Body core wood?

[jtussing]

I have an MK-5 Deluxe on order which will have the quilted maple 5a top and a purpleheart body laminate.  The default wood for the core is mahogany but I'm considering changing that to maple to make it look more consistent (since there's maple in the neck and quilted on top & bottom. Does anyone have a thought on a maple body core vs. a mahogany body from a sound (or any other) perspective?  
 
Secondarily and just for curiosity, what is your favorite wood for a body core & why?
 
Thanks in advance,
Jim

[bassjigga]

Maple will sound brighter than mahogany. If that's the sound you want, go for it. Mahogany is a fairly neutral wood - with regards to sound and color. It compliments it's laminates. It just depends on what sound you're after.

[olieoliver]

I imagine the maple body would be a little lighter than the mahogany.
All my Alembics have mahogany and sound great.
 
I wonder if Alembic has ever made a Ovangkol or Bubinga body before. I have both these woods in other basses and I really like them.

[bsee]

When I think maple body, I think the tone of the original Steinberger NS basses or Warwick Streamer Stage I.  Those are known as great slap basses, partially for the ergonomics of the shape and partially for the tone of the maple bodies.  
 
My body cores are vermillion.  Why?  I don't know, but I like it... It has the warmth of Mahogany and seems just a little bit more dense and articulate.
 
When selecting a body wood, you need to consiser weight and tone as well as the aesthetics.  The first step would be to outline the type of music you intend to play and what sort of tone you are looking for.  Do you want a versatile bass, or something tuned to a particular tone or style?  
 
Next, set any maximum weight parameters you would have for your bass.  It is surprising how much the wood choices impact the weight.  If you can't handle a 12 pound bass, make sure you discuss it with Alembic up front to get the right guidance.  I was very surprised by the weight of my SC custom when it arrived since it was more than two pounds heavier than another bass I own of the exact same dimensions.
 
Finally, consider the appearance.  There may be multiple core woods with different appearances that otherwise meet your needs.  If the colors don't line up perfectly for you, consider an extra pinstripe or two to set the colors off properly.  For example, an extra strip of maple between the purpleheart and mahogany looks great.  There are  a few other woods that have a similar coloration to maple if that's the look you want to come away with.

[jtussing]

Warmth is pretty important. Even more so is versatility. I am going to slap quite a bit equal time to straight play in funk / fusion / energy jazz kind of styles. I wasn't sure whether the body would really affect the sound with the neck-through and the top but thought I'd ask.  
 
At this point I think I'll probably stay with mahogany. The pinstripe idea is very good however. The one bass I've seen that's most like what I'm ordering has such a pinstripe and it does set off the colors very nicely.
 
Alembics is they're so damn beautiful!  :-)
 
Thanks for the thoughts!  More are welcome.  
 
Regards,
Jim

[lbpesq]

Since with a neck-thru the body woods are not as big a part of the sound equation as with a set neck, aesthetics play a big role in choice.  Get what you like.  My '76 Series I has a koa core that is beautifully translucent.  My Custom Further is being built with a vermilion core and neck lams in place of the standard PH as I expect the vermilion to provide a little warmer tone.  As for the look of the maple core with maple top and back, isn't this essentially the recipe for the Anniverary models of a few years back?  Here's a link to one:
 
http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/8586.html?1105902645
 
Bill, tgo
 
(Message edited by lbpesq on January 20, 2007)

[jtussing]

Wow, Bill.  Now you've gone and done it - I'm in love!  
 
Ok, I'll have to talk with Mica & Susan & any others who are interest in posting here about the impact of the wood change sonically because I had no idea it would be this pretty. It's a ghost!
 
Regards,
Jim

[bassjigga]

Based on your playing situations I would recommend mahogany. It will be the most versitile, and don't worry about slap tone. Alembics are snappy anyway. It'll sound great. But yeah best thing to do is talk to Susan.
 
On the aestheic note, my essence has a bird's eye/quilt maple top with a purpleheart accent and maple pinstrip on top of the mahogany body. You can see a pic here. The 3rd one down in the second set of pics shows it nicely.
 
http://club.alembic.com/Images/411/32902.html?1163554847

[bsee]

With the slap involved, I would go for vermillion over mahogany.

[the_8_string_king]

A couple things, Jim.
 
First of all, I recommend getting at least one Ebony laminate in the neck; by all accounts (as well as my personal experience) it's the biggest single thing you can do to affect/enhance your tone.
 
Neckxt, you might consider adding Vermillion to your neck; since the woods in the neck affect the sound a lot more than those in the body, a Vermillion laminate or two in the neck might have more effect (and with less weight) than having Vermillion for the body.  My understanding is it's a straight swap pricewise for purpleheart (or you can go nuts and get BOTH like me)!
 
Finally -I don't know how to do links- but in case you haven't done this, you should: go to Alembic's main page; click products; click basses; scroll down and click on body woods; and then read the descriptions of the various Alembic body woods -just to make sure you're familiar with this info, and have it under your belt as a reference for discussion with Susan, Mica, and other club members.
 
I found it interesting.
 
Exciting, isnt' it?  I look forward to seeing your custom join mine in construction!
 
By the way, my quilted maple, maple-bodied 6-string Elan (with 5 purpleheart neck lams) sounded great, very bright and crisp.  My maple-bodied 8-string Europa -with 6 Ebony lams- sounds even better -though it has a powerful dual Ebony/Maple sound.
 
I haven't owned an Alembic with any other body material than Maple, so I can't comment on Mahogany or Vermillion from experience -though I'm getting Mahogany for my core for my current custom-in-progress... based on testimonials/reputation, and on the desire for a different type of sound.

[jtussing]

Hey King!  
 
Thanks for the info.  I didn't see a link called Body Woods under Products/Basses, but I did see Wood Samples which contained body woods but no descriptions I could find.  If you can go to the page you mean and copy the URL of it that would help but I'll keep looking.
 
I already have a one ebony and two purpleheart stringers in my neck so am hoping for a great sound there.  Glad to hear the qm, maple combo sounds good to you.  I hear a lot about the warmth of Mahogany so am really on the fence here, but I'll make the call with Mica & Susan's help for sure.
 
Again, thanks for taking the time!
 
Regards,  
Jim

[the_8_string_king]

Sorry Jim.  Error on my part.
 
Wood Samples was the correct next click after Basses.
 
When you click/get to that page, if you scroll down, right AFTER custom colors you'll see the words body woods with a line under the words.
 
If you click that/those underlined words body woods info will come up on all their body wood options: Mahogany, Maple, Vermillion, Purpleheart, Walnut, Ash, and Myrtle.
 
You were there.  Just go back and look at it again.  Click the actually underlined words body woods.

[the_8_string_king]

Okay, I think I just figured out how to do a link...
 
lets find out: http://www.alembic.com/info/wood_body.html
 
By the way, I can assure you that the Maple/Purpleheart/Ebony combo will rock your world!

[jtussing]

Hey thanks King.  Got it - very helpful, thanks!  The descriptions make it sounds as though the effect is huge but I'm sure it's a bit like reading Wine Spectator.
 
That ain't tannins, boy, that's skunk!
- me  :-)
 
Thanks again for all the excellent thoughts & advice.
 
Regards,
Jim