Is basswood a good bass wood??

[Rod Parsons]

I bought a white CV 50 Tele in May, and liked it so much that I bought a baby blue '08 Squire Classic Vibe P bass last June and didn't pay much attention to the body wood. I have discovered that it is basswood.. I have read up on this "very light" wood, and how it was 'preferred' by the shredders on their shredding axes. I like the light weight,.... but, does basswood make for a really good sounding bass.???.. I'll replace the pickup, eventually.... I was thinking maybe a Fender reissue.. Any other suggestions for a pickup??? Thanks.. R...

[cellrebral]

The Seymour Duncan SPB-3 quarter pounder p bass pickup is awesome. It was a simple install, direct replacement for my stock squire p bass pup. Very happy with it. Check out some demos on youtube

[Anchoret]

Originally Posted by Rod Parsons

does basswood make for a really good sounding bass.???

This depends on the quality of the wood, of course.

EBMM makes the Bongo from basswood, but I can reasonably doubt it bears much resemblance to the stuff that a $129 basswood bass is made from.

There's an incredible spread in wood quality at virtually all price points. There isn't much tightness in grading even on US Fenders these days.

Good basswood is better than bad alder.

[Tim Armstrong]

Anchoret is right, it all depends on that particular piece of wood. Merely being light isn't necessarily a problem, I built a bass using an extremely light body made from Pawlownia (which is closer to balsa wood than to basswood!) and put a great pickup in it, and it sounds quite wonderful.

Tim

[soulman969]

+1 To the info provided above. Any wood you buy is gonna come in different grades and levels of quality. Assuming they are of equal quality I'd would prefer basswood to alder for a bass. It has better resonsance and sustain than alder although I think alder or ash are a better woods for a guitar like a Tele. JMO.

[fenderslaper]

I don't think the wood makes much difference in the sound of a bass. Much more difference in pickups, strings and amps. JMO, YMMV, etc.

[SamClemons]

The difference you would get with a heavier wood would only be slight, enough that I prefer a heavy bass or guitar, but few would note the difference and many other factors are more important. I believe a heavier body gives you more sustain, but so will other factors such as good construction, neck through, active pickups, compression, good bridge, good strings and on and on.

[BigDaveyTwinkle]

Not much more I feel I can add to this discussion. I personally am a believer that good pickups and a good amp will drive sound/tone much more than any deviations in generally acceptable tone woods. Strings are the other factor and need to be quality and chosen as to whether you are playing with fingers or plectrum. As far as pickups, I have loved me long time both the Fender Original 1962 P Bass Pickup and the DiMarzio DP127 Split P. Cheers -

[twangster2]

I could be very wrong, but I was told by a luither on a electric guitar once the body is painted and finish is applied, pickups, strings and bridge make more of a difference on "tone".

On a acoustic, the story changes.

Fender used basswood on thr reissue silver sparkle teles.

G&L uses basswood on some of it's guitars also.

[x2plex]

My experience with basses parallels that I've had with guitars. Each type and each unit seems to have its own idiosyncracies.
I have an '86 Jazz Bass Special (grey and black) with basswood body which has since become a favorite of G&R cover bands. It's very light and comfortable but has a somewhat 'honky' mid-range. I've heard similar comments from other owners. I installed SD Quarter Pounder's which has helped somewhat.
In contrast , I have a 2002 Jazz V, also upgraded with the same type of pickup. Alder body with Pau Ferro fingerboard. It has a much darker, deeper sound but, for me, the penalty is weight. It weighs a ton.

[NewOldStock]

My 2 basswood basses, 4 and a 5-string Schecters, sound equally as good as the expensive, ash-bodied Fender 60th Anniversary(center).

Even with the extra tuner, extra fat low-B string, extra saddle, and extra neck wood material, the 5-string basswood bass weighs the same as the 4-string ash Fender. I really like it.

I like the light weight,.... but, does basswood make for a really good sounding bass.???

Well you tell us! You own one.

FWIW-Not all basswood guitars & basses are lightweight. I've owned a few now. Some were fairly heavy. My pink paisley CIJ Tele was considerably heavy, I recall.

[Rod Parsons]

Thanks, everyone for your responses. I was just curious about the wood..... I don't play bass much, except when I'm running through my 8 track digital recorder. I play mostly a Tele or sometimes a Strat in my band. I have used a Dano reissue '58 Longhorn since I got it in '98, also through my recorder. I bought the CV '60s bass because I had read how good the whole CV line was and I thought that some day I will be playing more bass in the band. So I don't even know what it sounds like through an amp with a speaker. It does sound a tad thin on the 8 track, when compared to the Dano ... It doesn't record as well.... not as deep sounding and without the punch of my friends ash 73 Am. Fender P-bass. So thanks... I'm assured now... Eventually, when the economy comes back, I'll get the Fender '62s..... And some flat wounds, which I've never tried before....... R

[Wally]

AS noted, within the type of wood, there can be a range of different densities....and density of a wood is where the sonics are determined. (Yes, solidbody electric instruments do not 'reveal' the extent differences in woods that acoustics will, but those differences still exist. Experienced ears hear these differences....experienced builders choose woods carefully whether the instrument is acoustic or sokdbody electric.)
Denser, heavier woods yield quicker attack of the note, punchier andmore articulate notes, and longer/stronger sustain than do lighter woods when talkinga bout solidbody instruments. What is 'better' or 'good' is more of a personal decision. Without a doubt the differences can be heard.

