How Do Different Woods Affect the Tone of a Bass Guitar?

Bass Guitar
Image: blog.andertons.co.uk

Benjamin (“Ben”) Perlin is an active community volunteer and a skilled photographer. Recreationally, Benjamin Perlin pursues multiple passions, including the bass guitar, which he studies under Denny Sarokin. When playing bass, it is critical to understand how the materials making up the instrument affect the tone.

The type of wood that comprises the body has a huge effect on overall sound. Alder remains one of the most common bass guitar woods since it has a balanced sound with high clarity. Less expensive instruments may be made of basswood, a soft material that produces a flatter sound than other options. Agathis is also popular because it is relatively inexpensive and gives a rich sound that emphasizes low and middle tones.

Some more expensive options include maple, mahogany, and ash. Because maple is dense, it creates a long-sustained sound that is bright and clear. Mahogany has a softer, warmer tone. Ash is similar to alder and producers a full, bright sound. Many bassists want instruments made out of swamp ash because the grain is so beautiful.

Darkroom Master Pablo Inirio Shares His Process Using Iconic Photos

Magnum Photos’ Pablo Inirio

 

As a photographer, Benjamin Perlin prefers shooting on film, which he says produces results unrivaled by digital photography. While digital photography offers the convenience of fast, easy printing, Benjamin (Ben) Perlin believes that developing photos in a darkroom is a craft that good photographers must master.

One masterful darkroom printer, Magnum Photos’ Pablo Inirio, offers a view of his darkroom editing process via an article on PetaPixel.com. The article showcases side-by-side comparisons of the darkroom developer’s finished developments next to his test prints. Inirio’s test prints are covered in squiggles and notes that would make no sense to the untrained eye, but those with darkroom experience will see how Inirio expertly uses dodging and burning to make his photos pop.

Two famous photographs on which Inirio shows his development process include Dennis Stock’s James Dean in Times Square portrait, and his iconic Audrey Hepburn shot. Others examples include Thomas Hoepker’s 1966 Muhammad Ali portrait with the boxer throwing a punch at the camera, and Bob Henriques’ portrait of photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson during Martin Luther King, Jr.’s March on Washington.