Fodera Club Part XVIII

[steubig]

They've got a knack for that !!

you did *not* just do that.

;-)

 

[tombowlus]

If you were saying that Brazilian has a thicker or a bigger bottom end tone than ebony... but still has a clear high end like ebony ...I'll say yes to the thicker/bottom end part, and as for the other part IMO Brazilian's high end is less compressed and a little more organic ( open /sweeter?) to my ear while still being quite a bit clearer than Indian from what I can hear. I also like the high end of ebony and the overall definition it has for clarity of the fundamental..there's nothing exactly like ebony for that.
Every one of the three woods mentioned above has a place in "great tone" just depends what kind of player you are and the tone you hear/want.

+1 IME/IMHO, ebony has that "ping" which no other fingerboard quite matches. I'm not sure how much fingerboard woods affect the lows (seems to me like the impact is more obvious on the mids/highs), but I will note that pretty much all of my basses with ebony boards have deep, tight, full lows. Of course, a lot (but not all) of them have mahogany bodies. I just love the mahogany/ebony combination.

A fingerboard wood which I find to be somewhat similar to ebony, but without the ping, is ziricote.

 

[Baird6869]

So where would most of you place pau ferro tonally in comparison to BW and ebony?

 

[tommixx]

So where would most of you place pau ferro tonally in comparison to BW and ebony?

To my ear the Pau Ferro is quite a bit brighter than BW and has more punch than either BW or ebony. Pau Ferro doesn't quite have the definition, body, or depth that ebony does. I love many different kinds of wood but for me the Pau Ferro is a very effective middle ground wood in that it gives you a very versatile range of tones. Not as bright as maple but not as warm as BW. I prefer the punch and attack of maple but I have really come to understand what ebony is doing on my YYS and I REALLY like it. Any custom Fodera I would do would most likely be ebony... Hope that helps!

Peace,

T

 

[Mitchthebassplayer]

very interesting. All my basses currently, including my Imperial 5, have maple boards and I've come to really love that sound over my Brazilian rosewood board basses. IME, maple boards seem to just "speak" quicker. The notes feel like they just jump out at you. I've really wanted to get into ebony but everyone's descriptions of this supposed "ping" scares me. I hate Janek and Matt Garrison's bass tones and I don't think I've actually heard an ebony board bass, let alone a Fodera, in a grooving, supportive role. I DID manage to try one of the MG standards at the shop recently with the Pau Ferro board and loved it! Super articulate but still very warm!

 

[tombowlus]

To my ear the Pau Ferro is quite a bit brighter than BW and has more punch than either BW or ebony. Pau Ferro doesn't quite have the definition, body, or depth that ebony does. I love many different kinds of wood but for me the Pau Ferro is a very effective middle ground wood in that it gives you a very versatile range of tones. Not as bright as maple but not as warm as BW. I prefer the punch and attack of maple but I have really come to understand what ebony is doing on my YYS and I REALLY like it. Any custom Fodera I would do would most likely be ebony... Hope that helps!

Peace,

T

+1 That pretty much matches my experiences, as well.

 

[nostatic]

I love ebony. Second would be maple. The two Monarchs I have on order are ebony, my YYD is ebony, my Rob Allen is ebony. I have had Braz and pau ferro - nice but not my thing. ymmv.

 

[steubig]

i think ebony and mahogany body are a really nice combo. i find ebony and walnut a little less manageable for my taste.

rosewood and walnut are good; so is maple and walnut.

 

[Munjibunga]

I like ebony. My Emperor has a walnut body, and its tone is not quite as open as my mahogany-bodied Viceroy. But the attack on both instruments is similar - crisp and precise - you know - like a P bass. Gratuitous reprise of pic:

 

[asbs]

Very interesting.
I will probably go for an ebony fb on my futur Imperial.
Now the fact is wich body to go for.
I was first on the ash side, then I moved to a more warmer sound.

Now the question is what is the one who will bring me the tone I want...
Walnut soonds very good, as a dynamic and warm in the same time.
But I don't know if you can manage to "open" the mid with the preamp if you want to move from the "compressed mid" walnut's side ?

Steubig, by any chance, do you have any sounds from your mahogany/ebony combo ?
I can't really imagine how a mahogany body sound.

 

[asbs]

nice basses !

Does your mahogany have the same "kind of" warm thant the walnut ?
Also, if you don't mind, could you tell the difference you feel in the trebbles ?

I like ebony. My Emperor has a walnut body, and its tone is not quite as open as my mahogany-bodied Viceroy. But the attack on both instruments is similar - crisp and precise - you know - like a P bass. Gratuitous reprise of pic:

 

[Munjibunga]

nice basses !

Does your mahogany have the same "kind of" warm thant the walnut ?
Also, if you don't mind, could you tell the difference you feel in the trebbles ?

Thanks, and no. The mahogany is more mid-rich and throaty, so I'd call it warmer. The walnut is a little more compressed and refined. I'd say the treble on the walnut is slightly more clear and crisp than that of the mahogany.

 

[asbs]

Thanks, and no. The mahogany is more mid-rich and throaty, so I'd call it warmer. The walnut is a little more compressed and refined. I'd say the treble on the walnut is slightly more clear and crisp than that of the mahogany.

thank you, that helps a lot !

