Why basswood???

[pcake]

lightweight is important to many who stand for extended periods playing the bass or who have injuries or issues.

you linked to a painted body. makes me think you're just having a hard time with the idea of it. some of us want axes that don't weigh much.

i like paulownia...it's lighter than basswood! i'm on 'a paulownia kick'. it's so lightweight = it will allow me to play for another 20 years...maybe 30!

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i'm very interested in getting a paulownia (AKA empress wood) body blank this year sometime. my husband has volunteered (thanks, honey) to make me a bass with it.

 

[Brich]

Because tonewood is nonsense and basswood isn’t a problem if you’re careful with your property.

The threaded should have ended there lol

For reference, this is a 2 peice basswood body I cut, routed, shaped and shot sherwood green over top of. Super light, cuts well and looks great. Why not use basswood? Because it dents? I've got a few dents too, it'll be okay...

 

[kodiakblair]

@pcake
A couple points for your husband regarding paulownia.

You don't need to predrill, screws go in easily. Some folks fix the screws then remove them again, they flow some thin CA into the holes before final fix.

I've had no trouble with screws holding ,even strap pins. Heard others using dowels for peace of mind.

 

[perkingbass]

Because tonewood is nonsense and basswood isn’t a problem if you’re careful with your property.

Well, the kind of material you build the bass out of affects its tone, the myth is that you need this and that material to have «good» tone.

 

[Valvehead]

Lol tonewood nonsense. Get outa here. Fake news.

 

[Durham52]

As for harder woods that are light, there are very few light weight woods that are significantly harder than similar weight woods. Hardness usually runs with weight and density.
Here's a list of the weight and hardness of some well known woods used in bass and guitar making.

Basswood 26lb/cubic foot and 410 on the hardness scale.
Alder 28 590
Poplar 29 540
Mahogany 37 900
Walnut 38 1,010
Hard Maple 44 1,450
Padauk 48 1,650
Wenge 54 1,930
Gidgee 72 4,270*
OK, Gidgee isn't exactly a commonly used luthiers wood, but it is used occasionally in it's native Australia to make lovely super hard fretboards. It's really just an extreme example of the weight to hardness ration at the top end of heavy/hard woods.

Remember all of these weight and hardness figures are averages. some species of for instance, Mahogany, might be a bit heavier than others and where a tree grows may affect it's weight density and hardness. That's why Swamp Ash and Northern Hard Ash can be so different in weight and hardness, yet they are the same species, just growing in different places.

 

[JRA]

love the lightness. So far I have built two basses using paulownia....

i'm very interested in getting a paulownia (AKA empress wood) body blank this year sometime. my husband has volunteered (thanks, honey) to make me a bass with it.

the lightweight aspect has helped me to keep playing 34" scale. while my (L) shoulder issues are not quite as bothersome as a few years ago, the sheer lack of weight helps me to 'not fight' the instrument as much as i would with the heavy axes. when i was younger: not a problem. but these days = i welcome all the help/advantages i can get!

 

[lark_z]

All it takes is one manager trying to make a name for himself and a Powerpoint presentation showing that the company will save X$$ per axe. Bingo! Company X is now using a bunch of cheap basswood.

My everyday player was made from 2x4 pine I picked up off the ground. I'm no expert, but it plays well (which is really all about the neck and the setup) and it weight just under 8.5 lb.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

dents and dings do not effect tone

 

[58kites]

@pcake
A couple points for your husband regarding paulownia.

You don't need to predrill, screws go in easily. Some folks fix the screws then remove them again, they flow some thin CA into the holes before final fix.

I've had no trouble with screws holding ,even strap pins. Heard others using dowels for peace of mind.

Yup, good idea.
I don't like basswood because it doesn't hold screws, my son tells tells me to drop some wood hardener in the screw holes and solve the stripping problem.

 

[Standalone]

• My favorite bass is Basswood.
  
• It’s passive
• I gig it hard
• No bad bumps or bruises
• It looks great
• Nice necks are more important to tone, IMO
• I love my Ash and Alder Basses and mahogany guitars too.
  
  
• Buy and keep what plays nicely and looks good, skip or sell the rest.

 

[Jim Nazium]

Because "bass".

Exactly. If you're making a guitar, use guitarwood. If you're making a bass...

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

IME, basswood dents too easy. I don't care about the dings, but do care about the screws stripping the wood.

 

[perkingbass]

Lol tonewood nonsense. Get outa here. Fake news.

Was that for me? If so, doesn’t i make sense that a bass made out of cardboard will sound different than one made out of aluminium? The tone is mostly in the pickups/electronics, hands and strings, but one can’t just ignore other factors.

 

[roswell1965]

For all the obsession around here over the condition of instruments, I'm astonished at most of the responses in this thread. I've done enough woodcarving and laughed often enough at how you can add designs to basswood with your fingernail, I'd never buy an instrument made out of it.

It's hilarious, isn't it, how such a simple and innocuous question "why basswood" triggers so many "if you don't like it don't buy it... there's choices for a reason... Baskin Robbins 31 flavors," yada yada yada type answers. It's clear those who want to pound their chests and marginalize such concerns are the ones who have the most issues LMAO. Welcome to the internet.

 

[Sid the Kid]

Was that for me? If so, doesn’t i make sense that a bass made out of cardboard will sound different than one made out of aluminium? The tone is mostly in the pickups/electronics, hands and strings, but one can’t just ignore other factors.

I wouldn’t include man made materials as “tone wood”, makes for a terrible example. Without strings and pickups I find all wood has the same tone, some do dent more easily though.

 

[Thumpin6string]

Most timber is cheap.
The difference between an ash body and basswood is around $5 or $6.

Yes and $5 x the number of basses they build is another $$$$ in their pocket. It's kind of like the automobile manufacturers eliminating a $2 part from a vehicle, when you multiply that by the number that they sell, it can be a huge amount. A custom builder cares about quality and their reputation along with making a sometimes small profit. Corporations care about profit and their stock holders first and then making a product that would satisfy most consumers.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

I'll use a Frank Zappa phrase.
Cheapnis!
LOL
Dirk

 

[deckstirparnell]

I have 4 P-basses. 62 alder, 70 alder, 72 alder, and 87 MIJ basswood. I have pwned ash ones before. My far and above favorite is the 87 MIJ basswood bass. Light, balanced, sounds great, more sustain, no noticable deadspots. A pure pleasure to play.
I also have an 86 Ibanez RB650 Roadstar II that is basswood. It also is a joy to play.
Both have a couple of dings from road use but no more than any other basses I have.

 

[perkingbass]

I wouldn’t include man made materials as “tone wood”, makes for a terrible example. Without strings and pickups I find all wood has the same tone, some do dent more easily though.

From personal experience, without listening carefully, i find heavier woods to have deeper and longer sustain. I’m not saying that as a fact though, just an observation