Basswood vs. Mahogany

[Robert Delahunt]

Re: Basswood vs. Mahogany

I look down on Basswood.I don't believe it belongs on a great guitar, only cheap ones. Since its a cheap wood, of course many people are going to try and say it sounds good so they can make more money off it.It is really a aweful tonewood. It sucks. Those of you with Basswood , get rid f it and get some Alder or mahogany.

Well you're wrong, and several prominent players (satch and Vai) disagree.

I've owned (and just bought again) a basswood Fender Showmaster (such an underestimated guitar). It has pronounced mids and less overtones (not as complex as mahogany) but it's got its own good qualities. Mahogany is darker. A '59 neck in a mahogany guitar is overly midsy to my ears (Jazz is better for it) but in basswood it's even more midsy, so it's far worse. Jazz works better for at least the basswood models.

It's light but it's just fine. Really, the only reason I sold the Showmaster was to buy a Schecter C-1 Classic (Jazz/JB) but I got sick of the covers so I sold THAT guitar and got the ESP I now own. The ESP is very mids-heavy (mahogany body). The '59 in the Showmaster, I know from experience, is going to be way too heavy in the mids, so I'm going to be swapping it for a Jazz or Full Shred Neck (not sure yet) and put in a Full Shred bridge (the PG+ is stupid in this guitar, in my honest opinion). Then we'll see who laughs