Moonsorrow
New member
I think i remember reading that Basswood is warmer then Alder but not as much as Mahogany, is this correct or...?
Is Basswood warmer then Alder?
- Thread starter Moonsorrow
- Start date
MetalManiac
Li'l Junior Member
Re: Is Basswood warmer then Alder?
Basswood is Asswood.
Alder is a very balanced tonewood.It can and will sound great across the board.
Basswood is used for some high end sredder guitars built for pros. YOUR Basswood guitar can and will sound like dogsh*t.
Iv been there and done that with Asswood. Finally found a pickup that makes it sound like a pile of dogturd..and that was a HUGE improvement from anything else I had tried.!
I don't know what basswood is for, but iot sure aint for guitars!
Basswood is Asswood.
Alder is a very balanced tonewood.It can and will sound great across the board.
Basswood is used for some high end sredder guitars built for pros. YOUR Basswood guitar can and will sound like dogsh*t.
Iv been there and done that with Asswood. Finally found a pickup that makes it sound like a pile of dogturd..and that was a HUGE improvement from anything else I had tried.!
I don't know what basswood is for, but iot sure aint for guitars!
JOLLY
Super Simonologist
Re: Is Basswood warmer then Alder?
I actually busted out laughing when I read that. Thanks, I needed that.
brentrocks
New member
Re: Is Basswood warmer then Alder?
yeah....EVHs EBMM guitars sounded like dog****, didnt they? they had a basswood body...John Petruccis guitars have a basswood body, his tone is terrible.....
NOT
yeah....EVHs EBMM guitars sounded like dog****, didnt they? they had a basswood body...John Petruccis guitars have a basswood body, his tone is terrible.....
NOT
Maynardo
New member
Re: Is Basswood warmer then Alder?
basswood usually resonates very little, aparently with a maple cap on top it gets really good, but Alder on its own is great!!
+100000000
basswood usually resonates very little, aparently with a maple cap on top it gets really good, but Alder on its own is great!!
Maz
New member
Re: Is Basswood warmer then Alder?
Basswood is right between Alder and Mahogany
http://www.jemsite.com/jem/wood.htm
That might help you out a bit.
Basswood is the number one reasons why I won't buy an Ibanez, it's light, has terrible tone(at least, I don't like it), and damages easy.
^ that is 100% true
Basswood is right between Alder and Mahogany
http://www.jemsite.com/jem/wood.htm
That might help you out a bit.
Basswood is the number one reasons why I won't buy an Ibanez, it's light, has terrible tone(at least, I don't like it), and damages easy.
^ that is 100% true
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Kam
Shaftologist
Re: Is Basswood warmer then Alder?
Absolute nonsense. My Super Sonic is basswood and it's a great sounding guitar. It's also super light.
Absolute nonsense. My Super Sonic is basswood and it's a great sounding guitar. It's also super light.
MetalManiac
Li'l Junior Member
Re: Is Basswood warmer then Alder?
That does it. I'm chartering a flight to Ireland . I'll be leaving Texas by 2 AM Central Standard Time.
Ill be there in Ireland by 2:00 PM tomorrow.
I'm going to find you, and punch you as hard as I can right between your eyebrows.
Maybe that will settle things.
That does it. I'm chartering a flight to Ireland . I'll be leaving Texas by 2 AM Central Standard Time.
Ill be there in Ireland by 2:00 PM tomorrow.
I'm going to find you, and punch you as hard as I can right between your eyebrows.
Maybe that will settle things.
brentrocks
New member
MetalManiac
Li'l Junior Member
Re: Is Basswood warmer then Alder?
I wouldn't even begin to know where to get crack...Dude.
OTOH...I did freebase to a very minor extent 30 years ago.
I was very fortunate to have a real pure source of the Cocaina at the time.
I cannot begin to even imagine the garbage they pass off as Cocaina these days..most likely Meth...
I wouldn't even begin to know where to get crack...Dude.
OTOH...I did freebase to a very minor extent 30 years ago.
I was very fortunate to have a real pure source of the Cocaina at the time.
I cannot begin to even imagine the garbage they pass off as Cocaina these days..most likely Meth...
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youngthrasher9
New member
Re: Is Basswood warmer then Alder?
Everyone has a different opinion on basswood if you haven't noticed.
Everyone has a different opinion on basswood if you haven't noticed.
Phantasmagoria
watch where you point that sabre
Re: Is Basswood warmer then Alder?
I have basswood, alder and mahogany guitars and they're all on a comparable level sound-wise, with each having it's own charecteristics. Basswood is great for fat, warm sounding lead tones with slightly rounded sweet highs. Alder can get pretty sharp in the high register but has a bit more punch. Having said that my basswood snakeskin XCort is the punchiest guitar I own & sounds amazing in every way I can think of. With the wrong pups basswood can sound dull and unfocussed, bassy etc but so can mahogany ...and alder can get shrill..
I have basswood, alder and mahogany guitars and they're all on a comparable level sound-wise, with each having it's own charecteristics. Basswood is great for fat, warm sounding lead tones with slightly rounded sweet highs. Alder can get pretty sharp in the high register but has a bit more punch. Having said that my basswood snakeskin XCort is the punchiest guitar I own & sounds amazing in every way I can think of. With the wrong pups basswood can sound dull and unfocussed, bassy etc but so can mahogany ...and alder can get shrill..