 

[Lennard III.]

with the Pau Ferro board and loved it! Super articulate but still very warm!

same on my new Viceroy

 

[Baird6869]

To my ear the Pau Ferro is quite a bit brighter than BW and has more punch than either BW or ebony. Pau Ferro doesn't quite have the definition, body, or depth that ebony does. I love many different kinds of wood but for me the Pau Ferro is a very effective middle ground wood in that it gives you a very versatile range of tones. Not as bright as maple but not as warm as BW. I prefer the punch and attack of maple but I have really come to understand what ebony is doing on my YYS and I REALLY like it. Any custom Fodera I would do would most likely be ebony... Hope that helps!

Peace,

T

Thanks Tom.

You are helping confirm my suspicions/hopes that my pau ferro/ash Emperor 5 and my recently ordered ebony/mahogany Monarch 5 will be a damned good gigging/recording combo.

 

[Vic]

IMHO/IME...

Ebony has the brightest snap and quickest attack, with a fairly even profile a bit lower, but maybe with a little compression... I love it for a more "modern" sound. Good for both fretted and fretless, tho getting in short supply if you care about the pure black aesthetic, and often an upcharge on a build over other boards.

Maple doesn't have as much of the uber high end ebony has, but seems to have a lot more going on in the "grind" area... low treble, if you will... "gank". Great for a snappy fingerstyle tone, or an aggressive almost harsh slap tone, but one that cuts through a mix better and doesn't sound as harsh as you'd think when in a mix. Probably my favorite for a J bass. Great for fretted, tho I'm not a fan on fretless.

Pau Ferro/Morado is somewhere in between, and honestly, a favorite fingerboard wood for me amongst the many I've tried. It's got more high end snap than maple, but not as emphasized as ebony. It's not as "harsh" a little lower, but still cuts a thick mix a bit better than ebony. Durable enough for both fretted and fretless boards, plentiful/inexpensive, and a good aesthetic replacement for rosewood.

Rosewood is probably my least favorite board, though that's NOT to say I don't like it! Just fourth in my list is all. Soft and sweet, some genres have a surprising high end snap to them, but pretty much all of them are pretty subdued/smooth/sweet in the grind/lower treble area, which doesn't give me the cut/definition I crave on fingerstyle. Works well for slap and classic foundation/old school bass tones of course. Various species with varying characteristics of the above, but overall pretty similar in general, and of course the whole Brazilian thing (export/endangered, etc). Great for fretted, but not a fan for fretless (even Jaco coated his board to make it harder to get his tone).

I'm not a believer in any significant effects of the board on low end, but I do believe they affect the high end a lot, as well as punch/attack/mids... especially high mids and grind (higher mids/lower treble).

Again... IMHO/IME anyway.

 

[KJung]

IMHO/IME...

Ebony has the brightest snap and quickest attack, with a fairly even profile a bit lower, but maybe with a little compression... I love it for a more "modern" sound. Good for both fretted and fretless, tho getting in short supply if you care about the pure black aesthetic, and often an upcharge on a build over other boards.

Maple doesn't have as much of the uber high end ebony has, but seems to have a lot more going on in the "grind" area... low treble, if you will... "gank". Great for a snappy fingerstyle tone, or an aggressive almost harsh slap tone, but one that cuts through a mix better and doesn't sound as harsh as you'd think when in a mix. Probably my favorite for a J bass. Great for fretted, tho I'm not a fan on fretless.

Pau Ferro/Morado is somewhere in between, and honestly, a favorite fingerboard wood for me amongst the many I've tried. It's got more high end snap than maple, but not as emphasized as ebony. It's not as "harsh" a little lower, but still cuts a thick mix a bit better than ebony. Durable enough for both fretted and fretless boards, plentiful/inexpensive, and a good aesthetic replacement for rosewood.

Rosewood is probably my least favorite board, though that's NOT to say I don't like it! Just fourth in my list is all. Soft and sweet, some genres have a surprising high end snap to them, but pretty much all of them are pretty subdued/smooth/sweet in the grind/lower treble area, which doesn't give me the cut/definition I crave on fingerstyle. Works well for slap and classic foundation/old school bass tones of course. Various species with varying characteristics of the above, but overall pretty similar in general, and of course the whole Brazilian thing (export/endangered, etc). Great for fretted, but not a fan for fretless (even Jaco coated his board to make it harder to get his tone).

I'm not a believer in any significant effects of the board on low end, but I do believe they affect the high end a lot, as well as punch/attack/mids... especially high mids/grind.

Again... IMHO/IME anyway.

IMO, this should be a 'sticky'. +1 to every point IME.

 

[Damian Coccio]

Im leaning toward a birdseye maple fb and mahogany body for something different - should get the weight down too.

 

[oldfretless]

imho, I like the BW, and it's no coincidence jason picked it for his latest. So it can't be THAT bad!

 

[steubig]

Steubig, by any chance, do you have any sounds from your mahogany/ebony combo ?
I can't really imagine how a mahogany body sound.

The mahogany is more mid-rich and throaty, so I'd call it warmer. The walnut is a little more compressed and refined. I'd say the treble on the walnut is slightly more clear and crisp than that of the mahogany.

i think munji has articulated my thoughts on this well.

i don't have sound clips like a lot of guys. i do have albums and digital downloads . . . but my sonic palette is a pretty different from what most people are going for, so i'm not sure it would be helpful.