early 90's imports "good" basswood

[jed9]

I have a DR that is basswood and sounds amazing, the body being basswood with a maple "top." I have no clue if its a veneer or cap (any one know?), but none the less I have no problems with the wood as much as it can affect the tone. I have heard about "good" basswood and "bad" basswood, the later giving the timber a crappy name. Since the early 90's Jacksons were such good quality would it be safe to assume they used the better quality wood?

[JACKSONFREAK]

Well there was a few over seas companies making guitars out of woods that were called basswood. But were ot basswood. At least not the same species as real basswood.
giving basswood a bad rap. When in actuality basswood is a pretty decent wood and some of the best sounding guitars ive owned have been basswood, my wolfgang for one, Model 1-4 are basswood. Its a soft wood and dents easily so just be careful with it. As for the top It's a veneer about a 16th of an inch thick. It is real flamed maple just really thin. It's merely for cosmetic reasons and doesnt effect tone at all. Not a bad thing tho. Hope that helps
Gil

[jed9]

do you think this one ('93) is the real stuff? Thanks for the info on the top. Its far too "pretty" for me. Kind of want to either trade it or paint it. I dont think its worth much though. The rest of the guitar is fantastic. And ya I have more than a few dents in my ibanez. Thanks for clearing that up a bit

[straycat]

If the paint is fine why paint it or cover the nice top.
No shame in a nice looking guitar.
Yes the early 90's professionals are the shit trust me awesome guitars.

[pro-fusion]

Basswood guitars vary a lot, I've found. I'm not sure it's a matter of 'one company versus the other'. However, they all disappear in a mix or sound two-dimensional unless you EQ the living daylights out of them. Basswood works a lot better if you add a real (i.e., 1/4" or thicker) maple top in order to provide some high-end "spank".

[Spivonious]

I've always wondered if it's basswood like the fish or basswood like the instrument.

[Ben...]

I've always wondered if it's basswood like the fish or basswood like the instrument.

Bass as in the name of the fish.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/basswood

[VitaminG]

Bass as in the name of the fish.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/basswood

which makes sense when you think of the common spelling:

(b)asswood

[Inazone]

When it comes to recording, my basswood guitars have been the most consistent and are what I usually choose. With the right pickup, basswood can sound great, but it's just not a very attractive wood. Even then, there are exceptions, especially with the proper stain.

[jed9]

When it comes to recording, my basswood guitars have been the most consistent and are what I usually choose. With the right pickup, basswood can sound great, but it's just not a very attractive wood. Even then, there are exceptions, especially with the proper stain.

I saw a higher end ESP with a black stain on...they should have used alder or a solid color. I have had quite a few guitars, and this probably sounds better than all of them to my ears.