Ash vs. Bubinga for fretless.

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I'm thinking of odering a 4 String fretless Corvette Standard Bubinga or a 4 String fretless Corvette Standard Ash. It is only a $50 difference. It will take up to 5 weeks if I choice the Ash bass because it has to come from Germany. I only want passive pickups to give me a different sound than my six string fretless. What do the rest of you Warwick fans think? :?: :?: :?:
 
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Personally, I'd choose the bubinga body, more emphasis on the mids which is always a benefit for a good fretless tone..lots of mwah!, but since you want a sound thats different from your thumb fretless, then go for the ash..a lot brighter and more 'hollow' sounding I guess, perfect with a set of flatwounds and some taseful jazz lines :wink:
 
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Thanks jmanfunk,
I was kinda thinking the same. I'm going to wait until Friday to order it.
 
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odominguez

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I'd go with bubinga. First of all because of the tonal qualities of the wood, and I personally think it also looks better.
 

jay

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On the standard vettes, I also prefer the sound of Bubinga...
 

jester

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odominguez said:
I'd go with bubinga. First of all because of the tonal qualities of the wood, and I personally think it also looks better.

What are bubinga's tonal qualities? Especially when compared to ash?
 
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odominguez

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jester said:
odominguez said:
I'd go with bubinga. First of all because of the tonal qualities of the wood, and I personally think it also looks better.

What are bubinga's tonal qualities? Especially when compared to ash?

From the Warwick User's Manual:
Acoustically, bubinga is a very resonant wood that offers very clear lows and well-defined upper mids and highs.

Acoustically, Ash has wonderful mid-frequency response and a very warm low end.

Now, in my opinion, having owned basses with bubinga as well as a couple of basses with Ash bodies, I prefer bubinga because it's a more defined sound, a little more reliable to get you those cutting mids.
 
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Thanks everyone,
I just got the call from GC and the price is going to be 850 for the Bubinga & 900 for the Ash ( in US currency ). I thought I could get it a little lower for the passive versions, but I think prices have been on the rise. I'm going to still wait until Friday to decide. :D
 

jay

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scottm,
Call or email Bass Central. I bet they can beat that price w/ free S&H and no taxes :eek: ...
 

kho

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Agreed for sure... BassCentral is excellent! I bought my last three basses from them, and they beat out everyone else for the price of two customs.
 
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I heard about Bass Central. It seems that because of the amount of Warwicks I've bought from GC, they don't hook me up on the price anymore. I think they just see an easy sale. I'll shoot Bass Central an email. Thanks :D
 

jester

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odominguez said:
Now, in my opinion, having owned basses with bubinga as well as a couple of basses with Ash bodies, I prefer bubinga because it's a more defined sound, a little more reliable to get you those cutting mids.

Which wood do you think has the roundest, thickest, most pounding lows?
(not the super lows that shake the building, just a bit above that if you know what i mean, the kind of lows that hit you in the chest) Ash or Bubinga?

Damn, I must say I want that kind of lows for sure. After all it's bass we're trying to play right? :D Not sure about extra definition. I think that can be uncontrollable at times, perhaps difficult to mix in certain band situations... I don't know. I guess extra definition would require better technique as well because you 're more up front in there... haha it's something I don't have at the moment but I guess it would be a good chance to improve. And yes, I am in a Bubinga vs Ash dilemma too.
 
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odominguez

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jester said:
odominguez said:
Now, in my opinion, having owned basses with bubinga as well as a couple of basses with Ash bodies, I prefer bubinga because it's a more defined sound, a little more reliable to get you those cutting mids.

Which wood do you think has the roundest, thickest, most pounding lows?

I would say Bubinga.
 

jester

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odominguez said:
jester said:
Which wood do you think has the roundest, thickest, most pounding lows?
I would say Bubinga.

Would you say Afzelia is just as good in this regard? I don't suppose it has radically different tonal properties. Is it heavier than Bubinga? I also wonder if it is much more expensive than Bubinga.
Thinking about a heavy bodied, heavy sounding Bubinga or Afzelia Corvette $$... 8)

Tonal properties of Azfelia and Bubinga are a little different. Bubinga will give more low end, while Azfelia will give well-defined and strong, growly mids and clear highs. As far as weight, Azfelia is a little bit heavier, but no too much.
 
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