Basswood

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Sat Nov 09, 2013 2:49 pm

i'm somewhat reluctantly coming to the conclusion that basswood is shite. one of the strap button screws pulled right out of the body of my CV P bass in a small shower of sawdust, and when i checked all the others, maybe 30% of the screws (one on a tuning machine, pickguard screws, bridge cover etc) just turn freely in the holes with no resistance whatsoever.

i know ocassionally the odd thread bursts in any body wood, but this seems like far too many. i barely play the bass, it comes out of its case once a month, max. it hasn't seen heavy use or abuse. disappointing.

jcyphe · Post by **jcyphe** » Sat Nov 09, 2013 3:22 pm

It has a lot to do with how the wood is cured, how mature the tree was when cut, besides being a softer hardwood to begin with. A lot of premium guitars are built with Basswood.

robert(original) · Post by **robert(original)** » Sat Nov 09, 2013 5:15 pm

the strap pin on my jagstang came out a few years ago, i just used some pics to fill the hole and upgraded to a bigger than needed screw, no more problems.
air dried wood is generally better overall, when wood is kiln dried it likes to crack and never dries evenly, altho the seven years or whatever it takes to get the moisture level to 11 percent is too long for most.

laterallateral · Post by **laterallateral** » Sat Nov 09, 2013 5:30 pm

stewart wrote:one on a tuning machine

Basswood is surely not the culprit, here.

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Sun Nov 10, 2013 5:39 pm

haha, yes, i realised that was down to something else after i posted but couldn't be bothered editing it out.

ekwatts · Post by **ekwatts** » Mon Nov 11, 2013 10:57 am

It has happened once on my Batwing on the bottom strap button, which I suspect is basswood. Filled it and it has been fine ever since.

It happens a lot on mass-produced guitars of any price in my experience. It has also been done on plenty of second-hand gear I've had. People just can't install screws correctly. I figure it's probably easier to strip them on basswood than it is on something like alder or whatever.

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Mon Nov 11, 2013 12:48 pm

ekwatts wrote:It has happened once on my Batwing on the bottom strap button, which I suspect is basswood. Filled it and it has been fine ever since.

It happens a lot on mass-produced guitars of any price in my experience. It has also been done on plenty of second-hand gear I've had. People just can't install screws correctly. I figure it's probably easier to strip them on basswood than it is on something like alder or whatever.

Most Mustangs were made of Poplar, as are many guitars today. I haven't compared Basswood to Poplar but I know Poplar is very soft. It cuts, sands (and dings) very easily.

My 1965 Mustang is all original and the screws are holding tight.

However, my Luthier cautioned me to be very careful removing and returning the screws so as not to strip the holes. I guess if someone has really torqued down a screw or strap button, it could easily strip a soft wood.

Hope this helps. Cheers,

robert(original) · Post by **robert(original)** » Mon Nov 11, 2013 1:07 pm

if my memory serves me right, poplar and basswood are from the same tree family, all derived around the linden tree i believe, they are very very very similier in alot of ways.

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Mon Nov 11, 2013 3:09 pm

My sunburst CIJ Jag which is alder lost both it's strap screws, my Jag-Stang never did.

cur · Post by **cur** » Mon Nov 11, 2013 3:28 pm

I think sometimes they pre drill the hole too big and then use fine thread screws instead of course. IN some cases, such as with pickguard holes, they probably don't pre drill and then over torque the fine threaded screws. So if they over torque the screw when driving it into the wood they are actually just drilling the hole bigger. With softer woods, this problem is exacerbated. I have noticed this problem with some of the cheaper MIC guitars.

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Mon Nov 11, 2013 3:45 pm

Robert's solution sounds like all we need to know. I've done it and it worked fine for me. Tooth picks, a bit of glue, and screw it in. BTW, Gibson did not worry about Basswood (or Poplar) when they designed the 335:

"The 335â€™s laminated top was pressed from a sheet of poplar or basswood (depending on supply) sandwiched between the outer sheets of maple. As with the companyâ€™s other laminated guitars, the plywood was pressed for eight minutes under 200 pounds of pressure." from Vintage Guitar Magazine.

http://www.vintageguitar.com/15197/gibs ... m_medium=e

And wood carvers think there's variation of hardness within most types of wood:

http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/f ... ood-36026/

Cheers,

George · Post by **George** » Tue Nov 12, 2013 11:43 am

never had a basswood guitar have any of these problems. it's interesting to here that curing and treatment of the woods may have an effect.

i concede that basswood tends to dent and ding a bit easier than most other woods so i suppose it may stand to reason that the screws could be more prone to stripping.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Tue Nov 12, 2013 1:10 pm

I've use a wee dribble of super glue before to fix a loose hole. Dribble a small amount in (not enough to fill. just soak the wood in the hole) let dry and then screw back in. That's probably 'improper' but then again I've seen super glue used mixed with sanding dust to fill holes in fretboards. And it worked.

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Tue Nov 12, 2013 1:27 pm

the front strap peg on my jag stang has come out 15 or 20 times. but im punk as fuck. i don't blame the wood. its just not punk enough for me

Basswood

Basswood

Re: Basswood

Soft woods: Basswood, Poplar

Solution