Fretless body wood?

[Dolando]

Hello, I'm looking at getting a Gecko 5 string fretless with a Wenge neck and an ebony fingerboard. Not sure what body wood to go for. I like the idea of mahogony, and I've heard some great fretless basses made from it, I just think it might weigh a lot by the end.

Tone wise I'm after a nice solid fretless tone with nice pop and plenty of mwah that everyone is looking for in a fretless.

I know a lot of the tone comes from the player, just want to have the right wood to help with achieving the right tone.

Let me know your thoughts?

Thanks.

 

[line6man]

It doesn't really matter. Pick what looks good, and choose your pickups around the sound you want.

 

[greywolf]

Mahogany or Alder would be good choices. 

I'm making a fretless now with lacewood  which is similar to alder sonically.

 

[fretless]

Wenge and Hog sound very good together . Perhaps a Koa top for a stunning look

 

[Dolando]

By "hog" I assume you mean mahogony?

Yea i was toying with the very same idea. Mahogony body, with a Koa top. Flame Koa if they have it/I can afford it. Just concerned about the weight really... Not sure what my Warwick streamer stage 2 weighs but that's fairly heavy.

I think it's between alder and mahogany, as I have a deluxe 5 jazz in swamp ash and fancied something a little different. But if swamp ash turns out to be a good choice for a fretless then I'm still happy to go swamp ash.

 

[fretless]

yup Hog  :icon_biggrin: both Ash and Alder have proven to be fine tone woods on a fretless bass and Mahogany though maybe not as common is a excellent choice as well. Warmoth does have a upcharge for light pieces so if really concerned about it you could do that . I think you need to email on those requests . IME hog is all over the place with it's weight though Wenge is usually heavier and the Mahogany will probably balance that weight out nicely .

 

[Dolando]

Yea, I don't mind if its on the weighty side, and I doubt ill be doing 2 hour gigs with it, but just don't want it to be silly heavy. But then I think if I won't be using it for very long periods of time ip maybe I should just get what I want and be done with it.

Ill see what a light mahogany would cost...

 

[Day-mun]

IME hog is all over the place with it's weight though Wenge is usually heavier and the Mahogany will probably balance that weight out nicely .

+1

Had a wenge/ebony neck on an ash body once. sounded fine, but it was neck-heavy; as soon as my left hand let go of the neck it would make a nose-dive and slide that strap right over my shoulder! Moved that neck to a hefty alder body, and it was cool. Light-weight is nice, but balance is better.

 

[Dolando]

IME hog is all over the place with it's weight though Wenge is usually heavier and the Mahogany will probably balance that weight out nicely .

+1

Had a wenge/ebony neck on an ash body once. sounded fine, but it was neck-heavy; as soon as my left hand let go of the neck it would make a nose-dive and slide that strap right over my shoulder! Moved that neck to a hefty alder body, and it was cool. Light-weight is nice, but balance is better.

I agree, I'm currently finishing a deluxe swamp ash jazz body with a Wenge/ebony neck. The body does have some weight to it, and I'm hoping with the hefty brass hipshot bridge and a music man pickup will keep it balanced out. I've also got some hipshot ultralight tuners to help with that.

Here's a link to the build;

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=21347.msg316059#msg316059

 

[tubby.twins]

Don't rule out Basswood or Poplar.  They can be very resonant woods, and when paired with a very stiff neck wood (i.e. Wenge) they can make a great fretless tone, with the right pickup(s).  Swamp Ash and Alder work well, as do Mahogany and Korina.

I would avoid the extremely heavy body woods like Bubinga and Purpleheart, unless you're after the extremely articulate sonic attack on your fretless bass.  Warwick uses these woods (or similar) and they can sound very good, but they aren't as resonant.  They will also take a toll on your neck and shoulders.

 

[Dolando]

I mainly didn't consider basswood and poplar as I prefer the look of walnut, mahogany and ash. Appreciate the comment though.

You mention black korina, think that might be a better option over mahogany or walnut, accented mids and over all lighter wood.

How do you think a black korina body with a Wenge/ebony neck sound?

 

[tubby.twins]

You mention black korina, think that might be a better option over mahogany or walnut, accented mids and over all lighter wood.

How do you think a black korina body with a Wenge/ebony neck sound?

Black Korina might be a bit lighter than Walnut.  It depends on the tree.  I've found that it has a nice midrange-rich tone, similar to Mahogany.  It will sound very nice with a stiff neck wood such as Wenge.  I'm not sure I have tried that combination yet, but it should be very nice.

 

[Dolando]

Yea I can't go wrong with that combination really. I keep getting drawn towards a walnut body, as I prefer the look of it over korina ans mahogany, but not sure if that will mean ill have too much top end, or will it mean Ill just have some nice clarity...who knows?

 

[Cagey]

The sound is not heavily influenced by the body. Neck's more important, and the pickups are huge. Just get a Walnut top, and any body wood. Alder is usually fairly light. That way you get the look you want.

 

[Dolando]

The sound is not heavily influenced by the body. Neck's more important, and the pickups are huge. Just get a Walnut top, and any body wood. Alder is usually fairly light. That way you get the look you want.

Right, well I'm definitely going for a Wenge/ebony neck. I want to get the cocobolo top and I was mainly thinking the looks of the back and sides. I've asked warmoth if they have any figured walnut as I would love that, but if not, then a cocobolo top with a walnut or black korina back. I think walnut would look better. Might end up weighing a ton though. Haha. Would look ace though!

 

[Cagey]

You may be working too hard on wood choices. You don't have to make everything exotic just because you can. If you're set on an Ebony over Wenge neck, let that be your centerpiece and lighten up on the rest of it. Probably save you money. It's as the great chefs say - you eat with your eyes first. So, if you're going to have a dark neck, perhaps look at lighter or colored bodies that are complementary/contrasting. A nice piece of Alder w/ clearcoat or cream may be just the thing. Some nickel or chrome hardware, black pickups to match the Ebony... what could possibly be wrong with that?

 

[Dolando]

You may be working too hard on wood choices. You don't have to make everything exotic just because you can. If you're set on an Ebony over Wenge neck, let that be your centerpiece and lighten up on the rest of it. Probably save you money. It's as the great chefs say - you eat with your eyes first. So, if you're going to have a dark neck, perhaps look at lighter or colored bodies that are complementary/contrasting. A nice piece of Alder w/ clearcoat or cream may be just the thing. Some nickel or chrome hardware, black pickups to match the Ebony... what could possibly be wrong with that?

You're probably right to be honest. I do have a tendency to overthink things. but like you said, maybe I'm better off with a contrasting wood, could all be a little too brown. Maybe the black korina is a happy medium and I do like the look of that wood. Ill have a bit of a google and get some inspiration.

I have a deluxe jazz with Wenge neck and ebony fingerboard with swamp ash body so fancied something a bit darker so its something a little different. I have thought about going the other way with it and having a maple neck with a quilt maple top, and maybe a walnut body. If you haven't noticed I'm not great at making decisions.