I thought Basswood was for cheap guitars?

What's Hot
13

Comments

  • robertyroberty Frets: 10893
    roberty said:
    DefaultM said:
    I've lost count of the amount of times I've come off stage and heard comments about how it was okay but would have been improved if my guitar was made from a different wood. 

    Oh wait no actually its zero. Zero times.
    According to a brass player I shared several festival stages with, "all electric guitars sound the same"
    To be honest, in a busy mix, horn sections sound like an amorphous blob to me, but I wasn't cruel enough to say so
    2reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14321
    In recorded music projects, I can differentiate between my playing and that of my collaborator* far more easily than I could identify which guitars are involved. 

    * My collaborator only owns five guitars. Nowadays, he only regularly plays on two of them.

    Some times, the isolated audio provides clues. Bright, wiry sound with a distinctive and unusual vibrato wobble? Fender Jaguar.

    Most of the time, it does not matter provided that the chosen guitar sound suits the music and the guitar itself inspired the player to be creative.
    Be seeing you.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 2reaction image Wisdom
  • Dave_McDave_Mc Frets: 2326
    Strat54 said:
    It was Tom Andersons own personal body wood of choice in the 90's. 
    Tom Anderson's made of basswood?!?!?!?!?!
    9reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • hollywoodroxhollywoodrox Frets: 4083
    Dave_Mc said:
    Strat54 said:
    It was Tom Andersons own personal body wood of choice in the 90's. 
    Tom Anderson's made of basswood?!?!?!?!?!
    Not a wooden leg but the whole of Tom ,poor guy 
    2reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • GrumpyrockerGrumpyrocker Frets: 4118
    I really don't know much about body woods or what I can expect from them. Though I've found I tend to like the feel of maple necks.

    My most recent purchase is upper-mid-range Ibanez RG. I think it's my first guitar with a basswood body. The guitar certainly sounds good, and it's very light, something my old shoulders appreciate.

    I don't know if I've paid a lot of money for cheap wood, or if it doesn't matter either way. 



    0reaction image LOL 4reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Dave_McDave_Mc Frets: 2326
    Dave_Mc said:
    Strat54 said:
    It was Tom Andersons own personal body wood of choice in the 90's. 
    Tom Anderson's made of basswood?!?!?!?!?!
    Not a wooden leg but the whole of Tom ,poor guy 
     =)

    I really don't know much about body woods or what I can expect from them. Though I've found I tend to like the feel of maple necks.

    My most recent purchase is upper-mid-range Ibanez RG. I think it's my first guitar with a basswood body. The guitar certainly sounds good, and it's very light, something my old shoulders appreciate.

    I don't know if I've paid a lot of money for cheap wood, or if it doesn't matter either way. 



    I'm glad yours is light, but it's probably worth pointing out that basswood isn't always super-light. My MusicMan Axis isn't boat-anchor heavy, but it's definitely on the heavier side. It does have a fairly chunky/thick body, to be fair, and also presumably the maple top isn't helping with the weight either. My Ibanez RG is basswood and is on the lighter side, but probably not super-light either... 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • BigPaulieBigPaulie Frets: 1036
    So the moral of the story is that basswood is used in cheap guitars, pointy things and generic booteek super strats?
    1reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • Dave_McDave_Mc Frets: 2326
    BigPaulie said:
    So the moral of the story is that basswood is used in cheap guitars, pointy things and generic booteek super strats?
    More or less  =)
    0reaction image LOL 1reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • foskfosk Frets: 140
    Most MIJ Fenders use basswood, I have a couple of them.  Both sound great, guitar and bass, and very light.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • PolarityManPolarityMan Frets: 7273
    I think my JS2000 is basswood, personally i now select guitars based on how comic the wood name sounds..so babinga, wenge that kind of thing. 
    ဈǝᴉʇsɐoʇǝsǝǝɥɔဪቌ
    1reaction image LOL 1reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • VimFuegoVimFuego Frets: 15476
    wenge sounds like a tropical parasite, or maybe an affluent commuter suburb in NW London. 

    I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.

    2reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • wraubwraub Frets: 27
    A recently acquired Squier Vintage Modified Strat is basswood, and it sounds... exactly like a Strat.  :) As for durability, I have a couple Ibanez basses with basswood bodies, both from '85, and they're holding up just fine.  :)
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • WezVWezV Frets: 16543
    Are you saying Wenge like Henge, or by its proper pronunciation  when-gay?
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • Tall_martinTall_martin Frets: 213
    edited June 2022
    http://ep1.pinkbike.org/p3pb22840749/p3pb22840749.jpg

    I bought this basswood PRS today. It sounds pretty awesome.

