• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Stradivarius Secret Cracked--Are Basses Next?

jasper383

jasper383

Dec 5, 2004
4,717
1,290
58
Durham NC
#1
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Wood density has now been theorized as the main contributor to the greatness of Stradivarius violins.

Will the evenness of wood density now be a consideration for bass players? Will high end manufacturers now MRI their wood to ensure the best sound?

I can see it now; "My bass has better wood density than yours."

:)
 
#3
Greeeeeaaaaaat. Now we can have people building 30-pound electric basses out of Lignum because they assume that incredibly dense woods will automatically yield the best sound. And of course, they will claim THEY can hear the difference!

Wait - isn't Lexan more dense than wood? How about concrete? Gee, those would make the best bass bodies ever, right.............? (The Link Removed comes to mind....)
 
#5
Pilgrim said:
Greeeeeaaaaaat. Now we can have people building 30-pound electric basses out of Lignum because they assume that incredibly dense woods will automatically yield the best sound. And of course, they will claim THEY can hear the difference!

Wait - isn't Lexan more dense than wood? How about concrete? Gee, those would make the best bass bodies ever, right.............? (The Link Removed comes to mind....)
Click to expand...

ummm ya it's wood density gradient as in the change of density throughout the body. Not the greater the density the better.
 
#6
Pilgrim said:
Greeeeeaaaaaat. Now we can have people building 30-pound electric basses out of Lignum because they assume that incredibly dense woods will automatically yield the best sound. And of course, they will claim THEY can hear the difference!

Wait - isn't Lexan more dense than wood? How about concrete? Gee, those would make the best bass bodies ever, right.............? (The Link Removed comes to mind....)
Click to expand...

:)

It is the evenness of the density, and not the density alone, I think, that the paper establishes.

Lexan would be a great contender, wouldn't it? Any man made plastic could conceivably be far more even in density than any wood.

How about both? A 25 pound lexan bass--both dense and even. That would be the best bass ever!
 
#7
Pilgrim said:
Greeeeeaaaaaat. Now we can have people building 30-pound electric basses out of Lignum because they assume that incredibly dense woods will automatically yield the best sound. And of course, they will claim THEY can hear the difference!

Wait - isn't Lexan more dense than wood? How about concrete? Gee, those would make the best bass bodies ever, right.............? (The Link Removed comes to mind....)
Click to expand...

The article didn't say it was bout incredibly dense wood, it was saying that uniform density was the key.
 
#8
So 4 of you have read it and havent got a clue of what it says... It doesnt say that the density of the stardi is higher, it clearly says that the median density is almost the same, but its the bariation between old groth grain and new growth grain that makes the difference, the lower the difference the better it will respond....
 
#15
I fabricate with high density polyethelene Jasper 383. I have thought about making a bass or guitar out of it. The problem is that PE expands and contracts much more than wood when the temperature changes. I may try it anyway. PVC is a bit more stable, but it becomes brittle with exposure to light.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back