New Fender Guitars

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ACDC_TONE

I love the design and looks of the new Fender Squier M-80.

It looks to be a real comfortable playing guitar and the shorter front horns look sharp. Hardware set up like a Gibson , with the general style of a strat only cooler.


The problem is they are Basswood bodies. Sure it has a set mahogany neck, but I wish they were mahogany bodies too.


What do you guys think of this guitar? Is Basswood really crappy or not?

http://www.fendereurope.com/news/SquierMasterSeries.asp
 
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dazco

Member
Messages
16,415
Is Basswood really crappy or not?
Click to expand...

Hell no ! Basswood is a damn fine sounding tonewood. It's just a matter of taste. Some like gibson, some like fender, etc etc etc. Basswood has a richer harmonic content than alder for example, tho at the cost of a little looser low end. I surely wouldn't count those guitars out just because of the basswood. Speaking of woods that get a bad rap for no reason, i recently played the cheapest ESP i think they make, and a hybrid design to boot that sounded awesome with a AGITHIS body ! This wood is usually reserved for the cheapest guitars. Well, long story short this LP shaped maple neck bolt on cheapie was literally one of the best sounding guitars i've played ! Seriously, it was fatter and thicker sounding than ANY guitar i've ever played without sacrificing an ounce of high end or harmonic content. Unbelievable, and all this from a $300 list guitar with a body made of wood thats much less regarded than basswood even. So is basswood crappy? No, nada, uh uh, not, hell no !
 
Glowing Tubes

Glowing Tubes

Gold Supporting Member
Messages
8,625
Basswood is great sounding. I think when it was heavily used in the 80's, some of the cheaper guitar manufactures used a much lower grade of basswood that was crap. This gave basswood a bad rap.
Its a great versital tone wood!
 
A

ACDC_TONE

Wow!...

I am glad to hear it's not that bad afterall. I have to try one of those M-80's out. They remind me of a crossbreed Gibson SG and a Fender Strat, which are both my favorite guitars.


Now to find a store that has one in stock. They just came out, so it might be tough.
 
cvansickle

cvansickle

Gold Supporting Member
Messages
12,494
A lot of the 80s super-Strats with Floyds were made of basswood. The Peavey Wolfgang was basswood, but some had maple caps. I think basswood offers a resonance that works to complement the brightness and sustain that a Floyd Rose provides.
 
5

59burst

Member
Messages
1,442
I had a lot of basswood bodied guitars in the 80's with Floyds, and overall, I found the bottom end to be indistinct and mushy compared to say my maple bodied ESP or alder bodied Jacksons (again, all with Floyd or similar floating vibrato units).

But, if high end builders use it, I can believe that there may be better and worse basswood out there.
 
A

ACDC_TONE

I just found out today that I already have a guitar made of basswood and didn't know it.


It's a Dean EvoXM which has a mahogany outer finish but is solid basswood. It sounds great for clean stuff, but pretty farty and flabby on more distorted settings. In other words, its really dark and not what I consider a great sound.


Two years ago when I bought this guitar it was advertised in Musicians Friend like this.

Solid Honduras Mahogany body.....later it changed to
Solid body Mahogany Finish......Now its
Solid Basswood body with Mahogany finish.

Hell, I thought maybe honduras mahogany was real light since this guitar is light as a feather. Now I know why the damn thing is so light. It aint mahogany of any type.
 
Impulse 101

Impulse 101

Member
Messages
1,010
Basswood alone is way to "midrangy" to my ears, but add a maple cap and it comes alive. Just go try an EBMM Axis and see what you think.

JT
 
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Not Through Yet

Member
Messages
1,172
I don't know if this is universal, but my EVH striped series is basswood and I haven't noticed any issues compared to the alder body Charvel I often swap to and from. In fact it sounds excellent to me.

I'd suggest trying it in person before writing it off.
 
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