Pine no good for a body?

[mid_life_crisis]

I just remembered a piece of what I think is pine that is an inch thick, about two feet wide and 6 feet long, cut from the center of a very large old growth tree that has been sitting in a garage (unattached, unheated) for about twenty years.
The nature of the cut gives it some very interesting grain and there is enough to glue up a nice looking body for a bass. Would such old pine work or is it too soft or are there other reasons I don't know about that would make it unsuitable?
It would be very pretty with the right stain and some clearcoat.

 

[Marton]

Some guy here tried to made the lightest P bass ever and used pine. Maybe you can contact him about this.

 

[mid_life_crisis]

Do you remember who it was?
I'm not worried about the weight, it is just a nice piece of wood that I thought would make a pretty bass.

 

[hdracer]

TB'er Dark Horse Has build a few basses out of pine. Check out some of his builds in the Luthier's Corner. I am getting ready to try my hand at it.

 

[mid_life_crisis]

I've seen some of his builds. Very interesting work. I haven't seen anything from pine though. Did he say how it sounded? Did he think it would hold up okay?

 

[Rune Bivrin]

Two things spring to mind:

1. Since pine is fairly light, a bass might get neck heavy, so neck dive could be an issue,
2. Pine is relatively soft, but that depends on how rapidly the pine has grown. Slow growing wood is generally harder.

Many years ago I built an electric guitar out of pine. It dinged quite easily, but was light and pretty.

 

[Marton]

Dings make your bass sounds better, right ?

 

[Thankful birds]

The earliest fender guitars were pine, and several makers still use them. Creston also makes most of their guitars and basses out of pine.

 

[mid_life_crisis]

Thanks for all the feedback. Now all I need to do is go get it and start to gluing.
Before I get started can anyone recommend some online resources to review? I'm a hobbyist woodworker, but I've never built a bass.

 

[trayner1]

You can make a pine bass, but:
a. It will be very neck heavy, which = a b**** to play w/o a special weighted strap.
b. It won't be very sturdy, dings easily
However:
a. You will have a very bright, resonant tone which will resonate throughout the entire body and sound nice
b. It will be light so you can play it for hours with no neck strain

 

[Dark Horse]

I like pine. Really nice overall tone with a sweet top end. Dings easily, and I'd use hardwood plugs to strengthen areas like strap buttons, bridge screws, etc.

It can be, but isn't always "light" - but for the most part you want to be conscious of balance, so I wouldn't use a heavy neck (like a Warmoth) with it unless I balanced it with a high mass bridge, covers etc. Really though, use some light weight tuners and pay attention and things will be fine.

 

[MatticusMania]

Anyone ever make a bass from Bolsa?

 

[Rune Bivrin]

I suppose you mean Balsa?

 

[MatticusMania]

Correct, Ive been spending too much time at the beach...

 

[etoncrow]

Dings make your bass sounds better, right ?

It depends on how long the ding rings...

 

[Meatrus]

Heres one http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=643645&highlight=pine+body+oak+neck. The same guy has built or started at least two now.

They also make some of the modern Squier guitars out of it. Not to mention Agathis, which is very common in basses, and a pine (close enough anyway ).

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

Pine:
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[SDB Guitars]

You can make a pine bass, but:
a. It will be very neck heavy, which = a b**** to play w/o a special weighted strap.
b. It won't be very sturdy, dings easily
However:
a. You will have a very bright, resonant tone which will resonate throughout the entire body and sound nice
b. It will be light so you can play it for hours with no neck strain

Seriously? Come on...

Pine is a fine wood, easy to work with, routes well. Smells FANTASTIC, gums up the drum sander like CRAZY fast. Just make sure that it is DRY DRY DRY, or it will cup on you...

It does ding easily, but just call it "rustic" and move on.

Pine weight varys a bunch, and I'd rather not crank up the whole "tonewood" discussion again...

I'm building a bass out of a pine shelf right now... started with a 2"x10" pine board about 7 feet long... chopped it up into a couple of body blanks. It's been a pleasure to work with, so far...

 

[mikeyswood]

It would appear that there are more than potatoes coming from Idaho; a voice of reason is there, too.

 

[SDB Guitars]

It would appear that there are more than potatoes coming from Idaho; a voice of reason is there, too.

Thanks, Mike! Ironically enough, most of the potatoes we buy here in Idaho (at least, here in North Idaho) are grown in Washington.