charlie brown Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 I have an old 1982 Japanese Fender Strat (not a "Squire"...though the Japanese Squire's are excellent), with a Basswood body, that is amazing, in it's unplugged resonance. Put a set of "Vintage Noiseless" pickups in it, and it plays and sounds great! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stumblinman Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Because in $100 solidbody electric guitars with ceramic pickups, tonewood is of the utmost importance /rolleyes I think it's a pretty great day when you even have the option to have a decent guit for 100 clams. Make it out of old newspapers and chewing gum, as long as the neck is straight and the tuners hold a decent tune. Thanks for the info, I might have to take a trip south to get one this weekend.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hungrycat Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Basswood is terrible. End of story. *It's far too soft to be a suitable wood in guitar building. The only was to get it to last is to goop on a thick finish. (See early 80's Squiers) Since it's so soft it makes to instrument very susceptible to damage even from playing the thing. Many of the shredder Ibanezes have Basswood bodies and I've seen players yank the Floyd (or knockoff)out of body because the wood just can't take the force of their playing. I rant about Mahogany being soft all the time, but Basswood makes Mahogany look like Steel. *It accentuates the wrong frequencies for nearly all styles of popular music. The way the wood vibrates, it chokes out almost everything but the extreme highs. It makes for a shrill sounding guitar. That's why the shredders really like basswood guitars. That shrilly sound will give just a little bit extra clarity through an ultra high-gain amp. *It's a super cheap wood. Not to poo-poo inexpensive guitars, but when companies like Music Man, Ibanez, and Fender(via the EVH label) try to tell me that their Basswood guitars are worth multi-thousands of dollars, I have to call BS. *Note* There is one species of the Basswood family that is quite good, but it has a different common name. (That I can't remember) PRS uses it for their Mira and Starla models. It sounds great and is a very durable wood. So I'm not ranting about that stuff. And for those of you that say that the wood doesn't matter. Of course it does. (I can hear it.) It's just not the ONLY thing that matters.... I can think of about 100 different variables that go into making a guitar sound a certain way, and nearly every variable will have to same weight in it's effect on changing the sound of the instrument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 There are crap basswood guitars and there are nice basswood guitars, just like almost everything else. Yeah the wood is kinda soft so it may be more susceptible to dings, chips, or whatever, but I don't make a habit out of throwing my guitars around or banging them in to things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Maybe you should give basswood another chance. True, it IS used in cheaper guitars because it is a much less expensive wood, especially the the far east where it is very abundant. But just because it doesn't cost a lot, does not mean it is a low quality wood. As far as density and hardness (2 different things) it is surprising close to alder, but a little more consistent. It is actually a little harder than "light" ash. To put that into perspective, it will usually be a little harder than a vintage Fender made of ash, and so close to alder you would not be able to tell the difference. I have had a lot of strats, and a lot of Japanese strats as well. I find that the weight of the guitar has at least as much to do with the sound of a Fender as the wood. I personally prefer alder and ash in a LIGHT strat, but when the get to be toward the heavy side, I actually prefer the sound of basswood. I MUCH prefer basswood to ash when the guitar is heavy. More to the point, sometimes it is real hard to tell if a strat is made from alder or basswood, and if they are both relatively light (never seen a basswood strat in the "light" category though) it may be impossible. And as far as being a credible tonewood, I think in the case of a RG type guitar that you want to have enough girth to have good sustain and still have a bright tone, it may be the best choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midiman56 Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 Nope .. I say that Hungry's points are well-spoken and completely valid. You know my feelings when it come to "guitar apocrypha": if you hear the difference, then it is completely appropriate to make it a part of your purchasing process. In the case of this particular instrument, we''l just have to mark Hungrycat in the "NO" column. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
animalfarm Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 These just rolled into the store today ... it was the first time I had seen them. The Epiphone SG Junior! [Cheese-ball tuners, but seemed pretty stable ... [They are "every-day" tagged at $119.99, but I can virtually guarantee that these will be on sale during the upcoming Labor Day weekend ... probably for $99 or less. No doubt about it ... it's a great time to be a guitar player! Jim Oh, oh - although I see the 2011 serial #, I cannot find it yet either on MF website or GC online. The nearest GC is in LUBBOCK, 3 hours away from me, Labor Day Weekend, AND a Texas Tech Football Game set for TODAY? No roadtrip... I CAN find reviews on MF website from FOUR years ago for SG junior Players Pack, which is currently flagged as "Discontinued", but then again, the 2011 serial #... I WOULD like to at least read about it, but I, too, am leaning torward an SG Junior with P-90 Pup. Based on past history, the Single Bridge Pup is probably a 700T Ceramic Mag... And, yeah, the TUNERS... