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  • Wood Is Wood - Or Is It?

    I found some valuable information online from Sweetwater.com.

    Tonewoods Compared

    There are a number of factors that determine the tonal properties of wood. In addition, tonewoods respond differently in the hands of different makers. They can also take on different characteristics when used in different models of guitars - even those built by the same maker. Whether a particular wood sounds good or bad ultimately depends on who is doing the listening, so any attempt to sort out distinctions can only be subjective.

    Perhaps the most important factor a luthier must take into account is velocity of sound, which refers to the speed at which a material transmits received energy. A luthier must design with materials that facilitate the transmission of vibrational energy. Lively materials, those with a high velocity of sound, or low internal damping make the best facilitators.

    Most luthiers (though not all) believe that the wood chosen for the top is the single most important factor in determining the quality of tone of the instrument. It is also interesting to note that the wood itself takes on different characteristics depending on which part of the guitar it's used for. Makers of electric guitars with bolt-on necks have long been aware of the fact that neck and fretboard materials can have a significant bearing on tone. Bridge materials, like fretboards, cannot make or break an instrument, but they serve to enhance or edit the tonal effects of other woods in the guitar's construction.

    In conclusion, it is important to remember that wood species can be responsible only for certain aspects of the tone of any guitar. Equally important are design, skill of the maker, and the quality of each individual piece of wood used. Tonewood selection however, can be a determining factor in the creation of a very special guitar or a guitar designed for a specific purpose.

    Ash and Alder: Tonally, ash and alder are extremely similar. Both provide sustain and evenly balanced tone that is both resonant and rich in harmonic overtones, without being either too warm or too bright. Probably the most common reason that guitar makers choose ash (a slightly more expensive wood than alder) is because of its more attractive grain, which is apparent under a transparent or semi-transparent finish.

    Agathis: One of the greatest advantages of agathis is that it's inexpensive, which brings down the overall cost of any bass made from it. For this reason, there are many wonderful entry-level basses made from agathis. The lack of popularity of this tonewood may have more to do with the fact that it wasn't common in America when Leo Fender started hewing his early bass bodies. Tonally, it sits somewhere between ash/alder and mahogany, resonating with a rich tone that emphasizes the lower mid range over the upper.

    Mahogany: If you like loud, punchy, or growling tones, you might be happiest with a mahogany-bodied bass. The medium density and low resonance of mahogany gives the lower register of the instrument a pronounced emphasis and rolls off the snappier string attack that you would get with an ash or alder body. Mahogany basses are best generalized as sounding warm and full bodied.

    Basswood: Tonally, basswood neatly splits the difference between the brightness of ash or alder and the warmth of mahogany. This makes basswood a favorite body wood for bassists who play a wide range of music. An interesting quality of basswood is its extreme softness, which readily absorbs vibrations. One downside of this softness is that basswood basses ding and dent more easily than those made of harder wood. They also have a bit less sustain. Their faster settling time, however, makes them ideal for fast or more complex playing techniques.

    Maple: When it comes to hardness, maple sits at the far other extreme from basswood. Even so-called "soft" maple (a.k.a. Western maple) is more dense than any other common bass guitar tonewood. This density gives maple-bodied basses phenomenal sustain and a bright, crisp tone. Many bassists and recording engineers swear by maple because of the clarity and definition it gives bass guitars. Maple fingerboards (as opposed to ebony or rosewood) add a bit of spank or snap to an instrument.



    These are only some of the woods used to make bass guitars. Some companies are famous for experimenting, mixing woods with graphites or other molded compounds.

    Check out the full article HERE, to see what Sweetwater has to say about other components of the bass guitar.
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