Thunderbird Club

[JIO]

From what I’ve gleaned in genpop it’s either...
All the difference in the world
OR
No difference at all

You’re welcome

I know @JIO does some basswood bodies. Maybe ax him?

Anyone care to offer an opinion on the merits of basswood vs mahogany for the body on a bolt on bass? Is there really much difference?

Basswood is very clear with minimal character (like alder) unlike mahogany which has a distinct character visually. There is also African mahogany which can have a more exotic grain pattern. They can both be fairly light in weight (depending on mahogany strain) and both are warm tone-woods with strong midrange and balanced tone. Basswood shapes/works very nicely and is used for model-making also. Basswood is relatively soft depending on the tree it came from - some more than others. I've made 4 bodies now from basswood and as much as they are similar - some are clearer (a more even surface) and some are softer than others. I made one body from African white mahogany and did extra reinforcement at the neck-pocket just in case as it seemed very soft. Basswood is a good wood to paint being bland visually where as mahogany can have a translucent coating which shows the grain pattern. That's about all I know concerning the two.

 

[dukeorock]

@kat888- isn’t your Cataldo a Poplar body? Bolt on, or neck through? What do you think of it?

 

[dukeorock]

That's about all I know concerning the two.

Heck of a lot more than I know! Thanks for the info!

 

[JIO]

This body is (relatively soft) African white mahogany. It has a long thin neck ramp which may have issues bending/moving with string tension. So I cut this 1/4" carbon support plate to stabilize the ramp and grounded it with machine-bolts into threaded inserts into the body deeper. It ain't goin' nowhere now.

 

[kat888]

I’m not sure how much difference it makes even if it is a neck through. So many different opinions on this subject. I’ve heard some say the neck wood is way more critical than body wood and I’ve yet to hear any strong evidence that there’s a huge difference between a good bolt on and a good neck through

My Epi mahogany neckthrough with high mass bridge definitely sounds darker than my poplar/maple bolt on with low mass bridge.

 

[dukeorock]

My Epi mahogany neckthrough with high mass bridge definitely sounds darker than my poplar/maple bolt on with low mass bridge.

Same pickups?

 

[dukeorock]

Glad you brought this subject up, Kat. Would be fun to learn more about it

 

[JIO]

My Epi mahogany neckthrough with high mass bridge definitely sounds darker than my poplar/maple bolt on with low mass bridge.

same pu's/electronics?

 

[JIO]

Same pickups?

hah! great minds think alike!

 

[kat888]

Basswood is very clear with minimal character (like alder) unlike mahogany which has a distinct character visually. There is also African mahogany which can have a more exotic grain pattern. They can both be fairly light in weight (depending on mahogany strain) and both are warm tone-woods with strong midrange and balanced tone. Basswood shapes/works very nicely and is used for model-making also. Basswood is relatively soft depending on the tree it came from - some more than others. I've made 4 bodies now from basswood and as much as they are similar - some are clearer (a more even surface) and some are softer than others. I made one body from African white mahogany and did extra reinforcement at the neck-pocket just in case as it seemed very soft. Basswood is a good wood to paint being bland visually where as mahogany can have a translucent coating which shows the grain pattern. That's about all I know concerning the two.

Thanks man.

@kat888- isn’t your Cataldo a Poplar body? Bolt on, or neck through? What do you think of it?

Poplar bolt on. I love it. I'm thinking about options for the future ... maybe trying to get something a little 'darker' sounding, for variety ... it being the spice of life.

Yes same pickups.

 

[JIO]

So many things enter in to the comparison of neck-thru and bolt on necks. Unless you had both made off the same batch of the same wood, in the same shape with the same parts/pu's/electronics/strings etc - A/B'ing then will always be a crap-shoot.

 

[Haji]

Same pickups?

Noooooo covers.

 

[dukeorock]

Again, I have zero proof of anything, but...

Over the years, on Fender stuff I would swear I’ve preferred alder bodies to ash. Also could be a total coincidence, but most of my favorite P basses have also been a bit lightweight. And I’m not sensitive about instrument weight (to a point).

I also associated mahogany with a darker, growlier tone, which I admit could be utter nonsense. My Thunderbird certainly is dark and growly. My Drake is a bit dark and growly too. Most of the body core is mahogany. The neck is Jatoba with a dark ebony fingerboard. To me, the Jatoba resembles maybe walnut, and not worlds apart from mahogany, but that probably just shows how little I know about wood

Here’s my Drake neck (bolt on)

This is the neck from my 2014 T Bird

Even with different pickups/Electronics, they have a somewhat similar vibe. Which most likely proves I’m not that smart, more than anything else

 

[kat888]

So many things enter in to the comparison of neck-thru and bolt on necks. Unless you had both made off the same batch of the same wood, in the same shape with the same parts/pu's/electronics/strings etc - A/B'ing then will always be a crap-shoot.

Agreed. It may well be that the 'darker' character is more to do with the high mass bridge and neckthrough construction (and mahogany/walnut neck) than the body timber.

 

[GBassNorth]

Also why is there seemingly a rule that you have to dress like an absolute tool to play golf?

Tool? Only if your knowledge of golf is limited to the movie Caddy Shack (love that movie by the way)
Pretty typical ladies Golf attire...

Pretty typical men's golf attire...

But all that said - I think we've fount a topic that nearly eclipses Tort in this club.

Golf is clearly not for everybody, and even the most die hard players find it frustrating at times. Kinda like playing a bass and trying to nail that ultra challenging song, it sure feels good when you succeed.

Now if you like, we can talk about my other hobbies, which besides bass, includes flower gardening, sharp shooting, sporting clays and motor sports.

