Dave I Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 Some time ago I got a couple of Bubinga necks (Bubinga w/ thin Maple stripes). Actually, I ORDERED two, one was in-process when my wife, infant daughter, and I were temporarily homeless and living with my parents (old house sold, new house had foundation issues and didn't pass inspection and we passed), so the second one will be arriving shortly). Well, it's been a few years and since things have slowed down I would kind of like to do something with them or move them. I was under the impression that Bubinga was similar yet slightly warmer than Maple and went that route to have a strong neck that I could either oil-finish or no-finish a bit more effectively than Mahogany. Anyway, are there any woods that tend to do really well in general with Bubinga, either by themselves or with a Maple cap? I had some ideas when I went this route for the necks, but that was a while ago and figured it better to ask. FWIW, as far as my situation, I have a Gibson scale Bubinga w/ a Pau Ferro fretboard and a Fender scale Bubinga w/ an ebony board if that makes a difference. I also tend to not like overly bright/sharp/shrill/thin sounding guitars. Which hindsight leads me to believe Bubinga might not have been the best first choice, however such is life and maybe that's why we have online auction sites. That aside, any insight or suggestions would be welcome. -Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 Bubinga is not thin sounding.It is not as bright as maple either.It is well balanced tonally and has huge brass balls of tone. Bubinga is complete,sweet tonal nirvana,and it sounds fantastic no matter the figure or grain orientation... Anyway,I like it...pair it with a mahogany if you wish,or with more bubinga...What shape body are you going for?I would use something with an upper horn if you are using a light body wood so that it doesn't neck dive... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave I Posted April 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Bubinga is not thin sounding.It is not as bright as maple either.It is well balanced tonally and has huge brass balls of tone. Bubinga is complete,sweet tonal nirvana,and it sounds fantastic no matter the figure or grain orientation... Yeah, but do you like it? Anyway,I like it... Answers that. pair it with a mahogany if you wish,or with more bubinga...What shape body are you going for?I would use something with an upper horn if you are using a light body wood so that it doesn't neck dive... I was thinking a SuperStrat or PRS double-cut shape. Wood, was thinking Mahogany, maybe Basswood, or Swamp Ash, preferably with a Maple cap (mainly for looks). I was thinking of going with an HSH setup (I have a set of Sheptones I got for that around the same time), or something like a moderate to fairly high-output-Humbucker/Charlie Christian, or a Humbucker/?/CC with the "?" either being a mid pickup either a Strat single coil, Lollar Special T (somewhat hotter Tele bridge pickup), or a Rio Grande Dirty Harry SC P90. For some reason, I'm curious about putting a CC in the neck and a (possibly splittable) bucker in the bridge to sort of be able to go from pretty legitimately Jazz or just ridiculously clean tones to Rock/Post-Rock/Metal stuff. -Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 On my last bubinga guitar I used an invader at the bridge and a distortion at the neck,both splittable through seperate mini switches for several useable sounds,including ridiculously clean,jazzy,and full blown metal madness.Of course mine is bubinga body and headstock with a maple neck.. http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=44393&st=165 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave I Posted April 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 On my last bubinga guitar I used an invader at the bridge and a distortion at the neck,both splittable through seperate mini switches for several useable sounds,including ridiculously clean,jazzy,and full blown metal madness.Of course mine is bubinga body and headstock with a maple neck.. http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=44393&st=165 Cool. Thanks Wes, you're the man! Seriously though, thanks for the info. If you have any thoughts on where it falls (obviously speaking on rough generalities) amongst the tonewoods, or between Maple and say Alder, Ash, and Mahogany, or just how bright your guitar is (realizing yours is Bubinga w/ Maple neck and therefore will be different, but still), I'm all ears. I'm guessing with those pickups it practically melts your face off, eh? -Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 If you have any thoughts on where it falls (obviously speaking on rough generalities) amongst the tonewoods, or between Maple and say Alder, Ash, and Mahogany, or just how bright your guitar is (realizing yours is Bubinga w/ Maple