P bass body; Swamp Ash, Ash or Alder?

[JamesBass]

I'm currently looking to pick up a second hand P bass with either an Ash or swamp ash body but most P basses don't seem to be made using ash or swamp ash, it all seems to be alder.

What preference do people on BC have, and why do you have the preferences?

[yepmop]

I recently bought an Alder P-bass body, it's reasonably light and along with some Vintage fender Pups it has a fantastic sound.

Cheers

[pobrien_ie]

I couldn't tell you what the merits of each wood are, although I'm sure many here can and will. Personally my preference is always alder, but just because the originals I like were made from this.

From what I've seen recently, swamp ash generally seems to be the easiest and cheapest to buy, from the likes of allparts.

[discreet]

I don't have a preference. In my humble opinion what type of wood a bass is made from has very little influence on the sound.
You may find this thread of interest:

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/168570-tonewoods-hardware-and-the-science-of-great-tone/"]http://basschat.co.u...-of-great-tone/[/url]

And going even further back in time, this thread:

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/73234-tonewoods/"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/73234-tonewoods/[/url]

Edited July 13, 2013 by discreet

[White Cloud]

I really like both Alder & Swamp Ash bodies...nicely selected pieces tick all of my boxes from a resonance perspective. I prefer Swamp Ash to Ash purely from a weight perspective. I believe that all work very well as bass bodies.

The Swamp Ash bodied Lakland P & J variants work beautifully well. My Lakland Daryll Jones was featherweight (swamp Ash body) and sounded just so right.

I belong to the camp that does believe that body wood contributes to the overall sound of the instrument. I would assert that Swamp Ash bodied basses have a slightly different low end to that of Alder. There are plenty out there who will disagree........

Edited July 13, 2013 by White Cloud

[discreet]

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1373750244' post='2141328']
I really like both Alder & Swamp Ash bodies...nicely selected pieces tick all of my boxes from a resonance perspective. I prefer Swamp Ash to Ash purely from a weight perspective. I believe that all work very well as bass bodies.

The Swamp Ash bodied Lakland P & J variants work beautifully well. My Lakland Daryll Jones was featherweight (swamp Ash body) and sounded just so right.....
[/quote]

So you think 'tonewoods' have any bearing whatsoever on the sound of a bass guitar?
IBTL.

[DarkHeart]

im building an alder body `P` with a mm pup at the moment, ive got a swamp ash bodied jazz with Wizard `84s that sounds very nice but is a heavy bugger

[Billy Apple]

I have a swamp ash custom P and it's super light weight. And with a TV Jones pup. its a powerful output and bags of tone.

[Fat Rich]

Swamp ash seems generally lighter than northern ash. They can all sound good, they can all sound uninspiring, have to try them to find out.

In my experience swamp ash sometimes a slightly nicer tone than alder which can sound a little bland, but you'd struggle to hear a difference without playing them side by side for some time.

But your ears will probably tell you something else

[Lozz196]

Swamp Ash to me has a slightly less mid-presence that Alder, but as always, in the mix I wouldn`t even attempt to say I could tell the difference. In fact I doubt I could on someone elses amp either. I can only notice a slight tinge when on my own practice amp and that`s an amp I use every day.

I`d forget about what wood it was made from, and concentrate on the playability. Get a good player and it will sound better in your hands anyway.

[discreet]

[url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/scrap-lumber-bass-vs-alder-bass-can-you-tell-difference-743932/"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/scrap-lumber-bass-vs-alder-bass-can-you-tell-difference-743932/[/url]

[Fat Rich]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1373763324' post='2141461']
[url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/scrap-lumber-bass-vs-alder-bass-can-you-tell-difference-743932/"]http://www.talkbass....ference-743932/[/url]
[/quote]

I can't seem to get the clips to play.

I remember Bernie Goodfellow building a bass out of all sorts of small bits of scrap wood for the player to smash up at the end of a gig, apparently it sounded so good they glued it back together afterwards so they could use it again.

[RhysP]

[quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1373793790' post='2141566']
I remember Bernie Goodfellow building a bass out of all sorts of small bits of scrap wood for the player to smash up at the end of a gig, apparently it sounded so good they glued it back together afterwards so they could use it again.
[/quote]
Taylor guitars produced some acoustics made out of old pallets a while back - they still had the nails in & everything.
The guitars apparently sounded just as good as their models made from all the traditional & exotic timbers they use.

