Basswood vs. Mahogany
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ratherdashing
Kablamminator
Re: Basswood vs. Mahogany
In my experience, basswood is a very "neutral" wood. If the darkest piece of rosewood was a zero, and the brightest piece of ebony was a 10 on my completely imaginary brightness scale, I'd put basswood at a solid 5.
On the same scale, mahogany would range between 3 and 5, depending on the piece. I've heard some surprisingly trebly all-mahogany guitars though.
In my experience, basswood is a very "neutral" wood. If the darkest piece of rosewood was a zero, and the brightest piece of ebony was a 10 on my completely imaginary brightness scale, I'd put basswood at a solid 5.
On the same scale, mahogany would range between 3 and 5, depending on the piece. I've heard some surprisingly trebly all-mahogany guitars though.
kramersteen
PowerMetalRaph
kramersteen
PowerMetalRaph
Re: Basswood vs. Mahogany
My fusion is basswood and its supreme on all fronts.
My fusion is basswood and its supreme on all fronts.
Juanhanglo
Active member
Re: Basswood vs. Mahogany
I have both a basswood and a mahogany rg. The basswood is a hardtail and the other has a trem. I find the basswood one to be tonally balanced with a brighter high end. The 'hog one is definitely thicker sounding.
Funny thing is, though they have about the same amount of bass, it is the mids that really define the difference.
I have had the mahogany one for 14 years now (damn) and i go through times of love/hate with it. It is a great giitar and i will never sell it, but i know mahogany is not totally for me. It makes for nice variety at times.
I drank from the "basswood is crap" pitcher for 15+ years and after trying a few nicer basswood guitars, i find i rather like it. I mean i was so against basswood that i wouldn't even pick up a guitar if it was made of it. I bought an ibby rg921 a few months back and it has become my goto player.
I find my basswood/maple neck rg hardtail to be brighter than all my alder bodied guitars. It also has more mids. The only draw back is it has better string separation in a clinical or sterile kind of way. I often find that i have to work harder to sound as smooth as when i play my other guitars.
I put a set of full shreds in it to really screw myself! Thank god i run my amp in triode to held counteract this.
I would own another basswood guitar. Mahogany? Uh-uh, no sir.
I have both a basswood and a mahogany rg. The basswood is a hardtail and the other has a trem. I find the basswood one to be tonally balanced with a brighter high end. The 'hog one is definitely thicker sounding.
Funny thing is, though they have about the same amount of bass, it is the mids that really define the difference.
I have had the mahogany one for 14 years now (damn) and i go through times of love/hate with it. It is a great giitar and i will never sell it, but i know mahogany is not totally for me. It makes for nice variety at times.
I drank from the "basswood is crap" pitcher for 15+ years and after trying a few nicer basswood guitars, i find i rather like it. I mean i was so against basswood that i wouldn't even pick up a guitar if it was made of it. I bought an ibby rg921 a few months back and it has become my goto player.
I find my basswood/maple neck rg hardtail to be brighter than all my alder bodied guitars. It also has more mids. The only draw back is it has better string separation in a clinical or sterile kind of way. I often find that i have to work harder to sound as smooth as when i play my other guitars.
I put a set of full shreds in it to really screw myself! Thank god i run my amp in triode to held counteract this.
I would own another basswood guitar. Mahogany? Uh-uh, no sir.
L
Little Pigbacon
Guest
Re: Basswood vs. Mahogany
Basswood kicked my dog!
Basswood kicked my dog!
Lake Placid Blues
New member
Re: Basswood vs. Mahogany
Basswood originally became a tone wood for solid body guitars, not because it was cheap, but because Alan Holdsworth requested it on his custom made Charvels during the early 80s. It worked well for what he wanted at the time. From Charvel it spread to Ibanez which became probably the most common guitar of the times (late 80s).
It works well in superstrats especailly those with floyds to help fatten them up. I find that it works well with high output humbuckers, particularly JBs, but I don't like it on traditional fender type guitars with single coil pickups as much. I think it lacks the tonal depth to bring out the full depth of a single coil.
For tighter, more articulate, and deeper lows, mahogonay is probably better. Same with dropped tuning. Mahogony will likely offer more sustain, if that is important.
Basswood originally became a tone wood for solid body guitars, not because it was cheap, but because Alan Holdsworth requested it on his custom made Charvels during the early 80s. It worked well for what he wanted at the time. From Charvel it spread to Ibanez which became probably the most common guitar of the times (late 80s).
It works well in superstrats especailly those with floyds to help fatten them up. I find that it works well with high output humbuckers, particularly JBs, but I don't like it on traditional fender type guitars with single coil pickups as much. I think it lacks the tonal depth to bring out the full depth of a single coil.
For tighter, more articulate, and deeper lows, mahogonay is probably better. Same with dropped tuning. Mahogony will likely offer more sustain, if that is important.
MetalManiac
Li'l Junior Member
Re: Basswood vs. Mahogany
Basswood= Glorified Balsa.
No thanks, not on my guitars.
