That's the chubby tone I'm talkin about! Kids a killer player...so that always helps...
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Plywood bodies, any experience?
- Thread starter billiam5billion
- Start date
That's the chubby tone I'm talkin about! Kids a killer player...so that always helps...
Other than the decal, all other points are moot. And even that is weak, since it's not really a Fender
I bought my daughter a used Korean Squier strat as a beater a couple of years ago (she has a Squier Standard strat that's too beautiful -- seriously -- to be taken to the camp she was considering). I didn't even realize it was plywood until I got it home and took it apart to clean it up.
It had the best tone (IMO) I think I'd ever heard from a strat. And it was *light.* I eventually sold it since she didn't need it any more, but it was a surprisingly good instrument.
-jb
It had the best tone (IMO) I think I'd ever heard from a strat. And it was *light.* I eventually sold it since she didn't need it any more, but it was a surprisingly good instrument.
-jb
I had a great reply written two hrs. agao and we had a power failure just as I was about to hit "send"
......
Anyway, like what the other posters have said, the necks on the Squier II guitars and basses are really pretty nice. I have a 1989 Squier II Strat with a maple fretboard and it has nearly the identical profile and the same 10" radius as the Players Strat necks.
I haven't played any of the basses, but for $100 bucks is worth taking a chance. The "plywood" body is actually laminated wood and not as bad as everybody thinks. Does the serial# start with an "S"? If so, it was made by Samick. Young & Chang also produced instruments for Squier that year.
You might want to replace the tuners, but the neck alone is a good start for a "Frankenbass" project. Good luck!!!
......Anyway, like what the other posters have said, the necks on the Squier II guitars and basses are really pretty nice. I have a 1989 Squier II Strat with a maple fretboard and it has nearly the identical profile and the same 10" radius as the Players Strat necks.
I haven't played any of the basses, but for $100 bucks is worth taking a chance. The "plywood" body is actually laminated wood and not as bad as everybody thinks. Does the serial# start with an "S"? If so, it was made by Samick. Young & Chang also produced instruments for Squier that year.
You might want to replace the tuners, but the neck alone is a good start for a "Frankenbass" project. Good luck!!!
Other than the decal, all other points are moot. And even that is weak, since it's not really a Fender
Do you have an SX for sale or something?
My first bass was a plywood bodied Aria Pro II. I installed some Select pickups in it after a while and, have to say, it was a fantastic sounding bass. I defretted it a few years later and it made for a fantastic sounding fretless too.
I can't honestly say I'd buy another but I learned that if it sounds good, it sounds good and that's all there is to it.
I can't honestly say I'd buy another but I learned that if it sounds good, it sounds good and that's all there is to it.
Bright is good, bright is exactly what I'm going for, actually. I need this for a new punk band I'm starting with a friend and my Jazz with flats and vintage pups won't get the grind I need.
I got old Korean Squier with a plywood body a few years ago. The neck was super comfortable, but I replaced it with a mighty mite since the truss rod was pretty much shot. I've tried three different pickups in the plywood body. This has been a fun, ongoing project. In every case the tone had some pleasant top end, while still having plenty of low end thump. It's on the heavy side, but since it was cheap I painted it an outlandish color and added a bunch of peace signs for a sorta' psychedelic '60s look. It's a fun bass to gig, and it sounds great. IMO, don't be afraid of plywood, unless the weight concerns you.
No weight concerns, I'm a strapping young lad. When I get it, I'll post pics and take suggestions for paint jobs and mods.
BurningSkies
CRAZY BALDHEAD
- Feb 20, 2005
- 27,956
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- Endorsing artist: Dingwall Guitars
Here's a fun plywood story...guitar, rather than bass.
Our singer also plays riddim guitar in our band. He's from Ghana, and has no guitar (or much else) to call his own. Luckily we all have 'spare' guitars around and over a few weeks, he tried an alder bodied Ibanez, a mahogany bodied Les Paul, my swamp ash bodied Telecaster and my old bastard-parts-strat with a plywood body.
All instruments are solid finishes and no one talked about wood choices, it was up to ears. He LOVED the plywood body over any of the others. And everyone agreed that it sounded better than the rest.