    It is noticeably lighter than any other guitar I've picked up.

    The seller said it was hard to shift as people were put off buy the body wood. I'm pretty happy with it
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Philly_QPhilly_Q Frets: 22516
    http://ep1.pinkbike.org/p3pb22840749/p3pb22840749.jpg

    I bought this basswood PRS today. It sounds pretty awesome.

    It is noticeably lighter than any other guitar I've picked up.

    The seller said it was hard to shift as people were put off buy the body wood. I'm pretty happy with it
    I don't think the Mira X actually is basswood.  When PRS launched the model they said it had an "African basswood" body, but I think it was subsequently established that it's actually obeche.

    Then again, maybe basswood and obeche are related, I don't know.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • wraubwraub Frets: 27
    Philly_Q said:
    http://ep1.pinkbike.org/p3pb22840749/p3pb22840749.jpg

    I bought this basswood PRS today. It sounds pretty awesome.

    It is noticeably lighter than any other guitar I've picked up.

    The seller said it was hard to shift as people were put off buy the body wood. I'm pretty happy with it
    I don't think the Mira X actually is basswood.  When PRS launched the model they said it had an "African basswood" body, but I think it was subsequently established that it's actually obeche.

    Then again, maybe basswood and obeche are related, I don't know.


    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Tall_martinTall_martin Frets: 213
    I've seen some sites saying it's bass wood and some saying obeche. This music radar article says basswood, then obeche.

    https://www.musicradar.com/reviews/guitars/prs-mira-x-216055

    PRS says the body is African Basswood, except it isn't: it's a lighter weight wood called obeche (also known as wawa and samba, apparently).
    It's not regular basswood," confirms Paul Reed Smith. "Look, korina isn't really korina, it's African limba wood, but because no one liked that name they re-named it korina.

    "This stuff is called obeche but it's like African basswood. See, basswood is kinda dead, I don't like the sound of it at all. This stuff rings… so it's kind of like an African basswood in its feel but it's not the same genus."


    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Philly_QPhilly_Q Frets: 22516
    I've seen some sites saying it's bass wood and some saying obeche. This music radar article says basswood, then obeche.

    https://www.musicradar.com/reviews/guitars/prs-mira-x-216055

    PRS says the body is African Basswood, except it isn't: it's a lighter weight wood called obeche (also known as wawa and samba, apparently).
    It's not regular basswood," confirms Paul Reed Smith. "Look, korina isn't really korina, it's African limba wood, but because no one liked that name they re-named it korina.

    "This stuff is called obeche but it's like African basswood. See, basswood is kinda dead, I don't like the sound of it at all. This stuff rings… so it's kind of like an African basswood in its feel but it's not the same genus."
    I've read that review a few times. :)  Quite a contradictory statement!  It's like basswood, but basswood is "kinda dead" and this isn't, which to me says... it's not like basswood! ;)   Maybe it's similar in weight, colour and grain patterns.

    Basically, it's obeche but for reasons of their own PRS decided to make up another name for it.  Nothing wrong with obeche, Seth Baccus is using it for his new range of guitars.

    Anyway, @Tall_martin let's not argue about it, happy NGD with the Mira X.  I'm "Short Phil" and I've got the exact same guitar, in the same colour.  I love Miras.  :D
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Dave_McDave_Mc Frets: 2326
    I've seen some sites saying it's bass wood and some saying obeche. This music radar article says basswood, then obeche.

    https://www.musicradar.com/reviews/guitars/prs-mira-x-216055

    PRS says the body is African Basswood, except it isn't: it's a lighter weight wood called obeche (also known as wawa and samba, apparently).
    It's not regular basswood," confirms Paul Reed Smith. "Look, korina isn't really korina, it's African limba wood, but because no one liked that name they re-named it korina.

    "This stuff is called obeche but it's like African basswood. See, basswood is kinda dead, I don't like the sound of it at all. This stuff rings… so it's kind of like an African basswood in its feel but it's not the same genus."


    That's great and all, but why did he pick a name of a wood which he didn't like, and (apparently, according to the shop who sold the guitar to @Tall_martin ) others didn't like either? It doesn't make sense!
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71956
    He’s also wrong about it being dead-sounding. I had an Ibanez RG550 on loan last year - basswood body, Floyd Rose, thin neck, 9 gauge strings… all the things the tone snobs say kill the resonance of a guitar. It sounded absolutely huge, you could feel the vibration from it through your body playing it unplugged. The problem was the stock humbuckers, they’re why the guitar sounded a bit uninspiring amplified. A set of Evos fixed that.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
Sign In or Register to comment.