StingRay5 and "Select Hardwood"

[sanderhermans]

I'm with you regards body wood.

IMO it's the integraty/resonance of the neck...body wood has little or nothing to do with it.

I totaly agree with wath sounds good is good but why would luthiers and companies spend thousands of dollars to woods when they all Have the quallity to sound good? Some woods are just rare and cost more. Those woods sound a bit better to my ear. But whatever your experiencre is. They all sound different. Even within the same woods...

 

[tbonesullivan]

nothing wrong with poplar or basswood. The EBMM steve morse guitars are made out of it and it's requested specifically by steve morse. As for basswood, it's also a quality tone wood, and Ibanez uses it extensively in their prestige line. I think it started being used so much in the RG line and others because they were based on the signature lines. I think just about ALL of the JP models from EBMM are made of basswood, sometimes with other woods.

Poplar's only real "flaw" is the color, which is greenish, with green streaks in it. It's great for Morse Blueburst, but not other finishes.

As to why EBMM uses "select hardwood" as the body wood, that may be a vestige from when ash was used for translucent finishes, and alder or poplar was used for opaque finishes. This also gives them some flexibility, as wood supplies can fluctuate. For example, if they had a lot of ash body blanks that didn't have a really strong grain, or had some 'unattractive' features, they could use them for opaque finishes. If they have a lot of really nice looking ash, then they can use poplar or alder and save the ash for the translucent finishes.

I don't see why people get so hung up on alder vs ash vs poplar. they are relatively similar in tonal characteristics, and every piece of wood is different anyway.

basswood on the other hand, is a softer wood and is a bit warmer. It cannot take the same kind of abuse that ash, poplar, and alder can.

 

[MrMusashi]

In case, for some reason, we can't source enough ash then we can use the other woods. That hasn't been the case though.

official answer right here..

MrM

 

[pete bass]

TBoneSullivan says
"basswood on the other hand, is a softer wood and is a bit warmer. It cannot take the same kind of abuse that ash, poplar, and alder can."

I think is is the whole point of this thread, "Select Hardwood " i suspect is a bit of non committal marketing blurb....

 

[tbonesullivan]

I would not really consider "basswood" to be a "hardwood, IMHO. I think the select hardwood usually means poplar or alder. Those are readily obtainable, and resilient. And poplar can look great, if you have the right color on it, like this:

 

[Big Poppa]

OK Ive been biting my tongue...really? Non committal marketing blurb?
all of this talk about tone wood...yes they do make a big difference is PASSIVE guitars. Basswood absolutely has its place...In a BOngo with its 18v preamp and neodynium magnets it is not so important...balance and ergonomics come into it...ergonomics....also it isnt just the nect....it is actually more the bridge than anything....

 

[sanderhermans]

Poplar is softer then ash too so thats on the verge of being a hardwood. I also think poplar sounds verry different from ash but definitly not worse. Just a different attack and resonance.

 

[lpdeluxe]

Poplar is softer then ash too so thats on the verge of being a hardwood. I also think poplar sounds very different from ash but definitely not worse. Just a different attack and resonance.

Basswood (also "talia" and "linden") is classified as a hardwood, being a deciduous angiosperm. I suspect that the companies mentioned have done some research into determining its suitability for musical instruments. Wikipedia notes its use in guitars and basses due to its mid- and upper-frequency resonance, and claims that it sustains better than alder, for example.

I'm not particularly a snob. A quick survey of my basses and guitars reveals mahogany + cedar (one), mahogany + spruce (one), laminated maple (one), ash + maple (two) and alder + maple (two). I would welcome a lighter SR5 than my ash-bodied '99, but the chances of selling the one I have are extremely slim.