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New Unexpected Bass Day - Woods Question (please help identify)

Hello all

The guitarist in the band that I'm in showed up at our gig last night with a bass, told me it's one that he bought a while back, said that he never uses it and it sits. So he asked me if I wanted to buy it. Looked pretty interesting and had a straight neck and good electronics, so I bought it.

Popped off the neck today and it turns out it's a Warmoth body and neck. Has a nicely wired and shielded electronics cavity too. EMG 3-band pre.

Looking for your opinions on the woods used for this build. To my somewhat untrained eye, body looks like it could be walnut with a flame maple top or possibly an ash body stained to look like walnut.

The neck...maybe walnut, ovangkol or wenge? Fret board, rosewood or possibly korina or maybe even ovangkol?

Let me know your thoughts. My guitarist bought it used from a local music store and they didn't have any info on the build.

Thanks!

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Hello all

The guitarist in the band that I'm in showed up at our gig last night with a bass, told me it's one that he bought a while back, said that he never uses it and it sits. So he asked me if I wanted to buy it. Looked pretty interesting and had a straight neck and good electronics, so I bought it.

Popped off the neck today and it turns out it's a Warmoth body and neck. Has a nicely wired and shielded electronics cavity too. EMG 3-band pre.

Looking for your opinions on the woods used for this build. To my somewhat untrained eye, body looks like it could be walnut with a flame maple top or possibly an ash body stained to look like walnut.

The neck...maybe walnut, ovangkol or wenge? Fret board, rosewood or possibly korina or maybe even ovangkol?

Let me know your thoughts. My guitarist bought it used from a local music store and they didn't have any info on the build.

Thanks!

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Nice!
 
I’d say wenge for the neck; looks very similar to the foster child Warwick Thumb BO I got as a long-term loan from my BL. If you can feel the grain, I think it’s probably wenge.

Fretboard looks like rosewood to me; the Warwick has an ovankol body and I don’t think it’s that similar...
 

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Hello all

The guitarist in the band that I'm in showed up at our gig last night with a bass, told me it's one that he bought a while back, said that he never uses it and it sits. So he asked me if I wanted to buy it. Looked pretty interesting and had a straight neck and good electronics, so I bought it.

Popped off the neck today and it turns out it's a Warmoth body and neck. Has a nicely wired and shielded electronics cavity too. EMG 3-band pre.

Looking for your opinions on the woods used for this build. To my somewhat untrained eye, body looks like it could be walnut with a flame maple top or possibly an ash body stained to look like walnut.

The neck...maybe walnut, ovangkol or wenge? Fret board, rosewood or possibly korina or maybe even ovangkol?

Let me know your thoughts. My guitarist bought it used from a local music store and they didn't have any info on the build.

Thanks!

View attachment 3570855 View attachment 3570856 View attachment 3570857 View attachment 3570858 View attachment 3570859 View attachment 3570860 View attachment 3570861 View attachment 3570862 View attachment 3570863 View attachment 3570864 View attachment 3570865 View attachment 3570866 View attachment 3570867 View attachment 3570868
:drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool:
 
I'm no expert on wood, but the neck looks darker than the body to me. I'll throw my lot in with walnut body, maple top, with rosewood neck and fretboard.
It's possible, but that could just be related to how it took stain or coating, or even what coating was used. The grain patterns are similar between the two woods, both on the bass and in species. Tough to tell.
 
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Body is walnut with a maple cap. Fretboard looks like Pau Ferro. The neck looks like, based mainly on the headstock facing, Bubinga. Bubinga does darken (back of neck) from handling and body oils etc. Must be 11+ pounds I’d imagine. This would be a pretty expensive bass to put together new.