dincz Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Lots of threads about tonewoods and their alleged effects - but it's almost always about body wood.[/font][/color] [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Now I'm not a physicist, a luthier or a mechanical engineer, but it seems to me that a chunk of wood shaped into a solid body is near enough to rigid and would have very little resonance and whatever it did have would be at a fairly high frequency.[/font][/color] [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]A neck on the other hand is relatively slender and flexible and probably has significant resonance in the low mid range of frequencies (based only on a lifetime of knocking on wood).[/font][/color] [color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Am I barking up the wrong plank? Why the emphasis on body wood as opposed to neck wood?[/font][/color] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 No good reason. Even in the neck, the type of wood makes less difference than many many other things like strings, pickups, amp, fingers, pick etc etc . Someone will be along in a minute to disagree totally with what I have said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
40hz Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 I agree. Always wondered why the emphasis is on body wood, always imagined neck woods would make far more difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manton Customs Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 I think a fair few tonewood believers do believe the neck and fingerboard have a bigger impact on tone....I have seen people say that anyway! You probably see articles in magazines and the such mentioning body wood more than neck wood because necks are normally just Maple on a majority of guitars and basses. It would also get quite complicated trying to predict the tone from a multi lam neck, when as has already been seen people generally cant tell the difference between two different body woods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dincz Posted December 7, 2014 Author Share Posted December 7, 2014 [quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1417981689' post='2625734']Even in the neck, the type of wood makes less difference than many many other things like strings, pickups, amp, fingers, pick etc etc . [/quote] I agree absolutely and would add pickup position in no. 1 spot. But if we're even considering wood, then I'd put the influence of neck wood way above that of body wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 When it comes to necks, the supposedly perceived difference is commonly put down to fingerboard - usually maple versus rosewood - rather than actual neck wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 *Posts pic of can with worms coming out of it* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowieBass Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 I've thought for some time that neck wood and construction ought to have more of an influence than body wood and many of us already know about dead spots and how changing/adding mass to the headstock can move dead spots around (or hopefully eliminate them). I read (and have found) that there is a dead spot on the Cort Curbow neck on the higher A# for older basses with single piece maple necks (my Tanglewood/Cort Curbow 5 exhibits this to a degree with shorter sustain at that position) and that this was lessened with three ply maple necks on later versions. I also agree about fingerboard material affecting tone too; I've heard it with maple and rosewood faced necks demonstrated in a video that appeared in a thread on here, maybe influenced by the way the frets couple with the fingerboard material? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dincz Posted December 7, 2014 Author Share Posted December 7, 2014 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1417983227' post='2625750'] *Posts pic of can with worms coming out of it* [/quote] Toneworms? [URL=http://s1070.photobucket.com/user/dincz/media/Woodworm-infested-floorboards_zps2d1bcedc.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u493/dincz/Woodworm-infested-floorboards_zps2d1bcedc.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 [quote name='dincz' timestamp='1417983916' post='2625762'] Toneworms? [/quote] Yes. But they're no good for metal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBus Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Great for gospel though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dincz Posted December 7, 2014 Author Share Posted December 7, 2014 [quote name='BassBus' timestamp='1417984754' post='2625776'] Great for gospel though. [/quote] A wholly inappropriate derailing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number6 Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Seasick Steve could build a great instrument out of that timber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiliwailer Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 (edited) Many a time whilst working in guitar shops I've swapped necks on Music Man and Fender basses and guitars to suit the punters tastes or just to experiment with new staff. Each time the tone differed, maple with more attack and top end, rosewood warmer. Edit to say that the body swaps always highlighted differences too when comparing ash and alder, not sure if I could tell them apart though without a comparison? But I do have a CS bass with lightweight ash body and maple board and it sounds exactly like you'd expect that combo to sound, lots of bottom end and clarity in the attack. Though Alder is a warm wood, lightweight ash has wonderful subs, Edited December 7, 2014 by Chiliwailer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamfist Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 DOne a lot of body and neck swapping in my time and yes, my experience has been that neck swapping has generally created greater tonal differences than body swapping. As a generalisation, I agree that maple boards are certainly brighter and more spanky than rosewood ones, but I have frequently noticed a huge difference in tone between apparently identical necks. Another point to mention is that one needs to ensure a good flat neck/body surface to get the best out of any neck. Wood is a natural product and as such even two pieces of apparently identical maple will have different structures and grain patterns. I believe this creates different hardness , resonance and stability at times. So it is logical to think that neck changing may well produce a significant tonal change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alyctes Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Great thread title Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ead Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 In the context of playing in a band environment I genuinely can't tell the difference. My choices are based on personal preference and a hint of aesthetics (because I'm really shallow). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I don't think that wanting to have an instrument that you find aesthetically pleasing makes you shallow. On the contrary it makes you a more complete human being. It's those who don't get it or don't care about looks who have something wrong with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 On all of the basses I've owned, the one thing that makes the biggest difference to tone is the control next to the volume knob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 [quote name='Maude' timestamp='1418132383' post='2627147'] On all of the basses I've owned, the one thing that makes the biggest difference to tone is the control next to the volume knob. [/quote] Actual real life "HA!" at that one. I approve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weststarx Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 [quote name='Maude' timestamp='1418132383' post='2627147'] On all of the basses I've owned, the one thing that makes the biggest difference to tone is the control next to the volume knob. [/quote] I agree, everything can be EQ'd to how you want it to sound with... Tone knob > Pre Amp > Amp There's enough twiddling to be done there! Especially with my Hartke Bass Attack pedal I bought recently I can have as much attack or warmth I so desire. Only reason I go with Rosewood fret boards is because I think they look nicer and I find it easier to see the frets! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 is the thread title a tongue-twister? Like 'Rubber baby buggy bumpers'. Or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bradwell Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Getting into the minutiae of detail - types of wood are going to affect the tone, so is the grain direction, having a nicely tight fit on the neck pocket, how the wood has been dried out, the thickness of nitrocellulose laquer, playing with sweaty palms etc. Go based on a personal preference and general consensus - I like the feel of maple necks, not keen on rosewood, jazz profile for bass and a soft V for 6 string electrics. Mahogany necks are too heavy to give a good balance on most guitars and as much as I'd love to have the time & funds to experiment with building necks from exotic woods... I don't. The neck tonewood makes up such a small part of the overall sound and it will get argued over until the cows come home, same goes for body tonewoods. I would consider the guitar to constitue 1/3 of the instrument, the other parts are 1/3 amp and 1/3 cab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Just to add my two'penneth, there is no question to my mind that the choice of timber for body, neck and fingerboard all contribute something to the overall 'tone' of the instrument. However, equally, neck construction (bolt-on, set neck, neck thru) have, to my mind a larger impact, as does pickup type (single coil, humbucker, stock, overwound, series/parallel etc.) and on-board electronics (active or passive). Oh and another thing, the age of the wood has an impact too, one of the many reasons why older 'vintage' instruments can sound 'better' than a new bass built to much stricter quality control tolerances. The choice of wood is only one component in a long chain of factors that impact on 'your' tone. Don't forget, your 'technique' also impacts the tone (pick vs fingers vs thumb vs that ridiculous 80's slap'n'tap thing, plucking position etc.) Its up to the individual to decide what 'sounds' right for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero9 Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Don't overlook the type of wood used in your speaker cab, or the type of wooden floor it sits on. This will have a greater effect on the final tone than the type of wood used in the instrument Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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