Author Topic: Tone Query - Basswood and Strat pickups (Read 4196 times)

Elliot · « **on:** November 12, 2006, 12:02:29 PM »

I have been playing my JV with Mother's Milks quite alot recently and I was thinking that it sounds quite bassy. I have an alder strat with Apaches which sound great but a touch bright.

Its not that I hate the tone, indeed I love them both its just i'm a perpetual tinkerer.

Do you think swapping the two pickups would balance better with the different woods.

MDV · « **Reply #1 on:** November 12, 2006, 12:19:18 PM »

Try it, and then you tell us!

A pickup change is no big thang.

38thBeatle · « **Reply #2 on:** November 12, 2006, 02:13:05 PM »

Perhaps you could do a before and after clip for each guitar and see what you think then-t'would be an interesting experiment.

dave_mc · « **Reply #3 on:** November 12, 2006, 04:10:44 PM »

i bet at just about this point elliot really regrets making this thread...

:lol:

Philly Q · « **Reply #4 on:** November 12, 2006, 04:21:18 PM »

I haven't experienced any of the BK single-coils firsthand, but from what I've read the MMs could take the edge off the brightness of the alder Strat, and the Hanks could make the basswood one a bit more lively.

But then both Strats might end up sounding almost the same, and is that a good thing? Variety is the spice of life.

Bob Johnson · « **Reply #5 on:** November 12, 2006, 04:45:50 PM »

I know this is not a popular point of view but what the hell:

On a guitar with a four screw, polyester coated, convenience fit neck and a trem (the trem is an assumption on my part) the tonal qualities of the body have relatively minimal impact on the overall tone of the guitar.

The better the trem (ie the lower the friction/contact area) the more effectively are the strings isolated from the body. This leaves only the input from the neck into body which without a precision fit or glued joint is minimal.

The sustain block material on the trem will have more effect on the tone than the difference between basswood and alder; honest!

MDV · « **Reply #6 on:** November 12, 2006, 07:21:16 PM »

Now Bob metions it, I've done what you might call a variable controlled experiment on this (nothing to bobs 20something years of experience, but its my 2p anyway).

I have a gimp guitar, called frankenstien, that started life as a PoS 100£ job (a hondo, no less). I've changed nearly everything on it, including the body. When I changed the body I took the laquer off the neck and the paint out of the heel and still the guitar sounds the fricken same. The change was from ply wood to alder. Nothing of significance happened to the sound.

The neck join is 4 screws, and its very tightly screwed wood:wood contact but there are gaps between the neck and the body at the sides (i.e. its not well coupled) and it has a strat style trem.

Try it though, and decide for yourself. Learning from experience > learning from a net forum!