Paulownia Precision

[Stuart D]

I think that's what has put me on the lookout for a lighter bass. I thought chambering might be the thing. Warmoth advertises that it's chambered bodies reduce weight by 25%... but that's 25% of the *body* weight, not the assembled bass weight. At best that brings most chambered basses down into "swamp ash" territory...a reduction of about a pound overall.

By contrast my ES body basses (one from Pit Bull and one from Fret Wire) are MUCH lighter. The assembled basses are around 3.4 kg. My swamp-ash precision weighs in at around 3.9 kg. A Gibson Midtown bass (closest commercial bass to a PB ESB-4) weighs in at around the same as my swamp-ash precision--about a pound less than the PB equivalent. The primary difference? The PB and FW bodies have a paulownia center-block, whereas the Gibson has a maple center-block.

I built the 2nd ES to get a neck and weight that I liked, and it worked pretty well.

I am now trying to get I neck and weight I like with the contoured comfort and simplicity of a P-bass. I think this will work, but I may have to accept the dents.

I'm with you on that. I've always been a JB player, but after playing the Pitbull PB I'm a convert... but a lighter one. I think after my current build, I'll look to do a scratch P Bass (though I may consider buying some templates for it) and consider the wood choice carefully. I like reclaimed wood, however Paulownia (for example) is pretty sustainable and with a top and bottom of something else (I've still got some mahogany type wood left over), that might just work.

Don't know much about Paulownia other than this thread, so I'll look into it. (Edit - Not really available in the UK, however the idea is sound so I just need to find something else).