Sassafras fretless bass

**Tall Paul** · 22nd July 2009, 05:21 PM

Here is our first bass - a 4 string fretless with Black Heart Sassafrass body and neck with Gidgee fingerboard and Bartolini Jazz Bass Pickups.

The finish still needs some work, it seemed to suck up the clear like a sponge, so we have tried a grain filler on the second one and will see how that goes.

The pictures are not great, I will borrow a good camera and see if I can add some clearer photos in the next few days

**woodturner777** · 22nd July 2009, 05:37 PM

It looks good Paul, I just love Blackhearted Sassafras.
Great for electric & Acoustic.
Cheers Bob

**tea lady** · 22nd July 2009, 05:54 PM

What surreal pics. Looks like its floating in a swimming pool.

Tis a lovely thing you've made though. The blue background is prolly mucking up your white balance in the camera though. Making the Sassafras look way too yellow. (Can you put a white sheet of paper or something in front of the camera to program it then take the pic? My Hubby's cheat Cannon digital even has that capability. You might have to read the manual though. I do every time I try and use it again.

)

**woodturner777** · 22nd July 2009, 06:13 PM

Hi tea lady, You are right there about the blue background making the Sassy yellow looking, that was my suggestion for Paul to use blue background.
Sassafras needs some other colour for background or do what you suggest.
Cheers Bob

Originally Posted by tea lady

What surreal pics. Looks like its floating in a swimming pool.

Tis a lovely thing you've made though. The blue background is prolly mucking up your white balance in the camera though. Making the Sassafras look way too yellow. (Can you put a white sheet of paper or something in front of the camera to program it then take the pic? My Hubby's cheat Cannon digital even has that capability. You might have to read the manual though. I do every time I try and use it again.

)

**highfieldtonewerks** · 22nd July 2009, 07:13 PM

Tall One - Nice looking rig brother... Reminiscent of Warwick's Thumb and early boutique-built stuff by Michael Tobias. Those are intended to be compliments, btw... Dig the upper horn - looks well balanced and comfortable to play.

Southern Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) and Blackheart Sassy (Atherosperma moschatum) have many similar characteristics. They:

are similar in density
both shoot new trees from both seed and runners
are similar in workability
both ring like church bells in the lower registers
both smell like root beer - the bark that is
both finish well

While the botanists and those in the know scientifically will say that they are completely unrelated (see scientific names above), from a luthier's point of view they are a very similar wood IMHO.

There are a few out-there tone gods in California that have gotten on to the US version of the stuff and Rob Allen [www.roballenguitars.com] for one, feels that it is one of the best woods about for solid body and semi-acoustic basses. His stuff has remarkable tone; a benchmark for us all, really. Rick Turner [www.renaissanceguitars.com] backs him up on this.

While the jury is out for us personally on this particular timber for acoustics (we build mostly Classics and Flamencos) we plan to run some experiments later this year using woods that are proven in our stable in an effort to isolate the tonal variables attributable to Sassy - Carpathian Spruce & Honduran Mahogany/Cedro de Cuba - and build a piece or two to see how we go.

How does she sound relative to other gear that you have played? Timbre? Color? Sustain?

Again, nice looking piece - how ya going with your (playing, not set-up) intonation? Gotta love a man that don't do dots or lines... heh.

Cheers,
Riggsy

**R3R** · 22nd July 2009, 07:44 PM

very nice

looks like no need to import spalted timbers

**highfieldtonewerks** · 22nd July 2009, 08:09 PM

Originally Posted by R3R

very nice

looks like no need to import spalted timbers

no need at all R3 - got a gang of it here in Tassie. Burnin' spalted leatherwood to heat the house tonight... she was too far gone to mill.

(

**woodturner777** · 22nd July 2009, 09:02 PM

Hi Riggsy, You say the jury is out for you personally on using Sassafras, you should give it a try one day for a classical guitar.
I have many customers that have built Acoustic guitars with this species and they have all been very happy with the results.
Cheers Bob

While the jury is out for us personally on this particular timber for acoustics (we build mostly Classics and Flamencos) we plan to run some experiments later this year using woods that are proven in our stable in an effort to isolate the tonal variables attributable to Sassy - Carpathian Spruce & Honduran Mahogany/Cedro de Cuba - and build a piece or two to see how we go.

Cheers,
Riggsy[/QUOTE]

**Tall Paul** · 24th July 2009, 10:02 AM

Thankyou all for your positive feedback - I do like the big upper horn, Warwick has defintly been a strong influence!

Originally Posted by highfieldtonewerks

How does she sound relative to other gear that you have played? Timbre? Color? Sustain?

Again, nice looking piece - how ya going with your (playing, not set-up) intonation? Gotta love a man that don't do dots or lines... heh.

In-tune Fretless players are a rare breed - I have good and bad days.

Compareing it to my Fender Jazz Fretless - the tone has a lot more grunt and power to it, in a good way. It sounds good slapping and fingerstyle. The sustain is possibly slightly less but it is a more even fade than the fender.

I have got dots on the side of the fingerboard that are hidden when viewed from front on, but liek the look of a bare fingerboard.

The next bass is a 5 string fretted in Sassafras with an Ironwood fretboard. Will post photos soon!

**Tall Paul** · 24th July 2009, 10:04 AM

Originally Posted by highfieldtonewerks

Burnin' spalted leatherwood to heat the house tonight.(

Do you ever get leatherwood big enough for solid body guitars - I know it is prone to warp, does this exlude it from luthiery?

**woodturner777** · 24th July 2009, 10:34 AM

Hi Paul,
You are correct in that leatherwood is prone to warp, but once dry this is not a problem so it is Ok to use in luthiery.
Cheers Bob

Originally Posted by Tall Paul

Do you ever get leatherwood big enough for solid body guitars - I know it is prone to warp, does this exlude it from luthiery?

**Sebastiaan56** · 25th July 2009, 09:51 AM

Sweet looking bass!

**Tall Paul** · 29th July 2009, 07:03 PM

Here is our 2nd bass, 5 string fretted

Black Heart Sassafrass body & neck, NT Ironwood fingerboard

The finish on this one is better but there is still room for improvemnet! . . . always.

The body is basically the same, but the head is different - less Warwick like!!

**woodturner777** · 29th July 2009, 08:01 PM

Looks good, darker background for the photos is the way to go.
Cheers Bob

Originally Posted by Tall Paul

Here is our 2nd bass, 5 string fretted

Black Heart Sassafrass body & neck, NT Ironwood fingerboard

The finish on this one is better but there is still room for improvemnet! . . . always.

The body is basically the same, but the head is different - less Warwick like!!

**woodturner777** · 30th July 2009, 07:24 PM

Hi Paul, I keep going back to look at the photos of both Basses and the finish that was used on the second bass, looks the best, what was it you used on that one.
Regards Bob

Originally Posted by Tall Paul

Here is our 2nd bass, 5 string fretted

Black Heart Sassafrass body & neck, NT Ironwood fingerboard

The finish on this one is better but there is still room for improvemnet! . . . always.

The body is basically the same, but the head is different - less Warwick like!!

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