MetalManiac
Li'l Junior Member
Re: Is Basswood warmer then Alder?
WTF??...Because so do I..and they are nothing near as comparable soundwise!!!
WTF??...Because so do I..and they are nothing near as comparable soundwise!!!
Phantasmagoria
watch where you point that sabre
Re: Is Basswood warmer then Alder?
In your opinion maybe...
and I did'nt mean they sounded similar..I meant baswood is as good a tonewood as any other as far as I'm concerned, not inferior at all.
...what sort of stuff do you play?
In your opinion maybe...
and I did'nt mean they sounded similar..I meant baswood is as good a tonewood as any other as far as I'm concerned, not inferior at all.
...what sort of stuff do you play?
MetalManiac
Li'l Junior Member
Re: Is Basswood warmer then Alder?
hats total bull****. Everyone has the same opinion on Alder .everyone has conflicting opinions on Basswood..becasue Basswood sucks, and so everyone who wants cheapshi*t guitar made form an inferior tonewood wants to stick up for it.
hats total bull****. Everyone has the same opinion on Alder .everyone has conflicting opinions on Basswood..becasue Basswood sucks, and so everyone who wants cheapshi*t guitar made form an inferior tonewood wants to stick up for it.
Diego
New member
Re: Is Basswood warmer then Alder?
Basswood has a very soft attack and a very neutral EQ. But it's far from awful.
Depends on what you're taking as basswood, though.
I've tried some entry level Ibanezes made of basswood and they were horrific, tone-wise.
Not just a matter of pickups. They were clinically dead and useless. Firewood.
I had a Prestige RG for a few years, and that was a completely different thing.
Basswood isn't really all that resonant and loud, but amplified it blends some interesting characteristics.
It's not as inmediate as Alder. Not as clear, either.
It sounds warm, and there's many pickups that do a terrific job on basswood guitars.
Basswood + Maple cap seems to be the choice of many builders, I've never tried one.
So no opinion there.
And there's definitely better guitars than that RG I had, made of basswood.
Still, with Alder is much harder to go wrong I think. It's more versatile,
and I'd dare to say easier AND cheaper to get a good piece.
Basswood has a very soft attack and a very neutral EQ. But it's far from awful.
Depends on what you're taking as basswood, though.
I've tried some entry level Ibanezes made of basswood and they were horrific, tone-wise.
Not just a matter of pickups. They were clinically dead and useless. Firewood.
I had a Prestige RG for a few years, and that was a completely different thing.
Basswood isn't really all that resonant and loud, but amplified it blends some interesting characteristics.
It's not as inmediate as Alder. Not as clear, either.
It sounds warm, and there's many pickups that do a terrific job on basswood guitars.
Basswood + Maple cap seems to be the choice of many builders, I've never tried one.
So no opinion there.
And there's definitely better guitars than that RG I had, made of basswood.
Still, with Alder is much harder to go wrong I think. It's more versatile,
and I'd dare to say easier AND cheaper to get a good piece.
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TheLivingDead
Dawn Of The Shred
Re: Is Basswood warmer then Alder?
Oh Jerry Jerry Jerry...
Oh Jerry Jerry Jerry...
Metalblaze
New member
Re: Is Basswood warmer then Alder?
Luthier info I've repeatedly found says that basswood sounds warmer in the high end and less deep than Alder because it doesn't have the extended spectrum of Alder. ALder is fuller sounding, meaning its lows are lower than those of Basswood and its highs are higher.
Maybe the correct word is "not as extended" (or just warmer and less deep).
Luthier info I've repeatedly found says that basswood sounds warmer in the high end and less deep than Alder because it doesn't have the extended spectrum of Alder. ALder is fuller sounding, meaning its lows are lower than those of Basswood and its highs are higher.
Maybe the correct word is "not as extended" (or just warmer and less deep).
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Diego
New member
Re: Is Basswood warmer then Alder?
Actually, while Jerry's ranting tirade is disproportionate and a bit too hateful,
it does reflect how awful basswood is when you get a really bad piece.
If I'd only tried those cheap Ibanez guitars, I'd be just the same.
But then there's the eternal question that always raises:
If basswood is so bad, how come EVH, Petrucci, Vai, Satriani, etc, CHOOSE basswood as the wood for their guitars?
If I'm honest, I don't know. If I was Petrucci, I'd have EB build me something
really light and maybe thin, out of mahogany. Light and nice.
But they know so much more than me that suggesting I could know better than all of them is just stupid.
Isn't it?
Actually, while Jerry's ranting tirade is disproportionate and a bit too hateful,
it does reflect how awful basswood is when you get a really bad piece.
If I'd only tried those cheap Ibanez guitars, I'd be just the same.
But then there's the eternal question that always raises:
If basswood is so bad, how come EVH, Petrucci, Vai, Satriani, etc, CHOOSE basswood as the wood for their guitars?
If I'm honest, I don't know. If I was Petrucci, I'd have EB build me something
really light and maybe thin, out of mahogany. Light and nice.
But they know so much more than me that suggesting I could know better than all of them is just stupid.
Isn't it?
Metalblaze
New member
Re: Is Basswood warmer then Alder?
Everything is so subjective that whatever we say here is correct.
Everything is so subjective that whatever we say here is correct.