain? Then when you plug it in does the pickups and electronics reproduce that thru an amp? Some basses rely on the electronics so much the bass can be made of any wood and cover with mud and it wouldn't make much difference.

My 82-Squire Jazz bass has a sunburst Alder body with a poly finish and I've often wondered about removing it. But the way it kicks so hard maybe it adds to it and I'd loose the focus. I dropped it once and cracked the finish on the lower body edge and pick at it ever so slowly. One day I may pick it all off, then we'll see....
 
#11
If the guitar is played and maintained carefuly for 30-40 years, and still works perfectly... it is something you can rely on... and it's obviusly a good piece of wood... the years will tell...
Some basses rely on the electronics so much the bass can be made of any wood and cover with mud and it wouldn't make much difference.
Click to expand...
Thats why we all love Fenders so much... plain and simple... and always ready to play...
 
#12
I would doubt it. Just the fact that you NEVER hear anyone say that it sounds 'worse' makes me feel it is all 'hopeful thinking'. It would not surprise me if the tone of an instrument changed a very small amount over the years. However, there would be no guarantee that it would ALWAYS be for the better.

There is literally no way to know the impact of an instrument aging without doing a controlled experiment. And... the only way to do a controlled experiment on this topic would be to put an identical instrument in 'hybernation' for 30 years to determine 'what the old bass actually sounded like when new'.

Those who have played a vintage Fender, for example, that is 40 years old typically don't think through the fact that it was probably a darn good one to begin with if it is still around and being played after all that time:D
 
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#13
Okay... I have read that the available stock of alder is heavier these days because of increased usage. I thought it said so on the Sadowsky site, back when he first began chambering his solidbody instruments. So, that could be one reason why older instruments might sound different than today's (better is a matter of opinion). It could also be pointed out that brazilian rosewood used to be common on fretboards but is now rare. Etc.

It has seemed to me that some old Fenders (not all, just the best) have a certain special resonant quality to them. I try to be objective, but I can't claim this as fact... any more than a naysayer can claim that they are stating fact. It's all opinion... nobody knows for sure.
 
#15
KJung said:
I would doubt it. Just the fact that you NEVER hear anyone say that it sounds 'worse' makes me feel it is all 'hopeful thinking'. It would not surprise me if the tone of an instrument changed a very small amount over the years. However, there would be no guarantee that it would ALWAYS be for the better.

There is literally no way to know the impact of an instrument aging without doing a controlled experiment. And... the only way to do a controlled experiment on this topic would be to put an identical instrument in 'hybernation' for 30 years to determine 'what the old bass actually sounded like when new'.

Those who have played a vintage Fender, for example, that is 40 years old typically don't think through the fact that it was probably a darn good one to begin with if it is still around and being played after all that time:D
Click to expand...

+1 from the always well-spoken KJung.
 
#16
I dont know.. Good Question by the OT.. But i have an Alleva Coppolo P bass that sounds as good (to me) as my old fender P.. It is as light in weight too.. Each bass only weighs about 7+ pounds.. nice light alder.. but each sounds thick with a good low mid punch.. I do know that the Alleva was made from old growth wood...
Mostly, I think it is just the luck of the draw. .

Im sure there are many old pieces of wood that sound poopy too.. We have all played an old fender bass from the 60s and said to ourselves," i dont see what the big deal is" those must be the no so good pieces of wood....
My personal feeling is that it eventually stabilizes unless it acted upon by some harsh humidity changes but it will then stabilize.. Im just guessing here and i really dont know..

The only way to know for sure would be to two identical instruments from the same tree as close to each others cut of the blade created.... then if you had a time machine.. :)
Im pretty sure not sure even CERN is capable of time mechanics..:)

Also sounding good certainly is subjective...
 
#17
take one bass body
coat in once in liquor
put it in a small room wit 5 chainsmokers
with blow dryers on it for 2 days.
polish with sweat and enjoy

this will simulate the effects of gigging for 30 years on the wood

honestly ive heard 30 year old basses that sounded like crap. while i dont think the wood drying adds some tonal property is a complete myth i just dont think its going to be as super significant unless it has been taken to an extreme such as constantly in super arid conditions. i think the wood has to be pretty bad from the start to make that big of an impact even over 30 years
 
#20
IMO it's a matter of opinion. ..... If a bass sounds like crap when its new it won't age to be a master piece. .... Jaco had his pick of many old Jazz basses and dislike most he tried. ..... I've tried lots of old Fenders that didn't age well. .... I've played many new basses I know will, in the right hands, age very well.
They're just musical instruments that should be played, well and often. And that will be the deciding factor of their outcome.
 

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