Basswood= Glorified Balsa.
No thanks, not on my guitars.
Brian Griffin
New member
Re: Basswood vs. Mahogany
I wondered about that too. What's your opinion on mahogany-bodied Ibanez S? They are so thin. Is the sound thinny too? Or heavy like an LP?
I wondered about that too. What's your opinion on mahogany-bodied Ibanez S? They are so thin. Is the sound thinny too? Or heavy like an LP?
Brian Griffin
New member
L
Little Pigbacon
Guest
Re: Basswood vs. Mahogany
Some of the best guitars I've ever owned or played have had basswood bodies. A basswood Ibanez RG with an Edge trem and DiMarzio Breeds is a flat-out amazing sounding guitar -- no excuses need be made.
Basswood gets used a lot in cheaper guitars, often as a way to differentiate the higher-up models that might have alder, mahogany, maple, etc. It's kind of an artificial stratification; it probably doesn't cost much more to use garden-variety alder or mahogany. But it's one of those concrete things that manufacturers can put on a spec sheet. On the other hand, when a $3,000 guitar is designed around basswood, it's not a compromise. Sometimes when a cheaper guitar uses basswood, it's not a compromise either -- it just rocks.
Some of the best guitars I've ever owned or played have had basswood bodies. A basswood Ibanez RG with an Edge trem and DiMarzio Breeds is a flat-out amazing sounding guitar -- no excuses need be made.
Basswood gets used a lot in cheaper guitars, often as a way to differentiate the higher-up models that might have alder, mahogany, maple, etc. It's kind of an artificial stratification; it probably doesn't cost much more to use garden-variety alder or mahogany. But it's one of those concrete things that manufacturers can put on a spec sheet. On the other hand, when a $3,000 guitar is designed around basswood, it's not a compromise. Sometimes when a cheaper guitar uses basswood, it's not a compromise either -- it just rocks.
Re: Basswood vs. Mahogany
Cheap Mahogany is Phillippine Mahogany - the stuff they make salad bowls out of - not Honduran. There is a significant difference.
Cheap Mahogany is Phillippine Mahogany - the stuff they make salad bowls out of - not Honduran. There is a significant difference.
kramersteen
PowerMetalRaph
Re: Basswood vs. Mahogany
I love them!! Everyone i have played sounded great. I can't compare it to a lp because i don't play lp's but essentially its something you have to play to understand. I guess they are in a league of their own.
I love them!! Everyone i have played sounded great. I can't compare it to a lp because i don't play lp's but essentially its something you have to play to understand. I guess they are in a league of their own.
Jocelyn
New member
Re: Basswood vs. Mahogany
I love Sabers. They feel good and sound good. The sound is balanced and warm. It is not what I would call thin. The thing is they are thin around the edges but meaty enough at the bridge and pickups. I dont think it is fair to compare it with a LP. Totally two diff constructions. Maybe ( and just maybe) a SG would be fair.
p4vl
New member
Re: Basswood vs. Mahogany
I used to say something similar. Then I broke my shoulder in 3 places and had shoulder reconstruction surgery. So it's either Basswood or Korina (possibly weight relieved mahogany) for me. Well, that or quit playing.
I used to say something similar. Then I broke my shoulder in 3 places and had shoulder reconstruction surgery. So it's either Basswood or Korina (possibly weight relieved mahogany) for me. Well, that or quit playing.
ItsaBass
New member
Re: Basswood vs. Mahogany
Mahogany is usually heavier, and muddier in tone IME. I've never played a mahogany guitar that is what I'd consider "truly bright". Spanky? Yes. Balanced? Yes. Extremely versatile? Absolutely. But never truly top heavy in terms of e.q. More like upper midrangey, yet still thick, even in the most brash sounding examples. Old, new, vintage, U.S.A., imported, whatever. Mahogany guitars are never naturally bright to my ears. They can all get a tone that goes to mud very easily. I prefer mahogany guitars with low-output pickups and/or single coils, and the thinner, the better. Putting maple on top of it makes it much more thick and brutal sounding – usually too thick for my liking, though it is a great tone for some things. I love my LP Standard for that certain "mule kick" attack that it has, but I find it limited tonally. I think Juniors, Specials, and SGs are far more "alive" and versatile.
Basswood is usually lighter, and less girthy in tone, but also not super bright. It seems to me to sound like a slightly more smooth and "laid back" form of ash. They both have that "poppiness" and lightness about them, but ash is more lively IME. Real stringy sounding, like you can't really dig in and pull out as much "oomph" as you can from mahogany. But I like it, because it retains that aggression and "cut through" even when you're playing hard and loud. As such, it can handle thick sounding pickups much better than mahogany IMHO. (I can't stand the sound of hot pickups in a mahogany guitar!) Several of my favorite guitars have been made of basswood, including my Aerodyne Tele and my blue MIJ Strat.
In general, I prefer mahogany guitars for "vocal" parts and leads, and chunky rhythm. I prefer basswood and ash for snappy, bright, crunchy rhythm, or for piercing, stinging sounding leads. That's just a generalization, and I don't live by it as a rule or anything. But it's pretty much what I tend to do naturally when recording.
