Baswood VS Alder Body for Metal ...

[zegonzales]

Baswood VS Alder Body for Metal ... which one do you feel its better ?? I was thinking about exchanging my Jackson JDR 94 (Japanese) for an Alder equipped Jackson model , but I heard some tests online and I found the conclusion that Basswood , in spite of the fact that it's considered by many as a "cheap" wood
sounds better , smoother and warmer than the Alder . Alder sounds (to me) more like a good wood for styles like Jazz and Reggae , but Basswood for Metal and Hard Rock sounded better to me in every test I heard ...

 

[jeremy]

Re: Baswood VS Alder Body for Metal ...

i wouldnt say that one is better than another, but if you like your current guitar then id keep it and rock on

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Baswood VS Alder Body for Metal ...

It's always personal preference. I can imagine that the warmth of basswood could be good for soaring solos whereas the brightness of alder could be better for thrash. At a certain point gain and volume can mask a lot of those frequencies though.

Luke

 

[Demanic]

Re: Baswood VS Alder Body for Metal ...

I don't think that one or the other would make that much difference considering the amount of distortion involved. I agree with Jeremy.

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[Mincer]

Re: Baswood VS Alder Body for Metal ...

Yeah, my guess is that the more gain and compression, the less the wood makes any kind of difference here. In other words, the type of wood would be low on the priority list in favor of other things...pickups, amp, pedals, etc.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Baswood VS Alder Body for Metal ...

^ I used to think this too, but not having played lots of metal it was just based on the distortion 'hiding' everything. But one poster here on the forum said his mahogany axe made the lows a lot more loose and undefined. So maybe the wood makes a difference in metal for different aspects than it does for the typical blues/jazz/rock side of things.

 

[zegonzales]

Re: Baswood VS Alder Body for Metal ...

^ I used to think this too, but not having played lots of metal it was just based on the distortion 'hiding' everything. But one poster here on the forum said his mahogany axe made the lows a lot more loose and undefined. So maybe the wood makes a difference in metal for different aspects than it does for the typical blues/jazz/rock side of things.

Well , woods DEFINITELY make a difference . Not as much as pick ups , but they do . But what I discuss here is basically that Basswood receives a lot of bad press but it sounds a good wood , but I have an LTD with Mahogany body and which is "neck thru" I definitely can feel the difference , but Jackson was never that fond on Mahogany . But I feel , these 2 woods tend to sound better (to me personally) than Alder , but I know its more a matter of taste than anything else .

 

[Demanic]

Re: Baswood VS Alder Body for Metal ...

There's definitely a difference, but it's a subtle one that tends to be overshadowed by other factors, like amp/pedals and their setting. Also playing is a huge factor. Good technique overcomes mediocre equipment. It's not quite the same the other way around. Ask me how I know.[emoji14]

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[devastone]

Re: Baswood VS Alder Body for Metal ...

But what I discuss here is basically that Basswood receives a lot of bad press but it sounds a good wood ...

Vai, Satch, and King Edward agree. I personally like both, but have been a basswood fan since I got my first new RG550 in 1987 or so.

 

[zegonzales]

Re: Baswood VS Alder Body for Metal ...

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Baswood VS Alder Body for Metal ...

Basswood is softer and lighter, and that contributes to its warm round tone.

Alder is is a bit snappier in the attack and a little brighter.


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[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Baswood VS Alder Body for Metal ...

Vai, Satch, and King Edward agree. I personally like both, but have been a basswood fan since I got my first new RG550 in 1987 or so.

Those were the first mass produced guitars with basswood bodies.

I worked at American Showster in the mid 80s, and they were using basswood since about ‘83 for this guitar. It’s a nice sounding wood.

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[Nagisa]

Re: Baswood VS Alder Body for Metal ...

In my experience, in both Ibanez RGs and strats...

Mahogany and basswood for deep, thick tones. IMO best for prog type metal. Have to say both can be a little lifeless with the wrong pickups and amp.

Alder for rock n roll. With a humbucker it does that EVH thing and all those 80s rock songs well. Probably the safest wood imo.

Swamp Ash is my favorite in my sss strat as it gets it close to a tele vibe. Excellent twang. Wouldn't use it for humbuckers.

 

[MikeS]

Re: Baswood VS Alder Body for Metal ...

I don't think either is better suited than the other for metal. "Metal" is so broad... there's no shortage of recordings out there of metal albums recorded with alder-bodied guitars. Any perceived lack of mids in alder, at least compared to basswood, is easily overcome with the right pickup choice, amp, or pedal.

Woods can be a crap shoot. Sometimes you can find as much variation between two slabs of the same species as you could between two slabs of different species.

 

[LLL]

Re: Baswood VS Alder Body for Metal ...

This vid right here proves the tonal differences between swamp ash, alder & mahogany... mainly the mids (lower mids, mids, hi mids).

It's not blatant, but neither is it subtle.

If you had tons of distortion (too much) on any of them, it would definitely blur the differences... this is why some people can't hear the difference.

Warmoth also has a neck wood tone test.

 

[Mr. B]

Re: Baswood VS Alder Body for Metal ...

Decades ago, when I started playing guitar on Alder Strats and Mahogany/Maple Les Pauls, if someone had told me that my favorite guitars would end up being Basswood Ibanez RG 7 strings, I would have called them crazy. If I could keep only one 6-string, it would also be a Basswood RG. I just like the tonal balance of that wood. My least favorite guitar, which I keep only because I like the locking trem on it, is an alder bodied Jackson. Liked to never found a set of pickups I was satisfied with in it, and I tried dozens. Ended up with the Breed set, and I don't really even like the neck pickup on that one.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Baswood VS Alder Body for Metal ...

This vid right here proves the tonal differences between swamp ash, alder & mahogany... mainly the mids (lower mids, mids, hi mids).

It's not blatant, but neither is it subtle.

If you had tons of distortion (too much) on any of them, it would definitely blur the differences... this is why some people can't hear the difference.

Warmoth also has a neck wood tone test.

I certainly heard a difference, but it got less and less when distortion was added. There was nothing really 'metal' played, but I'd bet the differences would be even less with more gain.

 

[vinta9e]

Re: Baswood VS Alder Body for Metal ...

Baswood VS Alder Body for Metal ... which one do you feel its better ?? I was thinking about exchanging my Jackson JDR 94 (Japanese) for an Alder equipped Jackson model

Both are fine but "better" depends on what you do and do not want, what particular pieces can deliver, your amp, playing style, etc. A random chance that you will exchange your JDR for something of similar shape and purpose, equal value and better playability is looking slim.

 

[Archer250]

Re: Baswood VS Alder Body for Metal ...

IMO the guitar itself matters more than the type of wood it's made of.

The construction, the quality of woods, quality of parts, how well the neck is mated to the body...

But in general alder and basswood sound close to each other. Basswood sounds warmer and alder has a bit more bass and highs.

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[astrozombie]

Re: Baswood VS Alder Body for Metal ...

I prefer alder for sharper attack


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