Another Basswood thread

[MetalManiac]

Not sure about this. I'm working with a Basswood Squire Tele here ( 51 low budget guitar body to be exact).
Everyone says, even Warmoth, that its supposed to be warm, with lots of mids.
Well,it certianly isnt warm like a nice Lester, that is for 100% certain.
So Ive heard one famous builder loves Basswood so much with a Maple top.... Hmmm, Really?
If its warm,. I don't see it. Mine is very thin, very plinky , lacks body, any complexity/substance.It may have some kind of darkness that works well enough for a bright neck pickup, so I could see how maybe you could call it warm with a Strat.
I have good luck with a P-90 Humbucker style pickup bridge flipped with screw coil towards neck, but its not a real real exciting sound.
A normal P-90 neck works pretty good in the neck, so go figger.
Given my findings, I am thinking of a really hot Invader Duncan in the bridge, and a SHO P-90 neck to spice things up. I was consdiering a Seymoureizer Distortion neck in the bridge, but not too sure , cause looks like it may be too bright.

Am I Cuckoo?

 

[Ashurbanipal]

Re: Another Basswood thread

Yes, Suhr swears by basswood/maple combo. They would balance each other out, theoretically, the latter being hard and dense, and the former softer. Seems to work all right for the EBMM and Peavey/Fender Wolfgangs.

I spoke about basswood with our resident luthier Pete C. recently and he's not much of a fan in the context of what he likes tonally - believes it's best for active pups. A piece he showed me certainly had no tap tone. Also told me that the basswood used in older Ibanez axes is a bit different - harder.

The basswood guitar I've got at the moment (Ibanez Roadstar) bears out some odeas you put forward. The hot, ceramic stock pu excels in the bridge. I tried a 59/C in there but it didn't have the crushing tightness, so the stock went back. In the neck, I have a 59/Jazz, which is clean and with good harmonics; I use it split all the time though.

I used to have a basswood RG (320), and the stock ceramic pups worked in there fine, neck in series was a bit of a mudbucker though. It's not comparable to the Roadstar though, even though the wood spec is the same. You know the old adage - every piece is different.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Another Basswood thread

I love the sound of a decent basswood guitar..especially for soloing. It sounds really warm and fat and slightly dulls the attack/rounds out the highs a a bit (just marginally, compared to say... mahogany.) for a smoother, warmer, more fluid kind of tone.

I don't think it lacks dynamics or tight lows for rhythm either...depends on the individal guitar (my old Ibby Destroyer was the tightest, punchiest guitar I've ever played. With palm mutes, each chug was like a punch in the gut) & also on your amp settings. I get great 80's metal/thrash/death metal tones from mine.

 

[AtomicPunk91]

Re: Another Basswood thread

I recently switched to favoring basswood bodied guitars for my gigs. The difference from the usual ash/alder/mahogany is notable. It's a warm tone wood with the right pickup (ie NOT single coils :lmao Plenty of sustain, punch, and a good brightness while having prominent mids and killer, punchy but deep lows.

It isn't so great for cleans like a Fender clean tone (hence the no no on single coils) But for a high gain distorted tone it's heaven to the ears. The harmonics will jump off the fingerboard, and power chords will be the fullest, meanest sound...

Don't put single coils in a basswood guitar. Put a high output humbucker.

Don't plug it into a Tweed, Silverface, Blackface or AC-30 type amp. Marshall all the way...

 

[astrozombie]

Re: Another Basswood thread

I've never really been convinced by the basswood guitars I've played.

then again, I'm an idiot.

 

[Kam]

Re: Another Basswood thread

I recently switched to favoring basswood bodied guitars for my gigs. The difference from the usual ash/alder/mahogany is notable. It's a warm tone wood with the right pickup (ie NOT single coils :lmao Plenty of sustain, punch, and a good brightness while having prominent mids and killer, punchy but deep lows.

It isn't so great for cleans like a Fender clean tone (hence the no no on single coils) But for a high gain distorted tone it's heaven to the ears. The harmonics will jump off the fingerboard, and power chords will be the fullest, meanest sound...

Don't put single coils in a basswood guitar. Put a high output humbucker.

Don't plug it into a Tweed, Silverface, Blackface or AC-30 type amp. Marshall all the way...

I have a P90 in the neck of a basswood guitar and it sounds killer for clean and dirty tones.

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: Another Basswood thread

My experience with Basswood and Swamp Ash is that fretboard material makes a big difference.

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: Another Basswood thread

My experience with Basswood and Swamp Ash is that fretboard material makes a big difference.

This.

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: Another Basswood thread

This.

With rosewood it's dark, round and smooth. With maple it's bright and snappy. With ebony it's reedy.

 

[jmh151]

Re: Another Basswood thread

Compared to other woods, Basswood tends to have a flat response, so it's easier to mold your tone with pickups, it's kinda a blank canvas. But it has to be good quality American Basswood, not the cheap stuff many imports use

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: Another Basswood thread

That.

If more people tried basswood guitars with maple boards there would be a lot less hate for it.

 

[ericmeyer4]

Re: Another Basswood thread

Maple necks + basswood = awesome!

Sounds pretty good in my basswood tele sounds even better in James Burton's SSS tele, but that may have more to do with the player

 

[Sruffie777]

Re: Another Basswood thread

I recently switched to favoring basswood bodied guitars for my gigs. The difference from the usual ash/alder/mahogany is notable. It's a warm tone wood with the right pickup (ie NOT single coils :lmao Plenty of sustain, punch, and a good brightness while having prominent mids and killer, punchy but deep lows.

Basswood with a C8 pickup has such a nice warm growl with an amp on overdrive.