Quote:
Originally Posted by Maurice Hason
I have a similar question. I am going to finalize my order tomorrow, once everyone gets back from labor day vacation.
I am in Israel, there are no Smith dealers here.
I was "locked" the whole week on a specific BSR6TN and then the dealer offered me a BSR6EG as an option, with Maple top/back.
What is the tonal difference between Walnut top/back and Maple top/back?
Is there a tonal difference between 3 pc. and 5 pc. wings?
I play soft jazz, blues, R&B. I like a round, mellow tone with focused mids, but sometimes I enjoy slapping too.
I know that I can't get wrong. It's like choosing between a black or white Mercedes. Either way it's a Mercedes. But still, what will work better for me?
Thanks
Maurice
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Everything has a difference in the acoustic tone and feel in your hands. 3pc/5pc, oil finish/laq finish, maple/walnut..
If it was all the same, why would we bother making so many models and variables.
If the bass was covered in a quarter inch of bar top finish then with the tone smothered like cement, it would matter much less. But with a high quality close to the wood finish, it really maters.
Once you start playing with the EQ, you can see what you can get and what you can't as fat as making maple sound like walnut. Dogs flying or birds barking.. not as much difference as that but there is a difference..
Example; ..around 1990 or so.. give or take a year I had 12 basses in the rack for set-up and parts assembly. All 12 were the exact same model.. Neck, fingerboard, top, back and core. The difference is that each piece of wood is different. Glue several pieces together and you get even more variables. In that rack of 12 I had about 3 variations in tone combined. Now if I have another rack of 12 walnut topped basses and the same everything else, I would maybe have a few basses that sounded similar as all the woods contribute to the sound, body and neck as well.
Back then we used only Mahogany for the Cores but I could hear the Tops in their variations. Mix up the core woods and you have even more. Steak, chicken, fish.. etc.. Not every cow tastes the same. Then you have the chef and the veggies as well.. Many ways to alter the dish..
The bottom line is that they are all good combinations otherwise we wouldn't use them. The differences are slight but there. Ask a few people that own or have owned a few different basses. Also, try and find someone who owns a few of the same model.
I don't think questions like this can really be answered accurately. If a company does answer you with exact information concerning multiple woods in a single bass, keep walking.. They are just trying to tell you what you wanna hear or sell you what the have..
My Tuners, Bridges and Circuits are pretty consistent as compared to wood by far. Wood has a mind of its own. There is no fighting it.
The 6EG and the 6TN you were offered are quite different in ones hands. Try asking the girl in the back of the room dancing if she can tell!..