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hungrycat Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 There are crap basswood guitars and there are nice basswood guitars, just like almost everything else. Yeah the wood is kinda soft so it may be more susceptible to dings, chips, or whatever, but I don't make a habit out of throwing my guitars around or banging them in to things. Guitars that get gigged, end up with some damage. Fact. And I'm not going to buy a guitar that I can't gig. As far as density and hardness (2 different things) it is surprising close to alder, but a little more consistent. It is actually a little harder than "light" ash. To put that into perspective, it will usually be a little harder than a vintage Fender made of ash, and so close to alder you would not be able to tell the difference. More to the point, sometimes it is real hard to tell if a strat is made from alder or basswood, and if they are both relatively light (never seen a basswood strat in the "light" category though) it may be impossible. My point is that Basswood tends to damage easily, where Ash and Alder do not. And tonally, I think basswood sounds terrible. The only way to overcome it is to get some high quality active pickups (EMGs), AND add an active on-board preamp. Then it will sound okay. But then why would you bother, when you can spend less money on a instrument made out of a decent wood to begin with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Guitars that get gigged, end up with some damage. Fact. And I'm not going to buy a guitar that I can't gig. My point is that Basswood tends to damage easily, where Ash and Alder do not. And tonally, I think basswood sounds terrible. The only way to overcome it is to get some high quality active pickups (EMGs), AND add an active on-board preamp. Then it will sound okay. But then why would you bother, when you can spend less money on a instrument made out of a decent wood to begin with? I understand where you are coming from, I just think that there are some parts of your perception that is off. There is density, and there is hardness. Density relates to weight, and hardness relates to how much pressure it takes to crush a piece of wood. Mahogany is dense, but also much harder relative to it's weight. So is ash. So, a 9 lb strat made of a heavy slab of basswood is going to dent a lot easier than either mahogany or ash of the same weight. I totally agree with you on that point. Compared to alder though, it is actually real close. Alder is actually pretty soft compared to it's weight. The thing is, alder can vary more than basswood. USUALLY, it is hard to find basswood that is as light as the alder used in guitars. And, using alder is usually an attempt to reduce weight-so using heavy alder is kinda useless. When you put it all together, I agree that there does not seem to be much use for basswood. Alder in a lightweight form sounds pretty full and bright, so substituting basswood as a spec would only serve to make a run of guitars built heavier OR change the tone into a brighter direction that would not be required. When it comes to completely different woods like mahogany or maple, you wouldn't really expect ash or alder to be a substitute that would compare. So if you would NOT want to use alder or ash in the first place, why use basswood? So, here, I agree there does not seem to be a use for it. And, it may be a poor substitute if you have the tonal qualities in mind. So...not trying to say that basswood is some magical replacement that makes guitars better than the use of other woods. But, rather there are occasions where it has qualities that make it better. Mostly, perhaps a guitar that you would NOT want to use mahogany or ash in the first place, but perhaps where you want a little more weight and sustain than alder without loosing tone in the use of a heavier wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matiac Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Don't really care what it's made of, it sounds great to me (here come the tonedeaf slurries), and for 100 bucks, simply can't go wrong. I like mine, and that's really all that matters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis G Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Don't really care what it's made of, it sounds great to me (here come the tonedeaf slurries), and for 100 bucks, simply can't go wrong. I like mine, and that's really all that matters. 'Nuff said! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggs Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I just wish everyone would stop saying 'bass' & 'wood' in the same sentence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I just wish everyone would stop saying 'bass' & 'wood' in the same sentence Don't worry, it's pronounced like 'bass' the fish, not 'bass' the instrument. So unless you have a thing for fish..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hungrycat Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Okay, So I went up to Nashville today and stopped in at Guitar Center (ended up buying a Telecaster, but that's another thread) And I tried out all three colors, and I have to say they're not as bad as I thought. They did have nice neck, and the fit and finish was very good. The Yellow one didn't really look like basswood to me, but it felt like it. I didn't plug one in, so I can't really attest to the tone, but over the 45 seconds or so I spent with it, I'll say that's it's not too bad for the money, but wouldn't ever really be anything but a 'beater.' I guess I'd take one if you gave it to me, but I wouldn't actually buy one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midiman56 Posted September 5, 2011 Author Share Posted September 5, 2011 I guess I'd take one if you gave it to me, but I wouldn't actually buy one. Cat ... you are a stitch! I'm glad you got to give one a spin anyway ... now, what's this about a Tele??? Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hungrycat Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 now, what's this about a Tele??? "Used" (LOL ) Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster Custom, $159.99 + tax. Full NGD thread with pics coming soon. And it's already routed for a neck humbucker! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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