Is it the quality EBMM gets or is it the cocktail?

[Luke Duke]

So having owned my 25th for almost a year and a half now I'm still absolutely confounded about the tone. I must admit that one thing that kept me from trying EBMMs was the basswood and poplar bodies. In my mind I've always associated basswood and poplar with cheap less than mediocre sounding guitars, so I always steered clear. After listening to a lot of Petrucci's work over the last few years I decided that maybe I liked it in specific contexts...until I tried a Reflex. The Reflex pushed me over to getting my 25th last year and although I realize it isn't all basswood I know there is a certain tonal quality not present in my other mahogany/maple guitars that I'm attributing to the basswood. When I tried the Dark Lord I ultimately ended up buying it was the same thing, except there wasn't the "wood cocktail" component I mentioned previously.

So what's the deal? Is it that EBMM get the best basswood and poplar out there or is it just they know how to make a wood cocktail that works correctly?

Luke

 

[ksandvik]

Basswood is fine for quality guitars, plenty of basswood based guitars out there.

 

[DrKev]

The Reflex and 25th have the "tonewood cocktail" - a basswood body but with mahogany tone block inlaid under the pickups from the neck pocket to the bridge, finished off with a maple top. So we have three tone woods a play here.

 

[nathanhny]

I think they get the combination of wood, pickups and build quality spot on. There are plenty of other branded guitars out there with all mahogany body, necks etc. that do not play or sound anywhere near as good.