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Acoustic Bass Guitar...worth it?

#41
lbbc said:
I have been toying with the idea of getting an acoustic/electric bass guitar...for quieter practicing or jamming with friends who primarily play acoustic guitars.
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In my experience, the volume of acoustic/electric bass unplugged can't keep up with the volume of strummed guitars. So, you end up trying to play REALLY LOUD, and you still don't get a good blend. However, if you amplify your instrument, even keeping it low volume, you can blend in just fine. But that begs the question: why did you need an acoustic bass if you were gonna go through an amp.

So, I say get an acoustic bass if you like the acoustic bass sound, but don't get an acoustic bass if you are looking to jam with other musicians unplugged.
 
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#42
ABGs are ok and can work in some cases. Here's a song from art walk gig I did in a TINY front-of-hole-in-the-wall-store space with an acoustic guitar and mandolin. I plugged a fretless Tacoma Thunderchief with black nylon tapewounds into an amp at very low volume just behind the guitarists. They were acoustic. There was barely room for a stereo mic about 2-3 feet in front of us. After many years of ABG, I moved on to the double bass. Now there's the real acoustic deal!

 
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#44
markjazzbassist said:
From years of research on here and elsewhere there are only 3 options

Ernie ball earthwood
Guild b50
Guild b30

only those are large enough bodies to project and be able to be played acoustic
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You have ignored so many. Tacomas for one. Finding an Earthwood is quite a search. The Guilds aren't very loud. The plywood tops limit their volume. I owned one. Go through the other threads. There are lots of other choices. Price will limit your choices. Whether you mind the size will limit your choices. In fact the small bodied Martin is louder than the Guilds. Size isn't the only factor to volume. Design and materials are.

My Dave Maize now out of production is as loud as an acoustic guitar played by a pro guitarist. The fact that people are disappointed by the volume output of ABGs is more of a reflection of their knowledge of physics. How loud could it be? The string section in an orchestra shows what size you need. A drum set is an example that size matters. Acoustic guitars. Do you hang out with those users? There are huge Martin dreadnoughts that are loud. A parlor acoustic guitar while not loud is sought for as it is balanced and sweet sounding.

My qualification was who and where are you playing. If you play with flailers bring your SVT. If you play with actual musicians they know how to adjust their volume to match unmiced vocals, violinist, mandolin, acoustic guitar, sax. Conversely I bring a sweet small amp because bass is more than heard it's felt. I don't love playing upright in those settings. Standing up can have me completely out of the vibe when doing house concerts. There are alternately ABGs specifically designed for plugging in that give the wood sound and are not feedback prone.
 
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#45
I have one and play it all the time :)
its great for practicing alone or you can rock it plugged in with a band my is a Epi El Segundo
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#46
Just to try to counter-balance the number of recommendations for an upright instead of an ABG, I'll reiterate that they are two different instruments. And that an ABG has more in common with an EBG than an upright.

The only time the "get an upright instead" advice might be sound, is when someone says they are considering an ABG for upright sound. Even then, it's not necessarily a bad idea to get an ABG if you temper your expectations.
 
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#47
I love my ABGs but they are generally not that loud without some amplification. My [This invalid link has been removed]can get pretty loud played hard enough to raise a blister but it is a huge bodied bass, not for the meek. Played normally thru an amp it has a nice tone and fits well in an acoustic setting.
 
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#48
They're great fun and useful for playing at home, writing etc or acoustic jams… it's true you may need a little amp (nothing much, just a boost).

I personally love mine and when I played in an acoustic duo it was perfect, you both turn up with acoustic instruments, plug straight into the PA and off you go. It's the right look as well, which although I hate to admit it to myself, does have an impact on my decision making!

Don't get too disheartened by the "they're too quiet and thus pointless" crowd… the same could be said of singers, they often need a little boost from the PA. They have a sound and look that really work in certain situations, but then I would say that, I grew up watching MTV unplugged!
 
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#50
lbbc said:
I have been toying with the idea of getting an acoustic/electric bass guitar...along the lines of a Traveler or Fender short scale for quieter practicing or jamming with friends who primarily play acoustic guitars.

