Bubinga and Purpleheart

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Greg Lorisco

Thanks Ken.

Are the 7-piece necks brighter than the 5-piece?

Same for the 3 vs 5 piece body?

Do they all have that distinctive growl? (That tone is just awesome)

If all the wood species are the same, we can compare but sound vs # of pieces. If the species of wood is different, then it's apples to oranges. Right?

7pc with Bubinga sounds brighter than 5pc with Morado. I never made a 7pc with Morado, never. The 7pc model has 7pc wings as well vs 5n5. So that's another variable.

3pc maple only neck is a different model than those with 5pc necks as well as the body wings being laminated for the most part.. apples vs oranges, again..

Basic rule; if you laminate more, the sound gets brighter. How bright is too bright. How deep is too deep? Apples vs potatoes.. Same size and texture, way way different taste..

[Anton Hasias]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Basic rule; if you laminate more, the sound gets brighter. How bright is too bright. How deep is too deep?

I have some questions Ken;

In order to obtain a smooth mellow tone with warm mids. on a 25th Anniversary 5string fretless, is it a 5piece laminated neck more appropiate than a 7piece?
Is it the same for the body (Bubinga T&B with mahogany core)?
Is it possible to have the 25th Anniversary fretless bass with oil finish instead of the current lacqueur Elite finish?

Thank you and best regards

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Anton Hasias

I have some questions Ken;

In order to obtain a smooth mellow tone with warm mids. on a 25th Anniversary 5string fretless, is it a 5piece laminated neck more appropiate than a 7piece?
Is it the same for the body (Bubinga T&B with mahogany core)?
Is it possible to have the 25th Anniversary fretless bass with oil finish instead of the current lacqueur Elite finish?

Thank you and best regards

I have to break this down..

The 5 or 7 piece neck sound depends on the woods used to make it, not just the number of pieces. We have made our 7 pc necks at least 3 different ways up until now and a 4th way is the current spec replacing Bubinga with Shedua. The sound and feel is less of a difference than the look as these are two related species with similar properties.

In the Body as with the neck you can only compare the sound of the various numbers of laminations between them if the same woods are used with the exception of that extra lamination.

In the body, it's just another layer of veneer per side but in the neck, the center wide strip goes from maple in a 5 pc to Shedua (or Bubinga in the past) in a 7pc. So, the differences are not just numbers but woods and the ratio of mass of each in the formula.

A 7&7 combo sounds usually snappier than a 5&5 combo in the same basic woods used. I don't know what would have to be done to make the 5&5 be brighter than the 7&7 short of something drastic in the woods used. So, 7&7 is brighter/snappier sounding and feeling than 5&5.

On the finish, yes we can do the oil/varnish in place of the lacquer and would also be a slightly smoother sounding instrument.

If you want smooth and deep for your fretless, 5&5 with oil/varnish finish should do the trick.

We have also mixed this making 5&7 or 7&5. I actually have basses in stock right now like this. I have an Elite with a 7pc nk and the White Tiger Vintage with the 7pc wings/5pc nk combo.

It's all good but not all the same.