[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='37560' date='Jul 26 2007, 10:38 PM']Thats a bit insulting to those who think wood does make a difference and particularly to those who are interested in exploring other alternatives to ash/maple. The way I see it, you can't rule out the influence of wood, any more than you can include the effect of all the other elements you've mentioned. As I stated before, its a balancing act and each part contributes to the overall whole.
In any event I happen to own two basses that are, for all intents and purposes, identical apart from their neck material. Any bass player doing an A/B of these instruments would hear and feel for themselves that neck material has a substantial influence on the sound of an instrument.
I think it's a no brainer.[/quote]
Looks like the 'can of worms' has been well and truly opened here!! Here's my 2p worth on the subject..
I used to have two Wal Pro 2e basses about 12 years ago that were made of the same body wood (Ash), same neck (maple with rosewood board), same Wal electronics etc and yet they sounded quite different and felt different to play. The key difference was in the weight of the Ash used for the body - there was probably about one and a half pounds difference in the weight of the two basses! A bit puzzled by this, I spoke to a brilliant luthier (in Harrow, North London) called Bill Puplett about it and he said that when two instruments are tuned and strung the same, the energy produced by each string is the same but if the woods are of different density/weight, then the two instruments will resonate differently. Bottom line is, the difference in the resonance of the wood affects the feel of the bass in your hands and also, in the sound the pick up is reproducing...
I can't prove that scientifically of course, but Bill was a guy who's opinion I respected greatly and his explanation is still good enough for me!
Nik