Quote:
Originally Posted by Flint Buchanan
I have a general question about using slab cut pine for a bass. Are there any thoughts from luthiers on pros and cons? What kind of pine is it?
I believe that I've seen this on much older basses, there's one on TB made by Solano, and I thought that Kolsteins had one.
thanks
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The Basses you mainly see with Slab Tops are the older Italian Basses. This is mostly due to cost and availability of long, wide straight grained pieces. The French, Germans, and Austro-Hungary region makeer seemed to have found the wood as it is rare to Not see a quartered Top from these schools.
Well made/designed Italian Basses from the past sound good from more that just the Top. I think it was mostly economics and maybe coined with laziness that caused this and not choice for tone or structure. A quartered Top has much greater strength than Slabbed wood does. With 100s of lbs. of pressure on the top it needs all the help it can get.
I could be wrong as I wasn't there then!