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Figured walnut tops

D

Diego

Dec 9, 2005
740
3
NorCal
#1
Dear TB community,

I will be starting a custom bass project soon and would really appreciate if you could suggest and/or post pics of your favorite figured walnut tops. This will help me in making my choice of top for my project. Thank you very much...and keep those pics rolling! :)

Diego
 
#2
My Benavente with flame/crotch walnut top:
th_SteveBene.jpg

th_BeneBody.jpg

Alder back:
th_BenaventeSCDback.jpg
 
#8
VEGANBASS said:
I'd be cautious of getting the entire body in walnut. Supposed to be quite heavy.

That's why I'm interested in what body woods people are using with walnut tops. That Hoyt fretless 5 body looks very appealing!
Click to expand...

Yes, this thought was brought up several times when I was trying to decide the wood combo for the bass. We settled on walnut because Gard (yes, it will be a Roscoe) suggested this as the most appropriate option for the tone I'm looking for. Then the question of the top arose...what to use? We thought about redwood because of weight issues, but we also acknowledged that a nice figured walnut top may work quite well too. You can follow up the discussion here: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=343253

Thank you so very much for your input!

Diego
 
#9
VEGANBASS said:
I'd be cautious of getting the entire body in walnut. Supposed to be quite heavy.

That's why I'm interested in what body woods people are using with walnut tops. That Hoyt fretless 5 body looks very appealing!
Click to expand...

It depends on the size of the body and the piece of walnut. I have two solid walnut basses that are fairly light, but the bodies are also fairly small. They definitely feel *dense*.
 
#10
Similar to the Hoyt above, I went with a walnut top and back on a Spanish Cedar core.
the walnut is beautiful as well as durable.
The spanish cedar was recommended by the builder for it's combination of tone quality and light weight. The bass weighs 8.25 pounds.
I could not be happier.

here's a shot of the back.
back.jpg



Chad
 
#13
The Hoyt mahogany core is also chambered (to the best of my knowledge, I bought it second hand). It's tuned E - C, and has a piezo p'up under the bridge saddle.

I have a Roscoe LG3000, also. I don't think you can ever go wrong with a Roscoe. As soon as I hit the FLA Lotto tonight, I'm calling Gard to look into a LG Fiver!.
:cool:

Jim
 
#15
VEGANBASS said:
I'd be cautious of getting the entire body in walnut. Supposed to be quite heavy.

That's why I'm interested in what body woods people are using with walnut tops. That Hoyt fretless 5 body looks very appealing!
Click to expand...

I have a bass with a walnut body and neck that doesn't seem much heavier than my alder/maple bass. I have heard the claro walnut is normally very dense, though. Mine is not claro walnut.

If you want the tone of walnut but not the weight, I have seen a few companies offer the center block of the body to be walnut with another lighter tonewood for the wings.
 

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