Suhr

[joe1962]

I'm thinking about ordering a Standard in HSH with a vintage trem. I know I want a maple neck, and maple top, but I don't know if I want alder or basswood for the backing wood. I've got 3 classics now (2 ash and one alder) but I've only heard a basswood/quilt/RW and mahogany/quilt/mahogany in the Standard. Those who are familiar with the basswood and alder backed Standard, which do you like better and why?

[Donnie B.]

I have a basswood Standard with a quilt maple top and one piece maple neck. I also have a swamp ash classic and classic-T. The Standard has easily become my fave of the 3 and I'm even selling the classic to purchase another standard exactly the same as what I have now but with a different pickup config - not sure what yet.

Even John Suhr refers to the basswood back/maple top as the holy grail of tone.

[joe1962]

[Donnie B.]

V60LPs in the neck and middle and a DSH+ in the bridge - super sweet combo. One other thing to note is that I installed a no-load tone pot which really made the guitar come alive too.

[Jeffery]

what's no-load tone???

[Donnie B.]

With the tone control full on (on 10) the pot has zero load so it's as if there is not pot at all. Turn it to about 9 and it then acts like a normal tone pot from then on. This is a GREAT way to add some extra sparkle and bite especially to neck position pickups.

A normal tone pot will still be padding the high end even when on 10. I personally feel that all guitars should come stock with a no-load pot. Note: Eddie Van Halen's early tones were the result of him bypassing his tone pot (which is the same as a no-load on 10)

[Pete Lacis]

I have both an alder standard and a basswood standard (with maple top). Both have one piece oil finished maple necks and exactly the same pickups and electronics.

I like both very much.....though each lends itself better to different situations.

ALDER: When clean, the alder has more uppers mids and cuts very well. It sounds spectacular with a slightly distorted tone, though looses definition with more gain.

BASSWOOD: When clean, it has a little less mids than the alder, but is really full sounding (good low end) and I like it a lot for clean rhythm playing. It has a more "refined" sound and doesn't get as "boomy" as the alder can at louder volumes (both clean and dirty). With overdrive, the basswood really just comes alive. It's very articulate without being sterile.

I can really understand why John Suhr loves the basswood/maple top combo so much.....it really does the best of everything. It's the axe I go to before everything else.....truly my #1.
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Suhr, I'll take another....

[joe1962]

Thanks, Pete. Your description is just what I was looking for. Sounds like Basswood is what I need.

[Andersonguy]