Basswood Vs. Mahogany

[Diego]

Re: Basswood Vs. Mahogany

I think the common mistake is getting conclusions from cheap basswood guitars, and believing that the stuff MusicMan, Japan Ibanez and John Suhr use is the same.

Just like the mahogany on my Ibanez SZ probably isn't 'proper' mahogany at all, the wood found in lower-grade Ibanez RG shouldn't pass as basswood either.

I had a Japanese RG basswood Ibanez. No maple cap, but still it had a thick, warm tone, despite the floating trem and the thin neck.
It loved high output and low output pickups. It could achieve a wide palette of sounds convincingly.
I also had a Ibanez RG350DX, from a friend for a while. No amount of love could make that thing sound good. It was horrid.

Crusty, what do you think of John Suhr sticking to basswood with a maple cap for his top axes, and saying it's probably the Holy Grail of tone?

Surely it's not all firewood.

 

[Kam]

Re: Basswood Vs. Mahogany

Any idea of what pickups you want to use? That could be a deciding factor.

H-H is a possibility but I've really been gassing for something with P90s lately, so I'd like to replace the 'buckers with hum-sized P90s.

For what it's worth, the basswood guitar in question is a Japanese Squier. Just in case that changes anyone's mind.

 

[eggman]

Re: Basswood Vs. Mahogany

Howdy,

I've a flamed Mahogany Tele from USACG, with a set of DiMarzio Twang Kings. Talk about a big pair of well, you get it. Pretty thick tone for a Tele!

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Basswood Vs. Mahogany

Here's my answer, and I'm sticking with it, both because I know from experience that it's true, but also because the guitar companies have found it to be true.

LP/PRS type guitar. Mahogany/maple top, mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard.
Strat type. Lightweight alder, with rosewood or maple fretboard.
Tele type. Lightweight alder or ash, with rosewood or maple fretboard.
Shred Sticks. Mahogany or alder with rosewood, maple, or ebony.

Basswood with a maple veneer isn't bad. Some companies have had great success with that combo, but I still think it has a tone that didn't hit the nail on the head. And solid mahogany isn't bad with bright punchy A5 pickups, but you're always better going with the 4 + combos I mentioned as best.

 

[UberMetalDood]

Re: Basswood Vs. Mahogany

mahogany sounds better.

the only guitars i like that are made of basswood have super-hot pickups that cover a lot of the wood's natural tone. if you want to hear your guitar more than your pickups you want mahogany.

For the record and for anyone who wants to know the truth, that statement is only true for cheap basswood guitars - and the same holds true for cheap mahogany, alder, ash, etc... guitars. I'm surprised that someone with this kind of seniority would make such an uninformed, blanket statement like that.

I know for a fact that Musicman, Ibanez Prestige and Suhr produce some of the most amazing guitars on the planet. The basswood they use does not require high output pickups. In fact, good basswood has a naturally balanced, sweet tone. Basswood is a little softer wood so it naturally absorbs some of the highest treble frequencies, and for this reason, bright pickups can be used without fear of being too harsh.

Basswood guitars are often used as shredders but they also have very nice sustain and are entirely capable of great blues tone. Basswood is balanced and allows you to use pickups that have a lot of mids without getting nasally or honky like mahogany can be.

Shredders often use basswood guitars because of it allows pickups to be used that help cut through and stand out in a mix. When you're playing fast and need every note to sustain clearly, basswood works incredibly well.

Basswood also allows you get scoop out the midrange without sounding too bassy, shrill or muddy.

Unfortunately people often ignorantly associate basswood guitars with scooped metal and shred. Lots of budget brand guitars also use basswood, giving those ignorant people the impression that basswood is a cheap wood.

It's definitely not a cheap wood when you want a great piece of it. Many players stick with basswood. Joe Satriani is known not only for extremely tasteful soloing and awesome ability, but his tone as well. Most people agree that Satch has a great sound. There is a lot of nuance in his playing and nothing about basswood covers it up. On the contrary, it helps embellish his incredible technique.

EVH is a player whome people chase his sound more than any other player. His signature guitar is basswood with a maple cap. I have owned one and it is one of the most incredible guitars I have ever had the pleasure of playing. Basswood and maple is an awesome combination.

If you want the best of both worlds, get a Musicman Reflex which has a basswood body and a mahogany tone block. My Reflex sounds exactly like a Les Paul. In fact, I posted a few polls with sound samples where I compared it with a Les Paul and most people picked the Reflex. I think that speaks volumes as to the kind of tone possible with basswood.