Mahogany is usually heavier, and muddier in tone IME. I've never played a mahogany guitar that is what I'd consider "truly bright". Spanky? Yes. Balanced? Yes. Extremely versatile? Absolutely. But never truly top heavy in terms of e.q. More like upper midrangey, yet still thick, even in the most brash sounding examples. Old, new, vintage, U.S.A., imported, whatever. Mahogany guitars are never naturally bright to my ears. They can all get a tone that goes to mud very easily. I prefer mahogany guitars with low-output pickups and/or single coils, and the thinner, the better. Putting maple on top of it makes it much more thick and brutal sounding – usually too thick for my liking, though it is a great tone for some things. I love my LP Standard for that certain "mule kick" attack that it has, but I find it limited tonally. I think Juniors, Specials, and SGs are far more "alive" and versatile.
Basswood is usually lighter, and less girthy in tone, but also not super bright. It seems to me to sound like a slightly more smooth and "laid back" form of ash. They both have that "poppiness" and lightness about them, but ash is more lively IME. Real stringy sounding, like you can't really dig in and pull out as much "oomph" as you can from mahogany. But I like it, because it retains that aggression and "cut through" even when you're playing hard and loud. As such, it can handle thick sounding pickups much better than mahogany IMHO. (I can't stand the sound of hot pickups in a mahogany guitar!) Several of my favorite guitars have been made of basswood, including my Aerodyne Tele and my blue MIJ Strat.
In general, I prefer mahogany guitars for "vocal" parts and leads, and chunky rhythm. I prefer basswood and ash for snappy, bright, crunchy rhythm, or for piercing, stinging sounding leads. That's just a generalization, and I don't live by it as a rule or anything. But it's pretty much what I tend to do naturally when recording.
Hairmail
New member
Re: Basswood vs. Mahogany
Basswood is not crap, its quite the opposite, it rocks!
Basswood is an awesome tonewood and it sounds great. I have a basswood JEM(proably the heaviest piece of basswood ever, its noticeably heavier than my alder charvel) and it rocks the only thing that lets it down are the stock pickups. I'm torn between basswood and alder for my favourite tonewood.
Basswood has this reputation for being the "cheap" tonewood cause its cheap and its common, but that doesn't mean its a bad wood, its well balanced and light, qualities that make it a really good wood for superstrats, even the higher end Ibanez RG guitars are made of basswood. Basswood tends to be more consistent tonally too, compared to the many, very different mahogany bodied guitars.
One of the added benefits of basswood is that when its paired with a maple top its just phenomenal. John Suhr considers basswood with maple top to be the holy grail of tone. Guthrie Govan's Charvel Prototype is now made of Basswood and Maple instead of the Koa of the original one and the Mahogany that his Suhrs were made of. And why would the man himself, Eddie Van Halen, one of the worlds greatest tone chasers, use Basswood bodied guitars with maple tops?
Basswood is not crap, its quite the opposite, it rocks!
Basswood is an awesome tonewood and it sounds great. I have a basswood JEM(proably the heaviest piece of basswood ever, its noticeably heavier than my alder charvel) and it rocks the only thing that lets it down are the stock pickups. I'm torn between basswood and alder for my favourite tonewood.
Basswood has this reputation for being the "cheap" tonewood cause its cheap and its common, but that doesn't mean its a bad wood, its well balanced and light, qualities that make it a really good wood for superstrats, even the higher end Ibanez RG guitars are made of basswood. Basswood tends to be more consistent tonally too, compared to the many, very different mahogany bodied guitars.
One of the added benefits of basswood is that when its paired with a maple top its just phenomenal. John Suhr considers basswood with maple top to be the holy grail of tone. Guthrie Govan's Charvel Prototype is now made of Basswood and Maple instead of the Koa of the original one and the Mahogany that his Suhrs were made of. And why would the man himself, Eddie Van Halen, one of the worlds greatest tone chasers, use Basswood bodied guitars with maple tops?
Last edited:
dominus
King Midas to Cheap Guitars
Re: Basswood vs. Mahogany
I know you're trolling, but the reason Fender guitars were made of alder is BECAUSE it was cheap and plentiful.
I know you're trolling, but the reason Fender guitars were made of alder is BECAUSE it was cheap and plentiful.
Rand-O-Monium
New member
Re: Basswood vs. Mahogany
Basswood's grown on me a little.
.02
Basswood's grown on me a little.
.02
SongsForTheDeaf
New member
Re: Basswood vs. Mahogany
My tele Deluxe is basswood... very resonant and has quite a bit of midrange to it. ALOT brighter than other tonewoods IMO which is not a bad thing just adds clarity and definition to a bassy/muddy rig.
My tele Deluxe is basswood... very resonant and has quite a bit of midrange to it. ALOT brighter than other tonewoods IMO which is not a bad thing just adds clarity and definition to a bassy/muddy rig.
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