Basswood as a Stratwood

[Sam SG]

So what is everyone's thoughts on Basswood bodied strats( mij main wood).
I have had many strats through the years. Squiers MIA MIJ MIC MIK etc etc few 70s strats etc.
I always seem to get on most with Alder. My 2 most" wanna kick myself for selling" strats were Alder. A 2004 American Standard and a 74' usa neck on an Alder oly white body with 69 custom shop pups.
Anyhow I've been toying around with this HRR 50 strat of mine with the floyd and I'm noticing it's dull not horrible but dull. Kinda too warm and not snappy enough unplugged. Think maybe befor I play with pickups maybe I'll just send it and get another. Reminds me of an E series strat I sold a few years ago.

So what's the general concensus on Basswood as a Stratwood.
Sounds same to you?
Sucks?
You prefer it?
Sounds good in certain scenarios?
Who cares stop asking stupid questions on a pickup forum?

 

[Mincer]

Its soft, so it dents easy. It is also kinda ugly, so it is used mostly for solid color finishes. But other than that, it should work fine as a guitar wood- Ibanez uses it all the time. Sound-wise, it has less lows than something like mahogany, but is also more plentiful than swamp ash.

 

[ICTGoober]

And yet Ibanez has made multi-thousands of RG's out of basswood. It's not much to look at, but it carves nicely, and the tone is bright and meaty. I see no problem at all with it.

 

[Chistopher]

Basswood is great so long you don't tell anyone

 

[beaubrummels]

My experience is they are brighter than typical Strats. Not a bad thing, but different. Really good for 80's metal, e.g. tapping and tight muted chords.

 

[Juanhanglo]

I like basswood. I'd build with it.

Alder and mahogany are the others I use.

I have 2 basswood guitars currently. They arent any more beat up and dented than my other guitars.

One has a light low end and a nice upper mid push. Its super light.
the other is about 1 lb heavier, and has a much bigger, solid low end. Super balanced sounding.

 

[solspirit]

Nothing like a basswood body with a treblewood neck.

Basswood is kind of soft, I would think that it would not have much resonance.

 

[jeremy]

like most things, i judge each guitar on its own merits.

 

[idsnowdog]

I like it with maple necks. I don't like it with Rosewood.

 

[elelpe]

Construction wise, soft wood like basswood is not my choice for trem equipped guitar. Sound wise, well there are more variables than just a body wood.

 

[Mincer]

Many JEMs are basswood, and Steve Vai has no trouble with the trem.

 

[Masta' C]

I agree that basswood is quite soft and not much to look at on its own, but that doesn't mean it's "bad" in any sense, not even close.

Ibanez tends to use thick sealer coats and finishes on their basswood bodies, but I've owned and played many basswood guitars, including lots of Ibanez', and have discovered there are equally as many duds vs. gems (Jems? lol) with basswood compared to any other wood.

Some of my favorite guitars have been basswood, including an early RG that is one of the only guitars I've ever regretted selling. John Suhr loves the stuff and we all know what he charges for a guitar!

 

[orpheo]

I have tried hundreds of basswood guitars, and I always hear the same issue: they sound flat, almost dead. Totally uninteresting. But with a maple cap, it gets more spunk, bite, and comes alive.

The softness and weight are not an issue for me, it's just boring.

 

[Masta' C]

This very thread highlights the issue with trying to generalize the "tone" of specific wood types...you can't.

In less than a dozen posts, we've pinned "basswood" as:

1) Dull and warm
2) Bright and meaty
3) Bright and tight
4) Less low end with upper mid push
5) Big, solid low end, yet super balanced
6) Flat sounding, "almost dead", and uninteresting

I've personally experienced all of these. I've had basswood guitars that lacked snap and clarity or had a boomy bottom end. I've also had very balanced basswood guitars and plenty that yielded awesome clarity and felt quite lively to play. I could say the same for mahogany guitars I've owned, swamp ash guitars I've owned, etc. There's no hard-and-fast rule about what "basswood" sounds like.

At the end of the day, if you can't make a guitar do what you want with a setup and a pickup swap, regardless of what wood it's made from, it's probably best to move on...

 

[Chistopher]

In less than a dozen posts, we've pinned "basswood" as:

1) Dull and warm
2) Bright and meaty
3) Bright and tight
4) Less low end with upper mid push
5) Big, solid low end, yet super balanced
6) Flat sounding, "almost dead", and uninteresting

If you practice hard enough, you can get all 6 sounds out of the same instrument

 

[orpheo]

I think Masta'C is onto something. Not joking. I think that the way the guitar is made, and the hardware that is bolted on to it, makes a huge difference. I remember, my absolute favorite Aristides of all time was an 060 in cerulean blue, floyd rose, and 2 Dimarzio pickups. The material of aristides is super-consistent, so we can say that every 060 is, in the basis, the same. The moment the floyd was swapped for a titanium Hantug bridge, the guitar lost its appeal to me. I wouldn't be surprised if that's the same issue we are seeing with basswood

 

[Artie]

My Ibby Jetking is Basswood with thick "Blonde" paint. I'd describe it as warm-ish. It's got Duncans in it, but it's been so long since I picked it up, I can't remember which.

 

[Mincer]

I do know that basswood always has an opaque paint on it due to the weird streaks in the wood.

 

[Clint 55]

Basswood sounds incredible to me for Strats. It has lower density so has a characteristic resonance. Has pretty good foundational bass, and then is sparky on top. The top end sounds different than harder woods like ash, swamp ash, alder, or maple, which do have mids yes, but are crisp. Basswood has this upper mid spark without being swamped throughout the main mids. So I think it's actually a great body wood even though it's known as low end.

 

[Chistopher]

Maybe that's what your basswood sounds like

I only use basswood sourced from the lower trunk, the part that’s spent decades flexing against the prevailing winds. That natural tension compresses the grain ever so slightly, giving it a density and resonance you simply can’t get from the upper sections. Brings that upper treble sparkle down to the midrange too, allowing me to cut through the mix better.