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View Full Version : Visable differece w/ plywood?


Heather Ross
12-13-2008, 11:30 AM
When you look at an unknown bass, how do you know if its carved or plywood? I would assume that w/ plywood, you'd have visible seams/gain changes.. I'm not sure if the top of my bass has these, or if its just my eyes playing tricks.Its my first bass (and i got a great deal on it for its sound regardless of construction), so be nice! I"m just trying to learn more :)

Richard Prowse
12-13-2008, 02:05 PM
Hi Billy,
I can spot a plywood, but won't try to give advice here because there are people reading this site with vast amounts of knowledge who will, no doubt, answer your question much better than I could at some point. I just wanted to say that I have a plywood that is well set up and plays really well. I played it solo (arco), outdoors at a wedding yesterday, and it did a good job - I think that playing solo outdoors is a pretty good test for a bass, projection wise.
If I ever manage to get a carved bass, as I've been trying to do, I'll keep my plywood as a 'road bass' - I've used it to play with some pretty good jazz musicians over the years; it's never let me down.

Trix Miller
12-18-2008, 05:00 PM
One easy way to quickly determine if the top is laminate or solid is to look at the edges of the f-holes. If it's laminate, you see several layers sandwiched together. That's assuming those edges have not been covered by some sort of spray-on finish that hides that detail.

Richard Prowse
12-18-2008, 10:25 PM
One easy way to quickly determine if the top is laminate or solid is to look at the edges of the f-holes. If it's laminate, you see several layers sandwiched together. That's assuming those edges have not been covered by some sort of spray-on finish that hides that detail.
Good point, though you can't see the layers there on my plywood, and they don't seem to be covered up. The lord of lamination works in mysterious ways!

Drake Chan
12-19-2008, 01:43 PM
In the more modern carved basses I've seen, the luthiers like to create a flourish towards the purfled edges on the top. The edges are usually carved a little higher than the purfled area next to it.

I haven't seen this done on Plywood basses, probably because it's not possible. With a carved top, a luthier can carve any section to his/her preferred thickness. But with a laminated top, the plywood sheets are glued together in uniform thickness.

Richard Prowse
12-19-2008, 02:23 PM
I remember seeing and playing a double bass in a music shop in the 1970s or early 1980s that was made of metal (tin)! The neck was made of wood. I wonder where it is now?