neck and therefore will be different, but still), I'm all ears. That is a tough question to answer....It brings through a broad range of frequencies..including a deeper low end than you would expect,but quite a bit of highs and mids too..I would say that,like Alder,it seems to be evenly balanced,but more resonant by far... It could be considered bright,but not shrill...the tone just "pops"...I really don't know how to explain it.I use it instead of mahogany,but make it much thinner than I would a mahogany body,and it gets a tone similar to a good mahogany body/maple cap combo with a bit more tonal "flair" That single cut is really thin and small bodied,but still weighs between 7 and 8 pounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave I Posted April 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Hmmmmm . . . I'll have to speak in generalities, so my apologies for that. I was/am kind of looking for a bit of a Gibson-esque sound, only with a bit more top end (still rounded off top end kind of like a LP, but more shimmering), and with a longer scale for more room playing higher up on the neck and a bit more articulate note separation. Would that be at all within the characteristics of a Bubinga neck (if you had to guess), and if so would Mahogany, Basswood, or Swamp Ash be a good match? If not should I go with Mahogany neck & body for that sort of sound and consider the Bubinga necks for something different? -Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 keep the bubinga neck -i would pair it with a mahogany body. and it will most likely be reminiscent of gibson, or as close as it can be with a fender scale length and bolt-on neck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Wez said the same thing I was going to.I think bubinga is perfect for what you are describing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave I Posted April 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2011 Another quickie on this; will the fact they're 5-piece laminate necks make much difference in the stiff/brightness of the sound (and if so by what margin)? And thus body considerations (i.e. that I should get a warm body and ditch the idea of a maple cap)? -Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted April 6, 2011 Report Share Posted April 6, 2011 yes, a 5-piece laminated neck with certain grain alignment will be stiffer than a comparable single piece and this may change the tone slightly. but it really is just generalisations so we cant be as specific as you want without knowing the individual piece of wood i think (and it is just opinion based on the wood i have worked with) the bubinga/ebony neck will give you a fast, strong attack. i wouldnt rule out a maple cap if its what you want, but personally i would keep it as a thin one so its tonal impact is reduced. I find bubinga quite forgiving really and i think you are over thinking things, sure it can be bright... but its not harsh Here is a FF baritone i made totally out of bubinga, maple, wenge & ebony, all hard, heavy, 'bright' woods. the thing i think it has is clarity and a strong tone across the frequencies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted April 6, 2011 Report Share Posted April 6, 2011 +1 to all of the above. Bubinga produces extremely stable necks when used as a reinforcing laminate and possesses excellent tonal characteristics. I am loath to put Bubinga and Maple in the same class, or to use the words "resonant" or "sustain" since they are perhaps misnomers....more accurately, good woods don't *deaden* tone, alter it detrimentally or are at least complimentary to the tonal spectrum when they do alter it. Just my own perception of this. Same as Wez' use of the term "clarity". Bubinga allows all the flavour to flood out ;-) My only question is as to whether you are intending it to be used in a bolt, set or through neck. You've probably answered this, but I'll expand on why I would ask. The material between the neck and wood where the bridge is seated (ie. the link in the chain between both ends of the vibrating string length) is probably the next most important consideration. Maple would perhaps maintain the strong low harmonics which Bubinga preserves/flatters, whereas Mahogany might "smear" them somewhat. Mahogany feels slow in its sound despite its warmth. I class Bubinga in the same category as Wenge; a fantastic wood for adding in character as laminations to a base such as Mahogany or Maple. My Ibanez S' neck is Maple/Bubinga with a Mahogany body. It possesses the "slower" character of Mahogany which is great for neck pup soloing, the stable as hell (never needed to adjust it after moving to Finland from the UK!) and the tonal range isn't overly dark thanks to the neck woods. My "Dark Sabre" 7-string has a Mahogany body with a Mahogany/Wenge neck, which is far darker than my Ibanez' neck but has strong fundamental tones from