what is the deal with basswood

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vtpcnk

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what is there a negative connotation about basswood? especially with fender japan strats, teles etc.

how does basswood compare with alder, swamp ash etc?
 
Basswood is really light. I think it's great as a body wood but wouldn't use it because I'm deathly afraid of neck heavy guitars. I owned a basswood guitar. Sounded great, sucked to play standing up. It was a star shape. If it had been a strat shape I probably would have liked it more. I do prefer a bit more heft in a guitar though. Doesn't have to be really heavy, but basswood is a bit too light for me. The same guitar made out of alder would certainly feel heavier.

Tony Flying Squirrel is a good person to ask about basswood guitars.
 
I liked the way my basswood guitar sounded. It was very loud acoustically (not plugged in) and I felt it was very balanced, meaning not too much in any area - like too bassy or mid range-y or whatever. For example I used a JB in it and it sounded great. I tried a JB in my mahogany LP and it was not so great - I couldn't use it. I felt like the basswood guitar was warm but with plenty of treble. Not muddy ever. I used a maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard.
 
I too think Basswood is underrated!
perfect for solid finishes! I have 5 heartfield talons with Basswood bodies, and they sound amazing!
even with the wizzard style neck and floating floyd, it still sustains for days!! no kidding!
tone is great too.. smooth, full and warm and excellent for overdrive and distortion!

doesn't either suhr or anderson list basswood w/maple top as their holy grain of tonewoods? (not that a thin maple top would make a difference)
 
I find basswood very clear, punchy, and articulate sounding... if you wanted a muddy sound it's the wrong wood... It's also very workable with paints and finishes, though it has little grain to speak of...

So if you get a big chunk of it, like a big flying V or an explorer or VIP, you should be pretty safe from the neck dipping down, the only downside to this wood, though lots of people like it with a soloist shape and they live with it...

Lot's of shredders use this wood...
 
I have owned 20 plus guitars in my lifetime and my all time favorite sounding guitar is my current Peavey HP special( re-designed Wolfgang) with a basswood body.Yes it is light compared to my other guitars,but not in the sound department.It completely blows away my Les Paul,Fender Mahogany Tele, and yes my Mahogany Warmoth Strat.There is a reason why John Petrucci,Steve Vai,EVH,and a few others use this wood in their guitars.
 
guys thanks for the clarification.

how would a telecaster be on basswood?

and any specific views on the response of a tele bridge single coil, humbucker, p90, mini-humbucker on basswood?
 
vtpcnk said:
guys thanks for the clarification.

how would a telecaster be on basswood?

and any specific views on the response of a tele bridge single coil, humbucker, p90, mini-humbucker on basswood?
Click to expand...

I am seriously thiniking about building a basswood tele with a low-medium output humbucker direct mounted in the bridge and prolly  a humbucker more inclined for jazz/cleans direct mounted in the neck and I firmly believe it would be a tone machine with a hardtail bridge and quite possibly a maple neck with a rosewood or ebony fretboard.I think this guitar would do everything from blues to jazz to rock to metal to country.
 
I would think basswood would dent really easily... like, if you give it a dirty look, or drop a feather on it.  We used basswood for scenic model building, and you can write your name in it with a fingernail. 
 
Alan Holdsworth liked Basswood enough to have a guitar made of it.  He just had the body made with sufficient mass as to counteract the neck weight
 
my basswood guitar was totally unfinished and it held up ok. I think if it was finished it would be even better - but yeah it's pretty soft.
 
I think it probably is better unfinished.  My friend had a basswood bass and the finish was all crackly, and every little dent made pieces of the finish come off because the wood was softer than the finish.  It was like a candy shell falling off of a piece of chocolate or something.  Of course, it was not a high quality instrument to begin with, so that didn't help. 
 
Basswood unfinished would be scary.It is super soft and requires a great finish job.I was just looking at Ibanez`s website and saw that the Joe Satriana,Paul Gilbert,and Steve Vai models are all Basswood.EVH`s signature guitars from Music Man,Peavey and now Fender are Basswood as well.You have to be really careful with a guitar made of basswood,but the tonal qualities are worth it.
 
A basswood tele? Watch this space....

I'm a 7 weeks into the wait for my current order.......chambered basswood tele with flame maple top, flame maple neck with pau ferro board, Suhr HSH pickups, hardtail strat bridge.

I'll report back in when it's arrived ;-)
 
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