Why basswood???

[dkelley]

If your skills include the ability to finish a set with auto-destruct panache, then you may just find basswood provides that pleasing "breakup" you seek.

Don't be this chick.

View attachment 4173195

SNL's floor monitor took the damage badly.. the guitar just got returned to the music store and is now considered a Demo model with a 5% discount off new.

 

[dkelley]

They're doing whatever they can to try to sell pine...about the least desirable wood for electric guitars of any kind.

Pine USA ernie ball SUB basses are some of the most amazing instruments you can find at reasonable prices. PINE is ugly as hell, but you paint it and it's a GREAT wood for sound.

THAT BEING SAID - it's surprisingly heavy, which is one of two significant reasons why I sold my USA SUB basses.

 

[dkelley]

Softer and less dense woods tend to make for good tone woods for bass. Also they are lighter than harder woods.

The janka hardness on basswood is 410. The Sandberg ultralight basses use a wood called paulownia which has a janka hardness of 300. Swamp ash is about 1320 for comparison purposes. Ebony is 3260, which is why it is so heavy.

Hardness/softness is not the only thing that affects tone but it does matter and basswood has been proven over time to be a very good tone wood. It is not particularly attractive so it is usually painted and clear coated which also helps protect it from dings, etc.

Facts. Science. Imagine that! Thank you for this post.

 

[cool breeze]

A little harsh, but yeah. It tends to be light, and with a thick coat of poly, dents aren't really an issue.

In many posts it's been mentioned that basswood is light. If so I'm interested in some opinions as to why my Sterling SUB bass made in Indonesia with a walnut finish weighs in at 9 lbs 6 oz? Thankyou in advance for your replies.

 

[stringthrough]

In many posts it's been mentioned that basswood is light. If so I'm interested in some opinions as to why my Sterling SUB bass made in Indonesia with a walnut finish weighs in at 9 lbs 6 oz? Thankyou in advance for your replies.

Because it ain't always light. Ever checkout some of the weights of Godin basses made of "Laurentian Basswood"? Kinda defeats any benefit (other than the manufacturer's cost) of using basswood.

 

[gln1955]

In many posts it's been mentioned that basswood is light. If so I'm interested in some opinions as to why my Sterling SUB bass made in Indonesia with a walnut finish weighs in at 9 lbs 6 oz? Thankyou in advance for your replies.

There's American basswood and then there's many other species in the Tilia genus growing in Europe and Asia that could be called basswood. An Indonesian-made bass could be anything. Plus of course, individual variation even with American basswood trees.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

It allows you to road-wear your new bass within weeks!

But seriously, there’s nothing wrong with basswood. Heck, poplar is also not a very hard wood.... but it has been used by some very upscale builders, so it is considered by many to be a ‘tonewood’. Such that it landed on your list. Tone is tone, and if basswood gives you great tone then use it.

ugh poplar can be ugly black and pea soup green streaks

Especially for open backed guitar cabs.



I was going to say this...super light means more air less wood...and more air usually means softer. My uber-light swamp ash Tele also has a thin nitro finish...so yeah, it's not one to bang-around. But then I don't bang around any instrument.



I thought that butternut was hard to come by too these days? I know it works well and I've heard a lot of good about it over the years, but IIRC luthiers were saying that it was becoming a problem to source?

Alder is getting harder to source also.
Cedar and Spruce are also very soft -- but tonewood
Butternut IS becoming scarcer ! (I'm getting a 10" wide 8/4 8' butternut board today ) .
Okoume is wonderful and plentiful, hard to source as lumber in the US due to most of it being turned into marine plywood
But DAMN: it looks nice.

unfinished

finished

That bass was just over 8lbs.
This one is under 8
(also Okoume)

 

[Yellow Bang66]

A little harsh, but yeah. It tends to be light, and with a thick coat of poly, dents aren't really an issue.

I like Basswood, I bought a zfender bass off ebay that was a fixer upper. it had a big chip near the the forearm contour. I was surprised how thick the poly was applied! looked like a 1/4" of paint. had to refinish anyway, it was a bear to strip! IDK 'bout the whole tonewood controversy, but do like Basswood, seems to resonate well,plus its light, very comfortable to wear/play!!

 

[chris70x7]

It's such a soft, easy to dent wood!

With Ash, maple, poplar, mahogany and other good sounding, though often heavier (but not always) woods with which to build bass bodies.

I had an Aerodyne bass made of basswood. It looked amazing but I thought it sounded like crap. I put Quarter Pound pickups in it too- still sounded like crap to me.

 

[BurningSkies]

ugh po

Butternut is becoming scarcer ! (I'm getting a 10" wide 8/4 8' butternut board today ) so yeah.
Okoume is wonderful and plentiful, hard to source as lumber in the US due to most of it being turned into marine plywood
But DAMN: it looks nice.
unfinished
View attachment 4173835
finished

that bass was just over 8lbs.
this one is under 8
(also Okoume)

Luckily I don't have basses made every day. Or even every year. I remember being intrigued with it when a number of luthiers I respect had good things to say about it.

The only okoume I know is...you guessed it...plywood.

I'm pretty fine with alder, I think it's a nice all-around body wood that's not too heavy. When I had my most recent made, I was looking to replicate closer to a traditional Precision vibe, so alder body was just right. In lieu of rosewood for a board (for more than a few reasons) we went with a dark & uniform macassar ebony to complete the look.

One of these days I'd like something with a very figured ziricote involved but I'm not there yet. I also think wenge is a nice option. There's no other wood that looks like it and the bass I had with a wenge FB just felt really fast and punchy in the mids.

