Woods

[Paul Lindemans (palembic)]

Hi friends,
 
there were some people at this forum asking around about woods and their tone. I did some research and from diffrent corners (from old Alembic documents and a small brochure from a Belgian builder Ed ColIier) came up with the following.
 
The difference in the applied woods is best audible in neck-throuhg body basses. A high contrast in top woods lies between maple (very bright) and Vermillion (very warm).
Mahogany as body by far the most neutral wood. Maple body's are getting brighter, the same with Ash and Cherry.
Walnut as body gives a more dark sound.
 
Maybe the following list (top woods) can be of some guidance:
Pappel: deep basses, soft mids.
Basswood: idem
Mahogany: lots of bass, warm mids, lot of punch.
Alder: round and present mid, clear tone.
Walnut: round basses, good and pronounced mids.
Ash: dry and compressed bass-sound.
Soft Maple: Pronounced bass and mids. High Harmonics.
Hard Maple: Present bass. Brilliant. Good pronounciation.
Koa - Goncalo Alves: Transparant sound. Pressing bass. Good pronounciation.
Mutenye - Ovankol: very pressing bass. transparancy, high harmonics.
Padouk: Transparancy, pressing bass, brilliant.
Amaranth (purple hearth): Brilliant, clear, direct and hard.
Bubinga: Brilliant, clear bas, good pronounciation.
Palisander: Brilliant, present bass and mids
Wenge: dry, hard and brilliant.
Ebony: hard, brilliant, compression.
 
Amaranth is used most of the time by the alembicians to laminate the neck makes the neck stiffer and ads to sustain.
In neck laminates it seems that ebony is the thing to use for sustain.
Don't forget that the Alembicians are hippie sandwichers and they combine the characteristics of the wood. Togetether with their experience and building techniques they get where they want to be: builders of excellent guitars with a character. The wood-use is different from builder to builder.
Anyway: most of all the bass will look very good and when it looks good ...it sounds good! True for an Alembic anyway.
Stay at the low-end!
 
Paul
 
PS: when I got the pictures ready I'll post some views on my SII 5-string. According to the information I got from Mica it's flamed Clarowood.

[Paul Ellsworth (elzie)]

I really wish I hadn't opened this thread. Now you have me thinking, What if I had an Alembic made from............
 
 
You really did your homework, though. Thanks for the info!

[Joey Wilson (bigredbass)]

Palembic:
While the endless consideration of which woods are to be used to tune the tone can become an obsession, I've often come to this conclusion:
After all the laminations, what if it's THE GLUE that's the secret !?!

[Paul Lindemans (palembic)]

Hi Joey,
 
you got that right!
Even further: in acoustical instruments you can even consider the varnish: look up the secrets behind Stradivarius.
About glue: I think all the woods al the pieces have to fit flawlessly, without one air chamber between it!
 
Paul

[Paul Lindemans (palembic)]

Hey Paul,
 
well, don't bother.
A part of the information comes from Collier basses. The guy makes basses in those woods in massive woodparts: so he don't actually sandwich them. I can accept that in that case wood and tone is different. In a way -I wrote this already in another thread- I believe Paul (yes another one) Reed Smith who said once: In making an electric you start from acoustic principles.
 
Paul