The only problem was they still asked serious money for the pallet guitar.

[discreet]

[quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1373793790' post='2141566']I can't seem to get the clips to play.[/quote]

D'oh! Not sure what's happened there. Have a look at [url="http://www.guitarsite.com/news/music_news_from_around_the_world/electric-guitar-wood-myth-busted/"]this[/url] instead.

[Truckstop]

They all sound exactly the same to me. The pickups and strings will give you the sound that you want!

Truckstop

[Fat Rich]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1373796739' post='2141600']
D'oh! Not sure what's happened there. Have a look at [url="http://www.guitarsite.com/news/music_news_from_around_the_world/electric-guitar-wood-myth-busted/"]this[/url] instead.
[/quote]

I liked this: [i]"I've only been looking at the results for two weeks and it really looks like all of them are pretty much identical. I was surprised at just how identical they were because the guitars were very different in shape. As I was listening to them, I showed other guitar players and they were surprised as well, they were convinced they all came from the same guitar … I'm beginning to think we should be making guitars out of something more rigid than wood, such as [url="http://www.guitarsite.com/carbon-fiber-guitar/"]carbon fibre[/url]."[/i]

I'll stick with my Status basses then!

[quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1373797354' post='2141613']
They all sound exactly the same to me. The pickups and strings will give you the sound that you want!

Truckstop
[/quote]

I think ultimately the body wood is pretty low down in the list of things that define the sound of a bass.

Edited July 14, 2013 by Fat Rich

[Dingus]

The type of body wood does make a difference , but how much in any individual instrument depends on so many other factors that it is impossible to accurately tailor the sound of a finished bass purely by choice of body wood . It's just one more part of the jigsaw . Alder and ash sound fairly similar in the scheme of things anyway , even when they do make a noticable difference . Very light swamp ash also sounds different to heavier swamp ash , so the whole subject is so complicated and potentially convoluted that a decent example of either ash or alder will do fine , in any circumstances . Some builders , like Lakland , for example , think that the weight and density of any given piece of wood makes far more difference that the actual type of wood , so heaveir bodies have more midrange punch regardless of whether they are alder or ash .

Edited July 14, 2013 by Dingus

[JamesBass]

Cheers for the replies guys, interesting responses and views.

Might just have to find a good P bass in all possible woods

[yepmop]

JamesBass if you want to see my Alder P-Bass built, PM me and you can pop around and have a listen.

[alstocko]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1373750029' post='2141325']
I don't have a preference. In my humble opinion what type of wood a bass is made from has very little influence on the sound.
You may find this thread of interest:

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/168570-tonewoods-hardware-and-the-science-of-great-tone/"]http://basschat.co.u...-of-great-tone/[/url]

And going even further back in time, this thread:

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/73234-tonewoods/"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/73234-tonewoods/[/url]
[/quote]
I'm also from this thought. The changes (if any) are very minute aurally.

[BigRedX]

Which ever wood gives you the best balance and looks the nicest if it's visible.

[jailbait]

Tighter the grain and the hardness of the wood makes for better resonance and sustain, age makes a different too as the grain will tend to tighten and the wood will get harder over the years.

Edited July 17, 2013 by jailbait

[cocco]

I like Ash, I don't know the science behind why but so far my "keepers" are all Ash.

[BigRedX]

[quote name='jailbait' timestamp='1374047771' post='2144501']
Tighter the grain and the hardness of the wood makes for better resonance and sustain, age makes a different too as the grain will tend to tighten and the wood will get harder over the years.
[/quote]

But how does that relate to multiple pieces of wood glued together? Very few bodies are made from a single piece of wood. Simply gluing two pieces together to produce a body with a join at the centre gives you 8 different options. You can also bet that most gluing decisions are based on what looks good first and foremost.

[jailbait]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1374049907' post='2144537']
But how does that relate to multiple pieces of wood glued together? Very few bodies are made from a single piece of wood. Simply gluing two pieces together to produce a body with a join at the centre gives you 8 different options. You can also bet that most gluing decisions are based on what looks good first and foremost.
[/quote]

good point. if glued correctly in a vice under a bit of pressure the wood will soak the glue up bonding the two together making it act like a single piece of wood and the joint will be stronger then the wood its self.

Edited July 17, 2013 by jailbait