 

[Snakeman1066]

Basswood has been common since the 80s.
Other wood species are becoming lower quality and scarcer, and more expensive.

Okoume and Butternut are good alternates.
Many of the good properties of Swamp ash.
Empress is Paulownia aka kiri and has been a traditional cabinetry wood in Japan for centuries.

I built a 5string jazz that weighs 7lbs and change, with a Paulownia body.

your right it has been around a long time...but until recently it was relegated to mostly Asian builders and generally in lower end instruments...not the case anymore it seems...

well aware of the uses for Royal Paulownia i have two basses made from it...and i made a post about builders using it more and more....way back in 2009!!!

When Buying New Would This Influence You?


Jimmy Carter apparently brought a bunch of these trees over to the U.S. back in the 80's as some of the species can be harvest size in just 5 years...

 

[58kites]

It allows you to road-wear your new bass within weeks!

But seriously, there’s nothing wrong with basswood. Heck, poplar is also not a very hard wood.... but it has been used by some very upscale builders, so it is considered by many to be a ‘tonewood’. Such that it landed on your list. Tone is tone, and if basswood gives you great tone then use it.

Basswood 410 Janka Hardness (sometimes a lot lighter than Alder)
Poplar 540 Janka Hardness (supposed to be slightly heavier than Alder)
Alder 590 Janka Hardness

My basses heaviest to lightest:

Squier 2019 Indo CV '50s Precision Bass - Pine 9.70 lbs
Peavey 1983 Fury - Ash 9.28 lbs (old Peavey ash was heavy)
EBMM 2003 SUB Bass (Slab body) Stingray - Poplar 8.95 lbs
Yamaha 1990 Attitude - Alder 8.90 lbs (lots of heavy hardware and pickups)
Squier 2011 '72 Tele Bass Reissue - Basswood 8.80 lbs
Peavey Patriot - Mahogany 8.50 lbs (small body)
White Peavey Fury - Poplar 8.51 lbs
Crean Peavey Fury - Poplar 8.25 lbs
Blue Peavey Fury - Poplar 8.24 lbs
Guild Pilot - Poplar 8.24 lbs

So, clearly body size/shape matters, what country the wood comes from matters, what year the body wood came from matters, hardware weight definitely matters.

The Basswood Squier screws were all stripped when I got it used, lots of toothpicks in the pickguard screw holes now and some glue in the bridge mount holes.
The Pine Squier holds screws fine but Asian Pine is obviously heavy, don't know what kind of pine it is.
The Poplar basses all hold screws and seem a lot like Alder, Peavey bought good Poplar in those days.
Alder is good old Alder.
The Mahogany Peavey body is awesome.
The Ash Peavey body is awesome and hard.

 

[Gsnorgathon]

It occurs to me that if you want a really hard material to make a bass out of, tooth enamel would be the one. Probably hard to work with, though. Just keep it away from sugar! And wipe down regularly with a bit fluoride.

Having an instrument made out of teeth would be pretty metal. And if they still had braces on, literally.

 

[chris70x7]

It occurs to me that if you want a really hard material to make a bass out of, tooth enamel would be the one. Probably hard to work with, though. Just keep it away from sugar! And wipe down regularly with a bit fluoride.

Having an instrument made out of teeth would be pretty metal. And if they still had braces on, literally.

Dont give the guys in GWAR any ideas...

 

[Ostie]

If you pronounce it base wood, then it all makes sense.

 

[DJ Bebop]

I'm just looking for something that'll hold the hardware and pickups to so I can play some music
:Ol

 

[58kites]

Pine USA ernie ball SUB basses are some of the most amazing instruments you can find at reasonable prices. PINE is ugly as hell, but you paint it and it's a GREAT wood for sound.

THAT BEING SAID - it's surprisingly heavy, which is one of two significant reasons why I sold my USA SUB basses.

They were Poplar bodies, not Pine. Heavy because they are big slab bodies.
Poplar is listed as slightly heavier than Alder according to Warmoth.
But my Pine Squier is a heavy bass with one little pickup and a light vintage bridge.

 

[coyote1]

If your skills include the ability to finish a set with auto-destruct panache, then you may just find basswood provides that pleasing "breakup" you seek.

Don't be this chick.

View attachment 4173195

I can’t stand it when people who don’t know how to, or are incapable of, smashing a guitar properly try to do it onstage.

I remember Paul Stanley doing it. He’d whack it once after a song and it would be broken. What fun is that?
Sammy Hagar did it once when ‘his’ guitar was touched by someone else. Again between songs, no musical context. Couple swings and it was over. Then there’s this chick, who is clearly too weak to do the job.

vid quality and sound quality not great here, but this is how it’s done:

 

[roller]

I agree with Gorn -- the whole "tonewood" discussion is so vastly exaggerated. The wood used for the body has way less to do with the sound of an instrument... and yet many folks continue to spin themselves into a tizzy, going on and on about it.

Neck wood, fretboard wood, bridge design, nut material and especially the pickups and electronics all have a bigger play in an instrument's voice before the wood used in the body.

Don't get me started on figured tops.

I had an Aerodyne bass made of basswood. It looked amazing but I thought it sounded like crap. I put Quarter Pound pickups in it too- still sounded like crap to me.

 

[58kites]

I like wood that looks good and is hard enough to hold screws.


I only think the guitar smash was cool when Hendrix and Pete Townsend did it....and since then, not so much.