maple or ash

[mike phillips]

lookin to get into buildin my first bass. it will be a p bass. i play mostly metal. i have two choices of woods for the body and they are maple or ash. which one? what is the difference in tone if any? thanks in advance, mike

 

[Rodent]

for a P bass to play metal? Alder would be my choice #1 followed by Ash at a significant distance.

Maple is way to bright if you're looking for that classic P-bass tone

IMO of course ...

all the best,

R

 

[teej]

I second the above (alder or ash). Maple, aside from being to bright, would be a bit heavy. Drop in a set of SD Quarter-Pound pups, and maybe an Aguilar 2-band preamp.

 

[mike phillips]

i play all kinds of stuff. sabbath, dio, zz top, skynyrd, country, blues thats why i figured p bass. ive only been playin less than a year. so any and all advice is appreciated. i am lookin at emg pick ups. good choice?

 

[bill h]

Alder if you are going to paint it, Ash if you will see the wood grain.

 

[mike phillips]

thanks for that advice. how does that make a difference? yes, it will be painted. any books or sites i can get information on bass buildin? tips like these are awsome. yall are fantastic people.

 

[teej]

how does what make a difference, painting? well typically, alder has a very boring grain, so most people paint it a solid color. ash on the other hand a a nice grain, and should be shown off, so it's usually painted only with clear coat or a transparent color.

As for sites and books, check the FAQ sticky at the top of this forum. There's a crapload of links and whatnot to other threads overflowing with info.

 

[bill h]

To pain ash is like eating a steak with castup....

 

[FBB Custom]

I don't know where you guys are from, but up in New England it seems like most of the common, inexpensive millwork and flooring you see is ash or oak (looks looks like ash to me unless it's quartered). Also baseball bats. Northern white oak is $3-4/bf for FAS.

In summary, you have my blessing if you want to paint over ash.

 

[Mike N]

I don't know where you guys are from, but up in New England it seems like most of the common, inexpensive millwork and flooring you see is ash or oak (looks looks like ash to me unless it's quartered). Also baseball bats. Northern white oak is $3-4/bf for FAS.

In summary, you have my blessing if you want to paint over ash.

I thought baseball bats were hickory.

 

[Hookus]

I thought ash and hickory were closely related.