Do Acoustics usually sound "dull"?

[Tupac]

I have a very lowly Acoustic B10, and it has a very dull and bland sound. The high strings on my Jazz just sound lifeless rather than bright. But that's alright since it's a cheapo practice amp. So I went to GC to fiddle with some amps. I tried a Stingray with an Acoustic B200, and to my surprise, it sounded only a little less dead than my practice amp. It was especially unexpected since it was a Stingray, the brightest bass sound. So, I plugged it into a little Ampeg next to it. There, I found the nice Sting growl that I should have had. Was it just the models I used, or are they all like that?

[Ragoo]

What was the EQ settings on the amp and pickup settings on the basses?

[rdwil191]

Originally Posted by Tupac

I have a very lowly Acoustic B10, and it has a very dull and bland sound. The high strings on my Jazz just sound lifeless rather than bright. But that's alright since it's a cheapo practice amp. So I went to GC to fiddle with some amps. I tried a Stingray with an Acoustic B200, and to my surprise, it sounded only a little less dead than my practice amp. It was especially unexpected since it was a Stingray, the brightest bass sound. So, I plugged it into a little Ampeg next to it. There, I found the nice Sting growl that I should have had. Was it just the models I used, or are they all like that?

I use my daughter's B20 for a coffeehouse gig, and I would describe it as a little dull, however, my B100 (and the B200 you played through) have a notch filter that can used to adjust the mids. I've heard 3 other basses played through my B100 (p, 5'er w/ PJ, & a jazz) they all sounded nice, not dull.
Edit: they all used....I'll say neutral settings on the amp. I muddy it up a little, which isn't hard to do, on my mudbuckers :-)

[Tupac]

Originally Posted by Ragoo

What was the EQ settings on the amp and pickup settings on the basses?

I have no idea. I wasn't familiar with the bass's knobs, so I think I just turned them all the way up and adjusted the volume accordingly.

[JimmyM]

To me they sound a little dull. I think it's more in the cabs than the heads. But to be honest, the original Acoustics also sounded a little dull to me, too.

[BassBob1]

Originally Posted by Tupac

I have no idea. I wasn't familiar with the bass's knobs, so I think I just turned them all the way up and adjusted the volume accordingly.

In that case you where boosting the hell out of the bass, mid, and treble. Which will give you a horrible sound if you ask me. But yeah I do think the guitar center brand acoustic amps sound a little dull, as in not very lively. I'm not sure how else to put it. Don't know if it's the amps or the cabs but they don't give me my sound but other people like them.

[WingKL]

That dullness could be caused by the cabs like JimmyM mentioned and it could also be caused by the use of cheap components like electrolytic coupling caps, outdated poor performing opamps and also poorly designed unstable circuits that can oscillate unpredictably in the amplifier.

[Tupac]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. So IS it the cabs? I was thinking about getting one. And are there any amp lines in particular that aren't as dull?

[Ibanez Bassist]

I find that a little odd, because I have three different Acoustic amps and non of them sound like your describing, they definitely sound different them my Ampeg but thats to be expected between different vendors ...