I tried one at a local Mom and Pop shop (a Traveler) and was pleasantly surprised how well it played.
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Acoustic Bass Guitar...worth it?
- Thread starter lbbc
- Start date
If you want your ABG to sound like an acoustic guitar, then phosphor bronze rounds are fine.
If you want your ABG to sound like a bass guitar, then flats or tapes are the way to go.
Not to mention that bass strings are larger in diameter, so the rounds feel more like sandpaper than the biggest strings on a six-string guitar. Maybe not as big a deal if you also play rounds on your electric bass, but you will still hear lots of acoustically-amplified finger noise on rounds.
I play my ABG fingerstyle with low-tension flats, which is probably the least-loud combination; pick with rounds if you're trying to coax max volume out. The tone - to my ears - is excellent, and worth the slight volume reduction. Because I've already accepted that it's not going to be loud. Sounds good, fun to play, feels comfy... that's what makes me want to sit down and play. In fact, why am I reading TalkBass, I could be noodling on my ABG!
Thanks for all the advice...and yes, I can play an upright but no longer have one. I just thought it would be a good thing to have on a stand at my house so I could pick it up...noodle, work on scales etc, practice songs without really bothering anyone (plus not having to plug it in and be "tethered" to an amp). Thanks again!
If that is your goal, then they are perfect for it. I love mine for this exact purpose.
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IF you are going to play seated (only), then I second the recommendation above to get a 1/4 size DB. If you are in a chair, they can be played quite comfortably with the endpin all the way in (I removed the endpin on mine), and they are not intolerable if played across the knee. They are plenty loud, and the mensure is only 1 1/4" longer than on a Fender P.
Dang. You just threw down. Am I going to have to burrow into my John Skelton?
I don't think either of these statements are really true. The way I hear it an AEB has it's own sound and really doesn't sound like anything other than itself regardless of the strings. By the nature of the string material it may sound a little brighter, softer, darker, smoother, etc. Regardless of the strings an AEP still sounds like an AEB as its own unique instrument. Your statements are like trying to say a classical guitar will sound like a lute because you swapped nylons for steel.
As long as anyone thinking about getting an AEB goes in without unrealistic expectations and realizing that it is a unique instrument with it's own sound (it will not sound like an electric or double bass) should be able to find something they like and be satisfied.
Or you can go in expecting it to sound like your P bass and be thoroughly disappointed when it sound nothing like it. Then come on here and whine about how much AEBs suck.
The best money you can spend when you have the idea of an acoustic bass guitar floating around in your head is the purchase of a Phil Jones Double Four.
This little box enables you to bring whatever bass you choose and make it loud enough for a campfire.
This little box enables you to bring whatever bass you choose and make it loud enough for a campfire.
I didn't say that flats make it sound like an electric bass guitar. An ABG is a bass guitar.
But phosphor bronze rounds make it sound like an acoustic guitar.
(You keep mentioning AEBs - Acoustic Electric Bass - in your post... this conversation ain't about plugging in, despite what all the naysayers keep bringing up. Practice on the couch. Jamming with a friend on acoustic guitar. Piezos certainly have their own sound, but nothing I've written has any relevance to that.)
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I definitely think there's merit to owning an ABG, based on my experience with a Tacoma. I agree with what many have said regarding their convenience for practice and how imperfections in one's playing are revealed. The Tacoma balances well with an acoustic un-amplified in a quiet setting. I have also played it with a vocal, one acoustic and a cajon in a small room where it kept up fairly well when played with a pick. I'm sure that there are other well-made ABGs that are comparable, although I've also played quite a few that have sounded a bit thin and don't project much. One just has to manage expectations 
Here's an example I found of a Tacoma played with a pick in a band setting (the acoustics of the room, the small-bodied guitars and the not-so-heavy percussion do seem to help a bit here):
Agreed. I particularly like the tone of the instrument bronze round-wounds for un-amplified practice with a metronome or playing classical pieces, and that is merit enough for me. Yes, it is definitely a challenge to play cleanly (i.e. with minimal string noise), but I find the woody tone of the instrument very rewarding and worth the effort. This gentleman really plays an ABG well and is able to make the most of the woody tone I'm referring to (I believe he is using nickel strings strung E to C here) - it sounds neither like an electric nor like an upright, but it's a great tone in it's own right:
As others have also said, it's best to try before purchasing. I was ably to try the Tacoma before buying and bought it because I was happy with it, others may not have so happy with it.
Here's an example I found of a Tacoma played with a pick in a band setting (the acoustics of the room, the small-bodied guitars and the not-so-heavy percussion do seem to help a bit here):
Agreed. I particularly like the tone of the instrument bronze round-wounds for un-amplified practice with a metronome or playing classical pieces, and that is merit enough for me. Yes, it is definitely a challenge to play cleanly (i.e. with minimal string noise), but I find the woody tone of the instrument very rewarding and worth the effort. This gentleman really plays an ABG well and is able to make the most of the woody tone I'm referring to (I believe he is using nickel strings strung E to C here) - it sounds neither like an electric nor like an upright, but it's a great tone in it's own right:
As others have also said, it's best to try before purchasing. I was ably to try the Tacoma before buying and bought it because I was happy with it, others may not have so happy with it.