the extended scale and the qualities of Wenge in bass/bari instruments. My prototype 30" scale 8-string guitar with a Wenge body, Wenge neck and Wenge fingerboard was very strong but somewhat "woofy" in the low mids. I felt that Maple would have done that some favours, and it suggested to me that Wenge works better as a complimentary wood rather than on its own. I suspect that Bubinga would likely possess the same aspects. Finally, I made a retrofit hard Maple/Bubinga neck with an Ebony fingerboard for my LTD EXP over a 27" scale. I expected more top end, which I got from the Maple and reasonable addition of "growling" sustain for big ol' fifth chords from the Bubinga. It did this relatively well, however the Ebony board would have been better as Rosewood or Wenge, et al. A good experiment however. I've used Wenge far more than Bubinga, however I have had nothing but good experiences with Bubinga and hold both woods in high regard. As you can tell.... Realistically, you can only really tell by doing it and letting your ears be the judge. Apologies for the overly long rant (which might have gone off the topic) but I felt the need to express tangible experiences with these woods and passing on what I learnt and what I took from it. Some might say there is voodoo in this, but I don't think there is in the slightest. Blending in characteristics of various woods produces somewhat predictable results. Hopefully this has helped in some way. Wez' Vociferator video more than adequately demonstrates the qualities of Wenge/Bubinga in bringing out the characterful overtones in extended scale/higher tension instruments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave I Posted April 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 yes, a 5-piece laminated neck with certain grain alignment will be stiffer than a comparable single piece and this may change the tone slightly. but it really is just generalisations so we cant be as specific as you want without knowing the individual piece of wood Makes sense. I find bubinga quite forgiving really Sounds good. i think you are over thinking things More than likely. Thanks for talking me down. I'm just trying to think through the variables. As an aside, nice Baritone guitar. -Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave I Posted April 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 +1 to all of the above. Bubinga produces extremely stable necks when used as a reinforcing laminate and possesses excellent tonal characteristics. Good to hear. My only question is as to whether you are intending it to be used in a bolt, set or through neck. You've probably answered this, but I'll expand on why I would ask. The material between the neck and wood where the bridge is seated (ie. the link in the chain between both ends of the vibrating string length) is probably the next most important consideration. Maple would perhaps maintain the strong low harmonics which Bubinga preserves/flatters, whereas Mahogany might "smear" them somewhat. Mahogany feels slow in its sound despite its warmth. I'm thinking set-neck, possibly bolt. I'm mainly a set-neck guy although I do like the Strat-style I just got. My hope/rationale was that the set-neck would help get a more Gibson/LP-esque sort of rounder top end with the longer scale w/ brighter Bubinga w/ Maple-striped neck would add some chime and note definition. Which I only bring up o put in perspective of the whole build. I also have a set of Mahogany for a neck & body so I am also asking because I can either make an all-Mahogany out of that, or mix and use the body blank for a Mahogany body with this Bubinga neck (well, one of them), and then add something else to the Mahogany set (i.e. Basswood, Alder, more Mahogany, etc.). Realistically, you can only really tell by doing it and letting your ears be the judge. Apologies for the overly long rant (which might have gone off the topic) but I felt the need to express tangible experiences with these woods and passing on what I learnt and what I took from it. Some might say there is voodoo in this, but I don't think there is in the slightest. Blending in characteristics of various woods produces somewhat predictable results. Hopefully this has helped in some way. Wez' Vociferator video more than adequately demonstrates the qualities of Wenge/Bubinga in bringing out the characterful overtones in extended scale/higher tension instruments. Sure. Unfortunately for you guys I tend to ask a zillion questions before I ask. It all makes sense though, so thanks. And no apologies necessary for any rants. I really appreciate all the info I can get. -Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 Well, it's better to ask and know before you build instead of asking "why?" afterwards ;-) Good questions are always welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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