need help finding an acoustic bass with good volume output
 

Hello all,

As is the case with a lot of acoustic basses, most I've tried or been drawn to seem to have the same issue of still needing to be plugged in for it to be heard among other instruments. Being an upright player, I also understand that's the reason they are so large. Has anyone found a good acoustic bass, jumbo-size or not, that sounds good and puts out decent volume?

Much appreciated!

If it hadn't been for an intractable issue with a warped neck, I probably never would have gotten rid of my Guild B-30. Lovely sounding bass, and reasonably loud, too. Hard to find nowadays (and pricey), but IMO it would be worth seeking one out if that's what you want.

This past summer I rented a Fender Kingman ABG for campfire jams and the like. It was a lot of fun, but I would never call it "decent volume" - I had to slam on that thing like crazy to get any sort of volume out of it. I can see why it had built in electronics - if I rented one again, I'd bring along a small portable amp, like my old Pignose or something, to get some volume out of the setup.

Search TBL for the monthly thread about ABG. Bottom line is ones that really work as real acoustic instruments that speak with authority as bass instruments as well are hard to come by. IMO there aren't any currently in production. Try the big Guilds (B-30 and B-50, NOT the B-4), the somewhat less refined Ernie Ball Earthwood, and (it just barely worked) the Tacoma Thunderchief.

John

I gave up on trying to find an acoustic bass guitar that could cut it. Got a small battery powered bass amp instead - that works great.

Believe it or not, I've had success with the Dean Playmate AEB. I've been able to play with unplugged gitfiddles with no problems being heard.

I'll have to check that out I have a cheap six string fretless bass that doesn't sound bad unplugged it's loud enough just doesn't have the greatest sound.

It's not the epidemy of perfection but it holds tune, is loud enough, has good fret work, has a functional truss, and is pretty well intonated. My wife bought me the 5'er some years ago for a Christmas gift.

I was at a Guitar Center and they had a Martin BC-16GTE acoustic-electric bass. I was very surprised, (not expecting to ever find a good sounding acoustic bass guitar, especially not at GC). It projected very well, having a solid Sitka spruce top, and was surprisingly loud, audible enough to be heard when playing with a few acoustic guitars. It also sounded very good plugged in, due to the fishman electronics. It doesn't beat my upright, but it was still a respectable acoustic instrument.

I have a Martin acoustic custom that definitely fits the bill. It can be heard best when using some nice bronze strings. But I string it with tapewounds to get that killer acoustic thump

I'm lucky enough to own a Tacoma Thunderchief, it certainly projects, it almost drowned out my friend’s classical guitar during a jam. I've recently strung it with status hotwire tapewounds 45-105, they have softened the sound somewhat, but its still louder than any other ABG I've had the pleasure of playing.
I used to own a Fender Victor Bailey ABG and for a slim body that had quite an impressive sound, the big difference is the frequencies though. I've heard a few relatively loud ABGs but as with the VB Fender mainly focussed around the low-mids. The Tacoma is the only acoustic I've encountered that can really project some BASS.
I would be interested to try a Warwick Alien though, and some of the Furch ABGs.

I'd add the large Eko BA/4 to this list.