 

[dr. ad]

Re: Basswood Vs. Mahogany

if i were doing a build or having a custom shop make something to order, i doubt i'd choose basswood.
but i don't hate basswood. the only basswood guitar i've spent time with and couldn't get along with is a POS korean ibanez with body damage around one of the trem (yep there's your problem) studs.
it also had INF pickups in...

i say suck it and see.

in my opinion, basswood is a victim of death by assosciation; but i'll defer to crusty, GJ and pockets' experience in these matters.

 

[Kam]

Re: Basswood Vs. Mahogany

Thanks for everyone's input on this. It's been a really interesting read. :beerchug:

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Basswood Vs. Mahogany

For what it's worth, the basswood guitar in question is a Japanese Squier. Just in case that changes anyone's mind.

My JV Squier Stratocaster is basswood. I fed it two APS-1s and a Twangbanger. Guess what? It sounds like a Stratocaster with a smidge of Telecaster thrown in.

In my experience, P90s thrive on Mahogany and/or whatever it is that PRS SE series guitars use instead.

 

[Ventilator]

Re: Basswood Vs. Mahogany

There are two guitars in my possession that use basswood. Now, I'm not what you would call a good guitarist, but I can get some good tone out of those guitars.

Basically what I'm saying is that basswood is not so bad. Are there other woods that I would chose over basswood? Yes. Depends on the application. However, the body wood of a guitar isn't a direct indicator of how a guitar is going to sound. A solid mahogany guitar is going to sound different than a chambered mahogany guitar. Both have the same wood.

Even among two guitars of the same make and model, using the same pickups, they can sound different. You can generalize how certain woods sound, but an individual guitar needs a personalized tone review. Well, at least that's the way I see it.

 

[BTMN]

Re: Basswood Vs. Mahogany

Mahogany.:scratchch :approve:

 

[Ed Hunter]

Re: Basswood Vs. Mahogany

I used to think basswood was S**T till these came out!

one of the BEST sounding/playing stock guitars i ever found

 

[aleclee]

Re: Basswood Vs. Mahogany

I used to think basswood was S**T till these came out!

My EBMM and the JEMs I've played led me to the same conclusion. Seems like basswood varies by cost/quality more than any other wood used in guitars.

 

[Ed Hunter]

Re: Basswood Vs. Mahogany

My EBMM and the JEMs I've played led me to the same conclusion. Seems like basswood varies by cost/quality more than any other wood used in guitars.

the jem is another example of a guitar that is of amazing quality/ tone and made from basswood

 

[Binnerscot]

Re: Basswood Vs. Mahogany

Basswood is just fine in a quality guitar. Tonally it seems to sit right in the middle of alder and mahogany. If I was doing a custom of any sort, I would likely go with mahogany and a maple top just for the sake of transparent finishes as the grain is much nicer.

Amp knobs and pup choice will have more impact of overall sound than the difference between basswood and mahogany in the same guitar design.

 

[brunogio]

Re: Basswood Vs. Mahogany

My only experience with basswood was in a cheapo guitar. It was bland but warmed up nice with A2 pups (CC and A2P).

I have equated it with being cheap but that was my only experience. I really didn't expect to learn that some high end makers have used it but clearly it was in a different spec than what I experienced.

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: Basswood Vs. Mahogany

I still wanna know why no one ever talks about poplar. I know it's ugly, and dents easy, and maybe I've just got a good piece, but I like it a lot.

 

[Ed Hunter]

Re: Basswood Vs. Mahogany

I still wanna know why no one ever talks about poplar. I know it's ugly, and dents easy, and maybe I've just got a good piece, but I like it a lot.

kramer thought it was a good wood and so do i!

 

[Kam]

Re: Basswood Vs. Mahogany

I still wanna know why no one ever talks about poplar. I know it's ugly, and dents easy, and maybe I've just got a good piece, but I like it a lot.

kramer thought it was a good wood and so do i!

So does Gordon Smith.

 

[Dr.J4ckal]

Re: Basswood Vs. Mahogany

I compared my Ibanez AR300 and RG570 when they had the same pickup (JB), the only difference I can hear is the low end, which is slightly bigger and more compressed on mahogany.. I was quite surprised how similar the brightness was bc I thought mahogany supposed to be darker.. In the end I prefer basswood bcause I like tighter low end.

 

[charlemetallica]

Re: Basswood Vs. Mahogany

If You want a better wood, I suggest Alder, It has a very warm tone , very good sustain , tight low end , but not boomy or compressed as Mahogany, mids are very clear, and highs are not harsh in any way ( IMO mahogany has harsh high end compared to Alder)

Basswood, IMO low grade basswood , is a tone killer for any pickup. low end is poor, mids and highs are scooped and seems the whole wood eq sucks the overall tone, but I think the high end Basswood sounds different, but i can't comment on it.

My current guitar is Alder Body with a cocobolo top veneer , maple neck and ebony fretboard, i think this is the most balanced wood combination to get a good tone out of a guitar.