Basswood Body Soloist

[AGWAN]

I cant tell if mark is being sarcastic

 

[AprioriMark]

I'm not.  I'm a huge fan of both basswood and agathis for tone.  They're pretty much uggles as far as aesthetic, but I like painted bodies.

-Mark

 

[Doughboy]

I have a Basswood strat that I had built in 1993 & it still looks, sounds & plays fine. The floyd is as secure now as it was back in '93. The top is quilt maple, so perhaps the maple adds a more secure top surface for the studs. I also baby my guitars & never abuse them. Vai is a chronic guitar abuser, so that may have something to do with it as well.

 

[DangerousR6]

As per usual, I still hate Basswood with a passion.  I have a '72 Tele Custom RI with a Bass wood body.  Never again.  The wood is too soft.  If you look at it too hard, your eyes will dent it.  If Floyding it, those posts will oval out eventually.  Steve Vai's most used EVO is Basswood, and the tech says it's a balancing act to keep it one piece.  May not be a fair comparison.  He probably plays 14 hours a day and could have worn out a guitar made of marble.  For guys with more than one guitar that get played with equal use and not that often, it's probably fine, but if this will be your sole guitar and get a lot of use with a floating trem, I'd look for another body wood solely for longevity.

Suhr knows what he's talking about, but there are equally credible dissenting opinions.  Some of which say the laminate top wood contributes nothing but apearance and the neck wood effects tone more than the body.  As always, buyer beware.  Mr. Suhr is still a saleman afterall.  Buy low, sell high.

With it being solid basswood I could see the problem with Floyd studs trying to oval the holes. But the majority of the time basswood bodies have a hardwood lam top, such as the EBMM EVH sig's. They were basswood bodies with 1/4" quilt and flame maple tops. Even the rare fully painted black and gold tops had maple tops... :icon_biggrin: :icon_biggrin:

 

[Paul-less]

A hardwood lam top just gives the posts a fulcrum point.


1: Basswood is soft. No denying it.
2: There should be a shelter for guitar's that Vai has abused. No guitar should be strangled by the floyd's bar, NO guitar!
3. Under normal usage, basswood may or may not be able to handle a floyd. Craftsmanship, wood selection, and usage all vary here.


If you like the sound, get the guitar. Don't let no haters (or gushing fans) persuade you to change what you like.

 

[Rickgrxbass]

Maybe a Kahler would be better than a Floyd-- more surface area to distribute the strain, plus even more '80s cred than the Floyd! 

 

[Strat Avenger]

*FLO and you have Floyd loaded Ibanez?  Posts in threaded inserts - still oval out.  My 13 year Tele which hasn't been played regularly in 10 years didn't fair so well, and that's with a hardtail.  Just my dissenting opinion.  Take what you will from it.  Doesn't change the fact Basswood is soft.  It just goes to show for every pro, there is con.

You are correct that basswood is soft. I have noticed that screw holes strip out much more easily on that material.

Like I said, after 19 years (and I have not been kind to my Ibanez), not a single problem with the Floyd. Perhaps it's the inconsistency of wood itself, OR perhaps the quality of the craftsmanship is a factor.

 

[Strat Avenger]

Agathis has been mentioned here;

I think it looks absolutely beautiful. As for the tone, I don't think I can judge it. I've had only one guitar that was made of agathis. 'Looked awesome, but sounded dark and muddy, and that was even after a pickup swap. I ended up selling it for no other reason than I didn't like the tone. But that was just one guitar. Others may sound great, I really haven't played any others made of agathis.

 

[m4rk0]

I have mentioned this before (most likely all other times Gary brought up his basswood trauma) but one of my Fender Talons (the Talon III to be precise) is the best sounding and best sustaining guitar I have!! (sustain only to be topped by the bloodwood necked strat )

it as everything against it, super thin neck, basswood body, free floating floyd, all supposedly tone/sustain suckers, but it sounds the opposite!!

 

[Rickgrxbass]

I have mentioned this before (most likely all other times Gary brought up his basswood trauma) but one of my Fender Talons (the Talon III to be precise) is the best sounding and best sustaining guitar I have!! (sustain only to be topped by the bloodwood necked strat )

it as everything against it, super thin neck, basswood body, free floating floyd, all supposedly tone/sustain suckers, but it sounds the opposite!!

I would think, using "traditional" logic of vibration transfer, the FR would be a benefit compared to a more traditional trem, since the bridge itself is so much more massive than a non-locking trem, and the strings and saddles are physically bolted together to the bridge plate.

Back on-topic (unbelievable as it may be), I do really like Basswood as a tonewood, really mid-forward, good fundamental but with lows and highs slightly attenuated.  It really lets the character of the pickups shine through, which I think may be its biggest detriment, since many off-the-shelf guitars with basswood bodies have absolutely rubbish pickups.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

(most likely all other times Gary brought up his basswood trauma)

I'm hoping it won't ruin Christmas again this year.  :dontknow:

 

[Wana_make_a_guitar]

I don't see why there is always an argument over basswood.
Everyone knows it's a softer wood then most hardwoods used for guitars, but weather it is NOTICEABLY softer is really subjective to any one persons opinion's or experiences with the wood. You're never going to get a piece of basswood that is exactly the same as another, and different companies all have different quality control process they use to select the wood, which will effect how soft one basswood would feel to another companies basswood.
Warmoth have an excellent QC process (or so im told) and I haven't yet seen a thread complaining that the basswood that warmoth uses is too soft.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Excellent points, Connor.  I may just be the isolated incident, and Steve Vai should never be a control for any experiment.