B.Flat Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 Hello all. Firstly I do not know if this is the right forum for this topic, I have put it on Repairs an Technical also. I have, after fifteen years of trying since my beloved '77 Stingray was stolen, found a bass that could be "the one". Nothing extra-special, just a 1980 Ibanez RS924 in natural finish. The DiMarzio P & J pickups are fine in passive mode and the two-band active tone mode allows useful tweaking. However I since added a Stellartone Bass 11 Tonestyler which operates independently from the passive & active tones............result PERFECT (for me at least). Now comes 'the insect in the ointment', it weighs about 5kgs. I have a Damian Erskine DuoStrap, which a least spreads the load over both shoulders, but still not easy at my age. So now to the point of this topic. I have been considering having a new swamp ash body made. The current body weighs about 3.25kgs. My main concern is that I might loose the voice that the instrument has at present; So, any advice, comments or is there anybody out there who has done this body transplant or had experience of neck and hardware on different density bodies?? If yes with what results ? I will be very grateful for any assistance in coming to a decision Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted October 13, 2018 Share Posted October 13, 2018 This could be a very interesting test piece. There are constant debates about the effect wood has on the tone of a bass. Can I suggest you spend some time recording the bass and the settings for future reference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.Flat Posted October 13, 2018 Author Share Posted October 13, 2018 Yes, good idea ! If there are any differences it will be useful data for others. If I go ahead with it I will also record the respective weights, without hardware. I wonder if anyone could come up with an educated (or uneducated) guess as to what the ball park weight of a PB body in swamp ash might be ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted October 13, 2018 Share Posted October 13, 2018 On Warmouths website they are a saying a swamp ash P body is about 4lb 15oz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honza992 Posted October 13, 2018 Share Posted October 13, 2018 https://www.guitarbuild.co.uk/collections/bass-bodies/pb-body+swamp-ash?sort_by= (no affiliation, but I have bought from them before) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted October 13, 2018 Share Posted October 13, 2018 5 hours ago, TheGreek said: This could be a very interesting test piece. There are constant debates about the effect wood has on the tone of a bass. Can I suggest you spend some time recording the bass and the settings for future reference. 4 hours ago, B.Flat said: Yes, good idea ! If there are any differences it will be useful data for others. If I go ahead with it I will also record the respective weights, without hardware. I wonder if anyone could come up with an educated (or uneducated) guess as to what the ball park weight of a PB body in swamp ash might be ? I was thinking more along the lines of the tone...debates about "Tonewoods" occur frequently and, to my knowledge, remain unproven, one way or another. You have the chance to clarify the argument - I suppose you'll be using the same neck and electronics? Replacing the strings? Everything being equal you'll be in a unique(?) position to solve the question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.Flat Posted October 14, 2018 Author Share Posted October 14, 2018 15 hours ago, honza992 said: https://www.guitarbuild.co.uk/collections/bass-bodies/pb-body+swamp-ash?sort_by= (no affiliation, but I have bought from them before) Hi honza992, thanks for that info, could be very useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted October 20, 2018 Share Posted October 20, 2018 @bflat You could always try getting a body made that is chambered to lose quite a bit of weight. I'm not entirely sure with an electric instrument exactly what how much of the tone relates to the electronics or the woods - that debate will continue to run!! For info regarding weight, I recently made a semi hollow bass (thread is in this forum) with a maple body and walnut top. I don't normally weigh everything but I did this time and the body came in at 1.230kg. The only downside of this is keeping the balance of the bass on the knee as there is less weight to counterbalance the neck. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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