Fretless Plywood Precision Bass Sounds Pretty Good...

[LoTone]

Fretless Plywood Precision Bass

I have no intention to reignite the age old debate about tone wood. I just appreciate the craftsmanship of the builder and the end result.

Enjoy!

 

[Not Insane]

My pretty strong and researched opinion on this: The body material and shape makes virtually no difference, UNLESS it is hollow or semi-hollow. It can be wood, brick, aluminum, solid gold, etc. Doesn't really matter, regarding the sound. However, fingering, pick electronics, cabinet can all make a huge difference.

OTOH, the material and its finish can make a HUGE difference in what the bass looks like.

For brevity I offer one receipt:

 

[cataract]

Yeah man in a blind taste test these two basses sound EXACTLY THE SAME

 

[scuzzy]

I really like his self deprecating schtick. He's fun to listen to, brutally honest.

I'm sure it's fine, laminated wood has always been extremely durable. The issue is, it probably weighs a ton.

I've been telling acoustic guitarists to lean into the Martin's with the laminated necks for a while. They are sturdy and sound great. Also cheap

 

[BassicJazzy]

Fretless Plywood Precision Bass

I have no intention to reignite the age old debate about tone wood. I just appreciate the craftsmanship of the builder and the end result.

Enjoy!

That's a very cool build video. I like his sense of humor. Decent bottom, cannot tell much else about the tone from his demo, but gotta say I love the fretboard.

In the comments he does admit it's heavy but doesn't say how much it weighs. I like the finish he got on the surface wood, and on the back of neck.

 

[SharpCat]

I think everything should be made with a laminate of ALL tone woods. Mahogany, maple, alder, ash, wenge, ebony, rosewood, etc etc etc. If tone woods don’t matter, you’re covered. If they do, then you’re covered. Allparts could make it, the Allwoods line.

 

[BassicJazzy]

I think everything should be made with a laminate of ALL tone woods. Mahogany, maple, alder, ash, wenge, ebony, rosewood, etc etc etc. If tone woods don’t matter, you’re covered. If they do, then you’re covered. Allparts could make it, the Allwoods line.

Some of those woods don't play all that well together, properties are too different. Ebony is pretty much Unobtainium, at least in US. Also, you left out one of my favorites, purple heart. Nothing looks better than a layer of purple heart.

 

[SharpCat]

Some of those woods don't play all that well together, properties are too different. Ebony is pretty much Unobtainium, at least in US. Also, you left out one of my favorites, purple heart. Nothing looks better than a layer of purple heart.

I did include Purple Heart, under the alternate spelling “etc”.

We’ll have to form a multimillion dollar research institute to figure out the correct layer order. Please send all donations as two checks, one to SharpCat, and the other to BassicJazzy. Remember, multimillion!!

 

[JimmyM]

I have a parts P with a plywood body, and the only difference in sound from my Hammersmith with alder is it has a more pronounced dead spot at C# on the G string. Big deal…I’ve heard it on many a Fender regardless of price. I was glad to put a swimming pool rout under the pick guard, though, because it wasn’t light. Not overly heavy, but heavy enough.

The only time I hear a difference in wood that actually makes a difference to me is when I use something made with basswood. But your usual solidbody woods of thicker densities may sound different unplugged, but who the hell ever plays shows unplugged?

 

[blastoff]

i think he should have done an epoxy fretboard. to accentuate the plywoodyness.

 

[BassicJazzy]

i think he should have done an epoxy fretboard. to accentuate the plywoodyness.

Looks wise, I agree, but you don't see many P's with epoxy fretless board. Wrong sound for a P? Perhaps it would have helped that bass sound a little less dead?

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

Fretless Plywood Precision Bass

I have no intention to reignite the age old debate about tone wood. I just appreciate the craftsmanship of the builder and the end result.

Enjoy!

Interesting video but the bass doesn’t sound so good honestly … the reasons may be other than the wood type used however.

 

[fhtagn]

My first bass back in the late 90's was a cheapie made out of plywood – and it wasn't half bad sound-wise. A P is a P nonetheless.

 

[Iristone]

Nothing wrong with plywood or laminate, you could argue that any neck-through bass is made of a laminate neck! The resultant tone depends on the overall instrument design rather than a single wood material, though.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

i think he should have done an epoxy fretboard. to accentuate the plywoodyness.

If you want the ultimate plywoody, epoxyish fingerboard.

 

[Gino t]

i have a MIK Squier II strat, plywood body, that line has pretty nice maple necks and plays pretty well but strap buttons won't stay in.

 

[FaithNoMan]

Yeah man in a blind taste test these two basses sound EXACTLY THE SAME

I went on there and talked to him, lol.

I agree for the most part when the bass tone is a plain P bass "Middle of the Road" bass tone....like the one he has.

And how expensive the wood is doesn't matter to me. How dense it is, rigid, dry, and how thin the body is, and what the neck is made of...when you're dialing in a bright harsh piano tone?
Absolutely then.

But for the most part, for most bassists(who hate the harsh tones I love)? Nah, go make that bass out of any wood that holds together.

That's kind of the tones I like to make with my P bass that has a thin rock maple body/Hoxey neck
Dropbox

This was before I added the aluminum neck to my shaved maple body P bass. I played it acoustically with an iphone at the back, and then plugged in with the same phone. I think you can hear that it's the same bass...even though it has pickups and not an "acoustic instrument":

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

That being said, the YT dude was cool. Just another bass player!

 

[Wyvern]

My pretty strong and researched opinion on this: The body material and shape makes virtually no difference, UNLESS it is hollow or semi-hollow. It can be wood, brick, aluminum, solid gold, etc. Doesn't really matter, regarding the sound. However, fingering, pick electronics, cabinet can all make a huge difference.

OTOH, the material and its finish can make a HUGE difference in what the bass looks like.

For brevity I offer one receipt:

I'm glad I have bat ears then.

Apparently being able to hear the difference between an alder jazz an ash Jazz as well as maple vs. ebony vs. rosewood fretboard makes you some kind of superhuman freak.

 

[BassicJazzy]

I'm glad I have bat ears then.

Apparently being able to hear the difference between an alder jazz an ash Jazz as well as maple vs. ebony vs. rosewood fretboard makes you some kind of superhuman freak.

No, I don't have perfect pitch or super bat ears either but I can certainly tell the difference. If we are talking about fretted bass it can be tough, but it's easy to hear the difference with a fretless, at least with the fretboard woods.

When you get to comparing body woods it becomes much tougher. It's really hard to do an apples to apples comparison, without there being many other factors that vary to consider. Different p'ups, necks, strings, electronics. Slightly different models. Really tough.

For example, you can buy two same model basses, same year, same wood types, have a 1.5 lb difference in weight because wood came from different part of the tree.

 

[crazycloud]

Plywood sucks.
That's why I sold my Kubicki with it's awful plywood neck, and my Alembics with their sucky plywood bodies and necks.

Apparently being able to hear the difference between an alder jazz an ash Jazz as well as maple vs. ebony vs. rosewood fretboard makes you some kind of superhuman freak.

Just means that the test was (almost certainly) performed badly allowing a lot of biases not to be excluded, the most obvious being able to see it.