Tell me about wood.

[gorch]

I've been stepping throught the PG article about former Hamer builder Mike Sherman and his self named luthiery business. I had the impression before and here again, basses seem to be more flexible to wood combinations than guitars are. Low or mid frequences, both instruments overlap with regards to their tonal ranges. Still, bass players seem not to be that picky on wood selection as guitar players are, but show more creativity towards optical or artificial wood work effects and fashion.

Am I alone with that impression?

[Steve Haynie]

You may not be alone, but many if you search my posts about basses it often comes up that mahogany bodies and necks have a unique tone for bass instruments. Just like guitar players having both a Les Paul and a Stratocaster, bass players should have something mahogany in addition to a Fender clone. Hamer Standard, first generation Cruise, Blitz, and Chaparral basses are out there with mahogany bodies and often enough the necks are mahogany, too. Several dead horses have been worn out as I have beaten this point over the years.

A Music Man collector said the consensus of other Music Man players was that a poplar bodied Stingray 5 had a tighter low B string than one with an ash body.

Maple fretboards on bolt neck basses are my preference.

You really are correct about bass players not being too picky when it comes to wood choices. In another guitar or bass magazine from years ago a writer stated that bass players seemed less stuck on traditional designs than guitar players as evidenced by the more varied designs like Ken Smith, Tobias, Steinberger, Spector, Warwick, Wal, Status, and Alembic. It is true because there were a lot of similarly non-traditional designs in the mid-priced basses from Ibanez and Washburn.

If we are going for a low end thud the characteristics of the tone are not so hard to achieve, so the basses just have to give a good response. A Strat has to give those specifically Stratty tones. A bass is much easier to get in the sonic ballpark.

[gtone]

I get some now and then...

[LadyScary]

I get some now and then...

:wub:

[tobereeno]

it's not necessarily the best - many combinations have their merits, but I'm used to and prefer Hamer's combination of maple set neck, mahogany body, and ebony fretboard.

[FrankieIII]

What this says...

http://www.warmoth.c...oodOptions.aspx

[Ting Ho Dung]

It's kind of like a 59 Gibson base ball bat kind of thing with me. Usually in the mornings. And also like a lawn sprinkler.

[BlueRedWhite]

What this says...

http://www.warmoth.c...oodOptions.aspx

That's has been my reference too for a while, thanks for posting it

[hardheartedbill]

Ive got a setneck all mahogany bass. A real growler