 

[dukeorock]

Agreed. It may well be that the 'darker' character is more to do with the high mass bridge and neckthrough construction (and mahogany/walnut neck) than the body timber.

That’s something else I’d love to look into. Never really swapped bridges on a bass to see if there’s a tonal difference

 

[dukeorock]

Tool? Only if your knowledge of golf is limited to the movie Caddy Shack (love that movie by the way)
Pretty typical ladies Golf attire...
View attachment 2863362

Pretty typical men's golf attire...
View attachment 2863363

But all that said - I think we've fount a topic that nearly eclipses Tort in this club.

Golf is clearly not for everybody, and even the most die hard players find it frustrating at times. Kinda like playing a bass and trying to nail that ultra challenging song, it sure feels good when you succeed.

Now if you like, we can talk about my other hobbies, which besides bass, includes flower gardening, sharp shooting, sporting clays and motor sports.

Personally, if I ever take up golf, I’m going full CaddyShack. Just sayin

 

[Dr_Feelgoood212]

I'm with Duke, if I played golf more than twice every other year, I'd go full Rodney Dangerfield, but would want to play like Kevin Costner in Tin Cup just for the hell of it

 

[theFixer]

Does body wood make much difference, particularly if the instrument is not neck through?

I'm very quick to say yes... but that's based on the fact that all my favorite guitars are made of mahogany. I guess the only real way to know for sure though, would be to have 2 pieces... identical in every way... with the exception of the body wood. The closest I can come, is comparing my Rambow to my Les Paul. Both set neck, both 24 3/4" scale length, both have 2 humbuckers, and they have similar bridges. The Rambow is very strat-like in it's general body shape, and has a flat top, unlike the Les Paul's carved top. The Rambow's a "straight-shooter" (master volume knob, no tone controls... just as Kat would have it). Obviously, the Paul has V/V/T/T. The Rambow is solid all-maple, with an ebony fretboard. The Les Paul has mahogany neck & body with carved maple top & a rosewood fretboard. Rambow has a straight headstock, Paul has a tilt-back. The similarities are as obvious as the differences... and the same can be said for the sounds they produce. They feel and play similarly. They both have full robust sounds, and great sustain... but that's where the similarities end. They are sonically different animals. The Les Paul wants to sit down & have a nice long chat with you over drinks. The Rambow wants to saw your head off with a rusty cheese grater (although the neck pup can be a bit more sociable). I'm a believer that every single component that goes into a musical instrument, has an effect, great or small, on the tone and character of that instrument. I believe that the body wood is one of the more significant components in the equation. I don't have a PowerPoint presentation to back it up... it's just my opinion on the matter, based on my own experiences with various fiddles over the years.

 

[Korladis]

I can easily simplify my front pedals down to my Wah and noise suppressor (that hasn’t actually been used for a while now), my distortion and OD pedals are more for fun, Flanger would go in effects loop that I can true bypass with the footswitch for my Mesa, which has a tuner out and that’s where my tuner goes.
But I have no reason to simplify anytime soon.

I've actually never used a noise suppressor. Thought about it when I still played black metal.

Is the Flanger going to be switchable (on/off)? If so how’s it being done? Kick switch like the boost switch on Crybaby 535q’s?

It has two stomp switches. Currently one sets the flanger to auto mode. That's going to be switched to turning the wah off and on. The other is a switch to turn the flanger on and off.

The pedal is actually built as a flanger. My tech is just cramming a Power Wah circuit in there as well.

‘76 P bass is on its way to its new owner. Put up another wall hanger in anticipation of the 2002 ‘Bird
View attachment 2863252
So far, each of my main players serve a different function and I’m really happy with all. The parts bass still has a way to go for what I’m thinking, but other than that...

I like that your basses all have a classic aesthetic, but are all kinda quirky and unconventional at the same time. I mean, except the P-bass, obviously.

Anyone care to offer an opinion on the merits of basswood vs mahogany for the body on a bolt on bass? Is there really much difference?

Never compared basswood and mahogany directly, but there might be.

Does body wood make much difference, particularly if the instrument is not neck through?

I think it does.

I have two of those little 6 string instruments (guitars) as well. They have the same scale length, identical pickups and controls, but their body woods are noticeably different. One is quite light and obviously a somewhat soft, porous wood. The other is much heavier, its body is made of a very hard, dense wood. The first has a much darker tone than the second. Both are bolt on.

I’m not sure how much difference it makes even if it is a neck through. So many different opinions on this subject. I’ve heard some say the neck wood is way more critical than body wood and I’ve yet to hear any strong evidence that there’s a huge difference between a good bolt on and a good neck through

I think it would actually make less difference in a neck through, since in a neck through, both ends of the string are attached to the neck wood, basically.

Tool? Only if your knowledge of golf is limited to the movie Caddy Shack (love that movie by the way)
Pretty typical ladies Golf attire...
View attachment 2863362

Pretty typical men's golf attire...
View attachment 2863363

But all that said - I think we've fount a topic that nearly eclipses Tort in this club.

Golf is clearly not for everybody, and even the most die hard players find it frustrating at times. Kinda like playing a bass and trying to nail that ultra challenging song, it sure feels good when you succeed.

Now if you like, we can talk about my other hobbies, which besides bass, includes flower gardening, sharp shooting, sporting clays and motor sports.

Yeah, the dude looks like a tool to me. Why doesn't anyone golf in jeans, sneakers, and a t-shirt?

Nothing wrong with flower gardening, though. Albeit, Catapult's vocalist and guitarist are much more into gardening than I am.