I have awesome, IMHO, 32" scale electrics and was wondering...are acoustic/electric basses worth it? I would like your experience/comments
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Every time this subject comes up - and that seems to happen 3 or 4 times a year - the answers all seem to be;
- NO. They're useless/not worth the money; they can't be heard with other instruments unless they're amplified; yadda, yadda...
- YES, absolutely. They're wonderful; you should get (picture of the poster's favorite ABG here) immediately; your life will be meaningless/empty until you do; yadda, yadda... And, there's what the answer to most questions seem to boil down to, around here;
- It Depends. Which is my answer. What do you want it for? Will it do something for you that can't be done by something else? Or, do you want one "just because"? Nobody can answer these questions for you - but you. All I can do is tell you that, for Me? No, an ABG is not "worth it". Why? I'm left handed, for one thing; while I can buy a lefty ABG, they tend to be mostly low end, inexpensive ones. I'm in the happy position of being able to afford just about any bass I want; and, not to brag or anything, but... I'm not in the market for a low end, inexpensive anything. For another thing; I have a busted up left shoulder, which results in not being able to play large bodied hollow-bodied basses/guitars without a correspondingly large amount of pain after a few minutes. And, finally? If I want to practice "unplugged" in my living room, I have... 5, I think... hollow and semi-hollow body electric basses that I can play comfortably, and that are plenty loud ( obnoxiously so, in a couple of instances) for that purpose. And, unplugged practice/fooling around is the only reason that would justify owning an ABG - in my opinion...
So, no, an ABG isn't "worth it" - for me. For you? Like I said; that's a question for you to answer for yourself...:cool:
 
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#53
droo46 said:
Side note: Do any of our resident acoustic players get called for gigs that often require an acoustic bass? I know several upright players that are very busy, but I don't know anyone who gets called specifically because they're the acoustic bass guy.
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Steve Swallow is "THE acoustic bass guy," but I think he gets called mostly for being Steve Swallow.
 
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#54
Listen thee not to yon naysayers. Acoustic bass guitars are great instruments with a decent set of flatwound strings and a robust playing style. With feeble mid-scooped roundwounds they are verily as the farte in the storme of the thunder god, but a set of TIJFs cures that. Also they sound great plugged in.
 
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#56
ahadl2500 said:
I have had a Michael Kelly Dragonfly
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I have a Michael Kelly Fretless Dragonfly. I don't play it much because I suck with a fretless. It's not quite a loud as my Ibanez but work for me... I only play that one alone. I'd embarrass myself playing fretless in front of people. Did I mention I suck with a fretless LOL:roflmao:

ahadl2500 said:
- Phosphor bronze strings... they can smell weird and they get a little buzzy. Get some pressure wound ones or use flats/tapes and this problem quickly goes away.
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Funny that Phosphor Bronze gets flack with acoustic basses. It's 1 of 2 (the other being 80/20) of the most popular types of string for acoustic guitars and all I use on mine.
 
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#57
I have gigged on AEB. I have gigged on double bass. I have jammed on guitarron. I have gigged with a U-Bass. I gave the AEB away. I sold the double bass when my hands couldn't take it anymore. I just couldn't connect with the guitarron. The U-Bass must go through a PA or small amp to be heard. In spaces that are tight, but still want that vibe, if electricity is available, I have an Ashdown Tourbus 15. That or another small amp or monitor is all I have ever been able to effectively support a group with when everybody else was not amplified. Even the double bass I used to have had a Fishman height adjuster pickup in the bridge and was amplified through a small combo amp to support a 10-piece horn/jazz/standards band.
 
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#59
lbbc said:
I have been toying with the idea of getting an acoustic/electric bass guitar...along the lines of a Traveler or Fender short scale for quieter practicing or jamming with friends who primarily play acoustic guitars.

I have awesome, IMHO, 32" scale electrics and was wondering...are acoustic/electric basses worth it? I would like your experience/comments
Click to expand...
I love my Breedlove Fretless Jumbo solo for practicing alone, but don't love plugging it in at all. Although there is a TBer here who posted a clip of himself making the exact same guitar work just great, amplified, in a low-key performance setting. For me, for the intimate acoustic jams and smaller scenarios, I prefer an electric with a small amp.
 
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