bassickman Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Alder, Ash, Mahogany, Maple? I don't know which would will help produce what sound on which part of the bass?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikay Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 This site gives descriptions of body, neck and fingerboard woods along with their tonal characteristics which may help: http://www.soundunlimited.co.uk/articles/guitar_tone_woods Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassickman Posted June 13, 2012 Author Share Posted June 13, 2012 thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Google tonewoods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Also Google snake oil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Find basses you like and copy that That's what I did Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 [quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1339582968' post='1690824'] Also Google snake oil [/quote] That's for cleaning the fretboard, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 You can hear more of the wood in some basses than you can in others. Some luthiers will work with the wood to get their tone and some will use the pickups and electrics to get theirs. Andrew Gouche, who is big in Gospel in the US, use to play Ken Smith basses. They probably fall on the pickup and electrics side, now he plays MTD which is on the wood side of the argument. Woods will make a difference; the guys making the basses say so, so in an argument between Michael Tobias and members of BC I know who I would believe. But then the electrics, pickups, construction, strings and playing style also makes a big difference. As with all things bass the components are put together in varying degrees to make a whole sound. You’ve just got to get the bass that sounds the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 ...and despite choosing woods for a specific tone, any luthier worth their salt will tell you that you'll never know how an instrument is going to sound until it's strung up and played. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 [quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1339585454' post='1690886'] ...and despite choosing woods for a specific tone, any luthier worth their salt will tell you that you'll never know how an instrument is going to sound until it's strung up and played. [/quote] Very true. I've played Precisions that on paper are identical but sound very different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 While it's not possible to accurately measure (or even accurately define) the effect that a certain type of wood will have on the final sound of an electric bass, I'd be surprised if it amounted to 10% - and I'm being generous because it is an unknown quantity and I don't want to put anyone's nose out of joint. Far be it from me to say that anyone is wrong to do so but personally speaking I do not care for the endless, cyclic "discussions" about the minute details of the effects that different woods may or may not have on the sound of a bass. It is as much background noise to me as the effects would be statistical noise, if they ever could be measured - especially when one considers the fact that different cuts of wood even from the same tree never mind the same species won't be exactly the same at a molecular level. It's like nailing jelly to a wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 [quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1339665868' post='1692124'] It's like nailing jelly to a wall. [/quote] What flavour...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scojack Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 +1 Neepheid couldnt agree more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 [quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1339665868' post='1692124'] It's like nailing jelly to a wall. [/quote] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKmKhqX9jwg"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKmKhqX9jwg[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Having had a go on two Epiphone Thunderbirds, one made of alder, the other of mahogany, with, from the specs, everything else being the same, I could have told, blindfolded, which was which, by the sound through an amp with the same settings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coilte Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 (edited) [quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1339665868' post='1692124'] While it's not possible to accurately measure (or even accurately define) the effect that a certain type of wood will have on the final sound of an electric bass, I'd be surprised if it amounted to 10% - and I'm being generous because it is an unknown quantity and I don't want to put anyone's nose out of joint. Far be it from me to say that anyone is wrong to do so but personally speaking I do not care for the endless, cyclic "discussions" about the minute details of the effects that different woods may or may not have on the sound of a bass. It is as much background noise to me as the effects would be statistical noise, if they ever could be measured - especially when one considers the fact that different cuts of wood even from the same tree never mind the same species won't be exactly the same at a molecular level. It's like nailing jelly to a wall. [/quote] I'm inclined to agree with this. Someone posted an interesting clip on the "Discussions" forum, a while back ( I did a search for the thread with no luck). The clip consisted of an experimental recording done on three different woods, using the same pups and strings on each. The thing was that one of the "basses" was made from bits and pieces of planks that the guy had found in his shed. A surprising amount of people could not pick out the "Frankenstein" bass. I know there can be a lot of counter arguments to this. Still....food for thought. Edited June 14, 2012 by Coilte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 [quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1339585454' post='1690886'] ...and despite choosing woods for a specific tone, any luthier worth their salt will tell you that you'll never know how an instrument is going to sound until it's strung up and played. [/quote] I think this is true..... so to hedge the bets, you throw in active EQ. This is why you don't want to become the guinea pig and you use tried and trusted combinations. If the bass is put together well, you can except resonance to be good...but there is still that element of the unknown sound until you plug in. IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 How much are you planning on throwing your bass about? some woods don't take it so well, plus finish choices effect that. Basswood is really soft and dings easily. Without a scarf joint mahogany makes a dreadful neck material as it beaks easily, especially with an angled back headstock so the grain isn't continuous, only shysters would sell you that though, so prob won't be an issue. Of the woods you've listed, maple is most suitable for necks as is tough (provided suitable examples of maple are chosen) and other woods can be laminated with it for more strength. Ash has cool looking grain for a body, alder is consistently workable which is its main advantage, mahogany has a classic look, but is open grained, so needs effort for finishing (as does ash, but the grain pattern is cool and you can do effects like coloured grain filler on it that looks duff on mahogany). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 What Michael Tobias has to say on the subject. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQy4jyf-Yps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 [quote name='charic' timestamp='1339583476' post='1690834'] That's for cleaning the fretboard, right? [/quote] [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1339672393' post='1692337'] What Michael Tobias has to say on the subject. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQy4jyf-Yps[/media] [/quote] That vid was uploaded 4 years ago. Since then the bass community has forced several controlled and impartial (as good as it can get under the circumstances) tests which have disproved the notion that an electric bass relies on the wood for tone. Most people now accept that the whole maple/rosewood argument holds little credence, a year or two ago that definitely wasn't the case. Pretty soon the truth about tonewood will reach critical mass too. There are no reasons not to select woods for aesthetic or practical reasons though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 IME (which obviously doesn't make it fact), the weight of a wood has a bit of effect other than that it's more than a bit hit n miss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 [quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1339673365' post='1692369'] ....That vid was uploaded 4 years ago. Since then the bass community has forced several controlled and impartial (as good as it can get under the circumstances) tests which have disproved the notion that an electric bass relies on the wood for tone. Most people now accept that the whole maple/rosewood argument holds little credence, a year or two ago that definitely wasn't the case. Pretty soon the truth about tonewood will reach critical mass too.... [/quote] That's all very vague. References and evidence please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 I think what was established was that the influence of materials on tone wasn't as simply predictable as the 'x wood has y tone' that is put about. Wood does affect tone, but the relationship isn't so simple as can be summarised in generalisations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1339674034' post='1692387'] That's all very vague. References and evidence please. [/quote] yeah ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 [quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1339673365' post='1692369'] ....That vid was uploaded 4 years ago. Since then the bass community has forced several controlled and impartial (as good as it can get under the circumstances) tests which have disproved the notion that an electric bass relies on the wood for tone. Most people now accept that the whole maple/rosewood argument holds little credence, a year or two ago that definitely wasn't the case. Pretty soon the truth about tonewood will reach critical mass too.... [/quote] OK, then, I guess you haven't anything to back up the vague [s]facts[/s] assertions in your post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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