[Anchoret]

I don't think wood species matters as such, but things like density really do, up to a point.

I had a new '11 MIA P come through here with an alder body that was as soft and as light as some balsa I've seen. The bass was ridiculously light, but the soft body seemed to suck up string energy like a pillow.

It was like shooting a pistol on the beach, if you know what I mean.

It was an absolutely terrible, defective bass in every way. Another one, made on the same day and about a pound heavier, sounded nice.

Hard, dense bodies do increase fundamental and sustain, somewhat at the expense of tonal complexity and "character."

I want something sort of in between. Doesn't matter what species, real or imagined or misrepresented.

I have perfectly acceptable basswood guitars and basses.

[Suho]

I am kind of surprised you received so many favorable responses. I have played both bass and guitar for 22-23 years and cannot stand the sound of basswood basses. In my experience they lack the snap and definition of any traditional woods like ash or alder. Sometimes they can sound okay by themselves but they sound like crap and get lost in the mix when playing with the rest of the band.

[jrfrond]

Anyone who believes that the end result of tone is based primarily on the strings, bridge and pickup has another thing coming. BEFORE you even plug in any solidbody electric bass or guitar, listen to the acoustic tone emanating from it. If it sounds good like that, it will sound good plugged in. That simple. If it sounds weak, thin, tight, nasal, or whatever, you are going to have a hard time accessorizing it to bring out final tone. Then again, it depends on what you need from the instrument.

Though there are different grades and weights of basswood, I generally don't like it for guitar and especially for bass, as it tends to make the low-end a bit "wooly" and indistinct. Poplar is similar in nature and not much better. Basswood that is capped with a decent piece of hardwood (maple, mahogany, etc.) is much better, especially if the top is 1/2" or so. Basswood and poplar are cheap and primarily used for budget axes.

The reason a lot of shredders like basswood guitars is that it has a neutral tone that works well with heavy processing, plus it is lightweight.

[Wally]

Suho wrote: "they lack the snap and definition " That is the exact result of lighter, softer woods as compared to heavier and harder woods in solidbody instruments.
This is why Les Paul wanted what he wanted. He had done his research and had come to understand what different densities woudl do sonically. Fwiw, Les Paul always thought that Gibson had thigns backwards when it came to the construction of the L.P gutiars back in the day. HE thought the Standard should have been all mahogany and that the higher dollar L.P. Custom should have had the maple cap on top of the mahogany. Gibson built them just the opposite way. The maple cap yields some highs that he all-mahogany L.P>'s don't have. Differences in woods make a difference in soncis whether the guitar is solid or acoustic. IT has to do with the density of the string and whatever it is attached to. IF the wood is light, teh string's vibration is transferred to the wood to a greater degree than if the wood is denser. A greater difference between the density of the string and the wood yields more sustain and a quicker attack and longer sustain.
Acoustic guitars don't deal in sustain. They deal in resonance, which some people percieve as the same as sutain....but it is a different beast. REsonance is the sympathetic vibration of the wood in reaction to the string's vibration. Sustain is the strenghth and duration of the string's vibration. A heavy solidbody sustains longer and stronger than a light solidbody.....all else equal....because the greater density of the wood in the heavy guitar isolates the string's vibration. The wood doesn't 'draw' off the strenghth of the string's vibration......longer and stronger notes, quicker attack, more high harmonics.
A lightweight swamp ash Tele doesn't sound anything like a heavy Tele that is built out of heavy Northern ash. Adn....since basswood is the subject...taht lightweight swamp ash Tele or bass will sound different from a basswood bodied Tele or bass.

[Immo]

In my opinion, basswood is good wood for a bass with active or hight gain electronics.
I have two basswood basses - both active. And the sound really decent.
As for the "unplugged" sound - I've noticed that, in general, guitars and basses take advantage of removing the lacquer from the neck pocket and it especially applies to the basswood ones - My Traben Neo sounded pretty well before I removed the lacquer, but after it was sanded down, the instrument gained new life, the sound became more deep, full and rich without the loss of high-end, hi-fi edge.

[Suho]

Originally Posted by Immo

I have two basswood basses - both active. And the sound really decent.

Are they just basswood or is there a hard-wood cap on them?

I think the word "murky" or "boggy" best describes how I think basses with this body wood sound. I have come to appreciate the well made "shredder" guitars (Ibanez, etc.) made from basswood, but couldn't stand it for the longest time.

I finally came to the conclusion that whereas the Ibanezes, for example, really developed their relationship with DiMarzio pickups to develop pups that sound good with the basswood bodies, many cheap/low-grade basswood guitars sounded like crap for failing to do this. I agree that a guitar's unplugged sound is a key indicator of its electrified sound. In fact, I play more often unplugged than not (both bass and guitar). However, a lot of pickups just don't 'work' well with basswood and the frequencies it resonates in. This may be where the active EQ is important for a basswood bass. Without it you are left with just the standard basswood sound which I think doesn't sit well for a bass guitar.

[Rod Parsons]

Wow!!! The first part of this thread was pretty positive on basswood, and the second half was pretty negative... ??? ... My bass is painted, so I don't know if there is a cap on it or not... It's an '08 Squire Classic Vibe baby blue 60s P bass. Any other positive info on this line of basses would be nice. Thanks for all the honest responses... R