Player Magazine Q & A (in English)

[Bryan L Williams]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Way way back we did a few that we called Semi-hollow body. The problem is you can't clean out the glue drips if you have any and can't get to them. Also, you might have some unwanted wolf tones as well. Not worth the effort I found. Only a few were done semi-hollow/chambered. Over 6,000 done without! I will go with the success of the numbers.

That's an interesting point about the glue drops...

[Scott Pope]

Originally Posted by Bryan L Williams

That's an interesting point about the glue drops...

Indeed! I have a relatively inexpensive semi-hollow electric guitar that I purchased because it felt good to hold and play and had a good fingerboard, and because I needed that particular kind of instrument for the gigs I was playing at the time: the deal was great, but the tone was a little lacking. I cleaned up the interior of all the excess glue, smoothed out where the interior joinery was rough, trimmed a couple of top braces that were on the overkill side, slightly re-aligned the pickup cutouts (yes, I took a router to the top of a "perfectly good guitar" to take 1/8 inch off the bridge side of the bridge pickup cutout and move the pickup to get a tad more "bite"), and rewired it, and now the guitar sounds as good as it looks and feels.

Don't underestimate what the interior finishing, or lack thereof, can do for, or get in the way of, good tone.

[Bryan L Williams]

If used as a body core on a Smith bass, how might Acer pseudoplatanus compare tonally with Acer rubrum?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Bryan L Williams

If used as a body core on a Smith bass, how might Acer pseudoplatanus compare tonally with Acer rubrum?

Trying to be a wise guy?

I think from what I have seen, the pseudoplatanus is slightly harder and tighter grained than the rubrum as far as basic properties go.

The rubrum here is more plentiful and cut mostly on the slab. Some logs are quartered on occasion for Guitar blocks. When quartered, the edge shows little or no flame in comparison to the slab or grade cut commercial logs with the flame is more prominent on the sides that show when used as a core. That's the visual.

On the tone, depending on the top/back woods, I think the softer rubrum is more favourable. I also want to point out that the macrophyllum is equally desirable for weight and tone. If quilted, the figure is mild but attractive. If flamed, it can be even more attractive than the rubrum around the edges.

[Bryan L Williams]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Trying to be a wise guy?

I think from what I have seen, the pseudoplatanus is slightly harder and tighter grained than the rubrum as far as basic properties go.

The rubrum here is more plentiful and cut mostly on the slab. Some logs are quartered on occasion for Guitar blocks. When quartered, the edge shows little or no flame in comparison to the slab or grade cut commercial logs with the flame is more prominent on the sides that show when used as a core. That's the visual.

On the tone, depending on the top/back woods, I think the softer rubrum is more favourable. I also want to point out that the macrophyllum is equally desirable for weight and tone. If quilted, the figure is mild but attractive. If flamed, it can be even more attractive than the rubrum around the edges.

I know you don't use European Maple in your electric basses, but I could not resist asking you...especially since you play large violi...I mean double basses also. Plus, you really know about Maple, so I just had to ask about how you thought rubrum compared with its European relatives. So, in the tone department, it sounds like rubrum might generally fall somewhere between Acer pseudoplatanus and Acer macrophyllum?

When would you recommend rubrum over macrophyllum as a core wood in a Smith bass?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Bryan L Williams

I know you don't use European Maple in your electric basses, but I could not resist asking you...especially since you play large violi...I mean double basses also. Plus, you really know about Maple, so I just had to ask about how you thought rubrum compared with its European relatives. So, in the tone department, it sounds like rubrum might generally fall somewhere between Acer pseudoplatanus and Acer macrophyllum?

When would you recommend rubrum over macrophyllum as a core wood in a Smith bass?

Actually, I have a bit of Euro maple for over 10 years now. I stashed it away till just recently. We sell it as Sycamore (what they often call it in England and Europe) and use it mainly for top and back sets. This is from trees grown in USA but planted from English and Norway seeds 100's of years ago. The wood I have was cut specifically to yield guitar wood. While I have less than enough to make 100 bass top/back sets (estimated), I have the other two species above in stock for a lifetime worth that is 8-20 years old in-stock.

[Bryan L Williams]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Actually, I have a bit of Euro maple for over 10 years now. I stashed it away till just recently. We sell it as Sycamore (what they often call it in England and Europe) and use it mainly for top and back sets. This is from trees grown in USA but planted from English and Norway seeds 100's of years ago. The wood I have was cut specifically to yield guitar wood. While I have less than enough to make 100 bass top/back sets (estimated), I have the other two species above in stock for a lifetime worth that is 8-20 years old in-stock.

Well...I stand corrected! (Now I know why I did not see it listed in the wood pages...it's been in hiding. ) That sounds like some pretty unique Maple you have there.

If you were going to pair up the Euro-American Maple with one of the two other American species as a core wood, which would you personally choose...and why?