JimBobTTD Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Hello I have a mahogany bodied bass here which I adore. It has a nice throaty growl to it with good definition, perhaps partly to the maple neck - perfect for the kind of music I play, which is hard rock/metal. This is also what I perceive is the standard mahogany & maple sound. I would like a back-up, but this time I would like to go neck-through. If I went for a maple/bubinga neck with a solid maple body, would this be too bright for my kind of music? The maple/wenge neck and mahogany & maple cap body version of this bass is very hard to find, but seems to be what I would be after...but it may sound too much like the bass I already have. I am unable to play either of the basses before buying. Thoughts? Other than that GAS is a terrible thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I really like the sound of mahogany. Bubinga has a bad tendency to deaden the response of instruments. I've found this in my Smiths even with relatively little amounts and spoken to a number of luthiers about it and they agree. I'd suggest you stick with the maple, mahogany combination and vary the proportions to taste. Maple for snap, brightness, tight lows and rigidity, mahogany for growl and warm boomy lows. Even after all of the instruments I've owned and played, its probably my most preferred combination of woods. In fact, for the fretless I'm commissioning to match my Shuker headless 6, I've asked Jon to put as much mahogany in the neck as it can take without it becoming seasonally sensitive. Match it up with either an alder or mahogany body, I'd suggest. Think about what kind of fingerboard you would like too, that can make a significant difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimBobTTD Posted July 12, 2009 Author Share Posted July 12, 2009 Interesting response - thanks. I'd be going for rosewood fingerboard, as that is the only option here. Otherwise, I'd probably go for ebony for sexiness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Academy Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I didn't think the type of wood had anything to do with sound until I bought my Tobias Classic 5 about 15 years ago. Until then I just chose a bass that looked attractive. I originally ordered a quilted maple top because I thought it looked cool. However, because this wasn't available, I ended up with a lacewood top with alder back. The sound was very Jaco, with a good burpy back pickup sound. I compared it with a mate's Classic 5 that had a bubinga top and walnut back. I couldn't get that back pickup sound, but on stage his bass was really full in the low end. Another guy I know bought the same bass with a quilt top and walnut back. The sound was bang in the middle of the other two. The woods do make a difference, so it would be advisable to do some research. As for bolt-on/neck through, I think the difference is negligible. But that's my opinion. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimBobTTD Posted July 12, 2009 Author Share Posted July 12, 2009 Cheers, Pete. I was a bit unclear in my original post - my pondering on whether wood matters was really a thought about whether certain body woods can lead to an inability to get a good rock sound, or indeed a good growl, and whether the current understanding of the relationship between wood types and tone types still holds. We all think that wood x leads to sound y, but we all agree that wood is a non-uniform thing and so one can never be certain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey R Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 [quote name='JimBobTTD' post='538690' date='Jul 12 2009, 06:34 PM']Cheers, Pete. I was a bit unclear in my original post - my pondering on whether wood matters was really a thought about whether certain body woods can lead to an inability to get a good rock sound, or indeed a good growl, and whether the current understanding of the relationship between wood types and tone types still holds. We all think that wood x leads to sound y, but we all agree that wood is a non-uniform thing and so one can never be certain.[/quote] Ok, this question is always fun to ask over on Talkbass - just fire up some popcorn and put in a search for "tone wood". Just out of curiosity, why cant you try it first? I bought a bass off ebay a few years ago, learnt my lesson. I wouldnt buy one without playing it first, unless I knew the current owner or whoevers building it, but thats just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimBobTTD Posted July 12, 2009 Author Share Posted July 12, 2009 I can't try them because of my location. It's hard enough to find a decent instrument at a decent price in Sweden, let alone one nearby, and I don't get back to the UK as often as I would like. Buying unseen is always risky, so I make sure I know exactly what I am buying and do some serious research on the brand and model. I'll go on over to Talkbass and have a peep there. Thanks for the tip, Mikey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHUFC BASS Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I think Ash and Maple give a great combination of sounds. I had an mahogany / walnut Gibson Thunderbird and liked the big bottom-end on it, but there were no real highs which at times had problems cutting through the mix. I've found that Ash (and Alder to an extent) for me are the perfect woods for bass guitar bodies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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