Our singer also plays riddim guitar in our band. He's from Ghana, and has no guitar (or much else) to call his own. Luckily we all have 'spare' guitars around and over a few weeks, he tried an alder bodied Ibanez, a mahogany bodied Les Paul, my swamp ash bodied Telecaster and my old bastard-parts-strat with a plywood body.
All instruments are solid finishes and no one talked about wood choices, it was up to ears. He LOVED the plywood body over any of the others. And everyone agreed that it sounded better than the rest.
Do you have an SX for sale or something?
Nah, they're just great instruments for the price. Certainly better than an old plywood Squier
Nah, they're just great instruments for the price. Certainly better than an old plywood Squier
We should do a side by side thread when I get it.
I tried at least 10 different pickups when I was searching for a split-P pickup that I wanted to keep in my Franken P Bass.
Someone here told me the DCR of what he thought was the best sounding P pickup out of hundreds he'd played, so I rewound one within .03K of what he said. It was put in my test bass which at the time was an Ibanez Indonesion plywood body with TI JF34s. It sounded great; by far my favorite P Bass sound from what I'd tried, and one of the nicest bass tones I've ever found including everything I've tried.
I stuck it in my P which has DT760FM's and didn't care for it.
I think that pickup sounded so good in the test bass because of the strings, not the plywood body; but, the point is the plywood sure didn't hurt the tone.
Someone here told me the DCR of what he thought was the best sounding P pickup out of hundreds he'd played, so I rewound one within .03K of what he said. It was put in my test bass which at the time was an Ibanez Indonesion plywood body with TI JF34s. It sounded great; by far my favorite P Bass sound from what I'd tried, and one of the nicest bass tones I've ever found including everything I've tried.
I stuck it in my P which has DT760FM's and didn't care for it.
I think that pickup sounded so good in the test bass because of the strings, not the plywood body; but, the point is the plywood sure didn't hurt the tone.
I bought a used Epiphone Power Bass back in 95 after starting to play bass again after a 15 year hiatus .Plywood body, P/J pickups and an Explorer type headstock , I paid $250 . It had a decent sound but always had a chorus type sound in the background . I put EMG Select pickups in it and it was different but still had that thing going on in the background . The neck wouldn't stay the same and I'd have to adjust it every week to keep it playable .
I sold it after a year and bought a Fender MIM Jazz , problem solved . If there would have been SX basses around then I could have bought one of those for half what I paid for the Epiphone and had a much better bass . I don't know how much of the problem was with the plywood body but Epiphone couldn't get it to work right with that bass .
I sold it after a year and bought a Fender MIM Jazz , problem solved . If there would have been SX basses around then I could have bought one of those for half what I paid for the Epiphone and had a much better bass . I don't know how much of the problem was with the plywood body but Epiphone couldn't get it to work right with that bass .
I've had - and still have - more than one bass with a laminate body. I can't tell any difference in sound between laminate and traditional body instruments.
I didn't say "solid body" because many traditional-bodied instruments are made up of numerous pieces of wood. The distinction between that kind of laminate and the "plywood" body could be debated.
I didn't say "solid body" because many traditional-bodied instruments are made up of numerous pieces of wood. The distinction between that kind of laminate and the "plywood" body could be debated.
Poor qaulity sound that often has a somewhat hallow trait to it. Plywood bodys should be avoided, theyre garbage imo. Plywood bodies obvious giveaway is that theres layer every 1/8 inch or so
I'll send you a waterslide Fender decal. Next time you take a dump, string it up and put the label on the headstock. New bass...Tah-dah!
I've dealt with several plywood bodies lately (mainly because I can pick up old basses made from it cheaply) and not one of them has had a really bad sound. In fact one of them has the best slap sound I've ever heard...and it's got cheap strings and SX pickups.
It might come down to the individual instrument, but plywood bodies don't scare me anymore. The biggest downside I can think of is that they are sometimes quite heavy. The heavy ones usually sound a bit better to me than the lighter ones for some reason.
It might come down to the individual instrument, but plywood bodies don't scare me anymore. The biggest downside I can think of is that they are sometimes quite heavy. The heavy ones usually sound a bit better to me than the lighter ones for some reason.
