basswood stage acoustic

[Micah Covington]

Hi,

I have some 12/4 basswood available to me and I was thinking about making a stage acoustic (nylon w/Piezo) by carving out sections of a basswood body and adding a top. I know basswood is used quite a bit in inexpensive solid bodies. I was wondering if anyone had used it for an acoustic guitar, and if so, how did it work out?

[Matthew Lau]

It's used in some very cheap instruments.
My understanding is that it sounds okay, nothing special to write home about.

The downside of basswood (my guess, I haven't built one) is that it's got quite a bit of dampening.
It won't be loud. It'll disperse a lot of the string energy (not that it matters with a peizo).
On the plus side, it's easily machineable and stable (if soft).
It's my preferred lining material.

For a stage acoustic, why not just build a normal one?
Or are you thinking of something like the Taylor T5 or Godin Acousticaster?
I'd recommend many other woods if you can get it: cherry, walnut, birch, white oak (heavy), mahogany, sapelle, butternut, alaskan yellow cedar, port orford cedar, lacewood or any fruit-wood.

Heck, any of the MIMF regulars can give you far better advice than I.

[Rodger Knox]

My concern with basswood would be the strength. I believe that what you're describing will be too fragile, it would need to be 1/2" to 3/4" thick for me to be comfortable. It would carry the string load without a problem, but it might break badly from a relatively minor bump. I've used it for several solidbodies, and it works great for that, although it's a little soft. It's light enough that it doesn't need to be chambered, but I'm leaning toward using harder/heavier wood and chambering the body.
You could use a back plate of harder, stronger, wood and just use the basswood for the sides. Make the shape by cutting/gluing, not by bending the sides. I've got a couple in the library, I'll post a link if you'd like.

[Micah Covington]

Ive got a basswood Ibanez Mikro bass that has held up very well and sounds just fine. I use it for live performances all the time, especially when I dont want to carry my J bass around for a couple of hours. It's sound isn't absolutely amazing, but it's not poor either. Honestly, I think the skill of the player and the skill of the builder has more to do with the sound than anything else.

A T5 or a Carvin AE185 would be my inspiration. Something easy to handle physically, that still sounds kind of like an acoustic guitar, but is amplified. I always play through an amp unless I am just practicing at home. No matter how quietly I practice at home it is always too loud for the rest of the family.

Kind of a mute point though, I boughts some other wood instead. I got a good deal on some Beetle Kill Pine and aspen, and I already have a good supply of oak which needs to be resawed. New bandsaw blade is in the mail.

[Mark Swanson]

I think the skill of the player and the skill of the builder has more to do with the sound than anything else.

Taking nothing away from the importance of the skill of the player, the biggest thing that effects the sound of a plugged-in instrument is the electronics, not the wood or even the skill of the builder.

[Micah Covington]

Okay then, so electronics, skill of builder, and skill of player in approximate order? If I build it than I know that I can get at least one of the three.