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What top for walnut

Ezmar

Ezmar

Jul 8, 2010
837
46
#1
Okay, kind of silly opinion-gathering thread, I'm planning a custom build, and I think I want Black Walnut for the body, due to its purported tonal properties, but mostly because it's exactly what I see in my head aesthetically. So the question is, what top woods would you choose for a black walnut body, if any? What do y'all think looks good? I'm not a big fan of really dark woods like some pieces of Claro, but I'm mostly asking this to see what other people like, not really suggestions.

Fire away, I guess.
 
#3
Curiosity, mostly. I may well just get completely walnut, because of how much I love the look of walnut, and it would obviously be cheaper. Tops do tend to look better as dark on light, I feel too. But I'm just wondering if there's anything people think works particularly well for black walnut.
 
#6
If it's a nice piece of walnut I'd probably just go topless. If not then I don't know - the options are vast. A nice walnut burl perhaps. You could have a peek at the Showroom and New Basses pages on the MTD website for some ideas. :)
 
#10
I got mine all Black Walnut with a walnut neck-through, no top wood. Dark board. Looks like this:

IMG_2210_zps89841393.jpg
 
#12
I'd suggest you do something like this...
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I bought one of these walnut on walnut basses a few months ago and it's the best sounding jazz I've ever played. The pickups are EMGs and the preamp is an Aguilar OBP-3. Heavily figured walnut can have almost a koa wood appearance. Flamed walnut looks equally good.
 
#18
Is this to be fretted or fretless? Regardless, Black Walnut by itself really squeezes out the midrange. I've done both bass and guitars with all-walnut bodies and they seemed a bit on-dimensional in tone for me. Cosmetically AND sonically, I love a Walnut body with a thicker (3/8" +) Maple top... preferably Quilted, Flamed or Birdseye. Spalted Maple looks amazing but it's usually too soft to contribute much tonally. Ebony boards with Figured Maple tops on a Walnut or Bubinga body are my favorites!
 

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