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I never stated that is what you said, but without clarifying acoustic or double bass it's kind of implied that you mean electric bass (at least in this section of the forum).
No they don't, it's not even in the same register. There's no way an acoustic bass is going to sound one octave higher unless you put acoustic guitar strings on it. Even then it's not going to sound just like an acoustic guitar; no more than an electric piccolo bass sounds like an electric guitar. Phosphor bronze strings on an acoustic bass make it sound just as stated... phosphor bronze on an acoustic bass. It's a unique sound, no other way to put it.
My mistake. The original post said acoustic/electric bass guitar which is why I was typing AEB. I guess it would have been better to type ABG in this context instead. Either way the same still applies when playing acoustically.
NBD! Ibanez AEB105E - Worthy 5 String Acoustic!
My review of the Ibanez 5 AEG. Depends on your purpose... As a practice instrument on the couch it is definitely worth it to me.
My review of the Ibanez 5 AEG. Depends on your purpose... As a practice instrument on the couch it is definitely worth it to me.
I definitely think there's merit to owning an ABG, based on my experience with a Tacoma. I agree with what many have said regarding their convenience for practice and how imperfections in one's playing are revealed. The Tacoma balances well with an acoustic un-amplified in a quiet setting. I have also played it with a vocal, one acoustic and a cajon in a small room where it kept up fairly well when played with a pick. I'm sure that there are other well-made ABGs that are comparable, although I've also played quite a few that have sounded a bit thin and don't project much. One just has to manage expectations
Here's an example I found of a Tacoma played with a pick in a band setting (the acoustics of the room, the small-bodied guitars and the not-so-heavy percussion do seem to help a bit here):
Agreed. I particularly like the tone of the instrument bronze round-wounds for un-amplified practice with a metronome or playing classical pieces, and that is merit enough for me. Yes, it is definitely a challenge to play cleanly (i.e. with minimal string noise), but I find the woody tone of the instrument very rewarding and worth the effort. This gentleman really plays an ABG well and is able to make the most of the woody tone I'm referring to (I believe he is using nickel strings strung E to C here) - it sounds neither like an electric nor like an upright, but it's a great tone in it's own right:
As others have also said, it's best to try before purchasing. I was ably to try the Tacoma before buying and bought it because I was happy with it, others may not have so happy with it.
I absolutely agree with ABG's for classical. The wooden tone fits so nicely, even for my cheap tiny Ibanez basslet. As much as I love practicing classical pieces on my electrics, there's no denying which instrument has the better tone for the style.
For what it's worth, I have used my ABG for recording parts in a "classical" setting. I'm mainly a woodwind player, and I like to do overdubbing projects with my instrument collection. I already have low woodwinds to cover the bass end, and they can be significantly louder than any ABG I've run into, or even a bowed upright for that matter. That said, I added an ABG to double the low end using the same recording set up I use for my woodwinds, just out of curiosity. This was an arrangement of a baroque concerto for a sizable collection of flutes, clarinets, and an acoustic guitar. While the track by itself sounds feeble and weak in comparison to a DI'd electric, you can still hear it in the overall mix. It adds a little more punch to the low end.
This isn't to say it would actually hold its own against that same collection of instruments in an actual live situation, but to me this little experiment is an overall success, even if this was in an admittedly bizarre and oddly specific setting.
The Phosphor Bronze haters just don't know how to play. There I said it. If you can't play it without squeeking then that's your technique. Learn how and then reap the benefits. All of those acoustic guitars out there have phosphor bronze strings and they make a terrible racket with new players. Can you bow? Does every violinist make that terrible screech. No. Those kids stop screeching in a month in elementary school. So learn how to play.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
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.
I get it. I'll change to flats that can't excite the top, generate great delicious overtones and project volume. You can't eq it or compress it away so you're left with your naked technique. See how good that is? Get that together and your EB playing will be amazing!
Which still doesn't change the huge difference in tone between bronzewounds and tapewounds.The Phosphor Bronze haters just don't know how to play. There I said it. If you can't play it without squeeking then that's your technique. Learn how and then reap the benefits. All of those acoustic guitars out there have phosphor bronze strings and they make a terrible racket with new players. Can you bow? Does every violinist make that terrible screech. No. Those kids stop screeching in a month in elementary school. So learn how to play.
I get it. I'll change to flats that can't excite the top, generate great delicious overtones and project volume. You can't eq it or compress it away so you're left with your naked technique. See how good that is? Get that together and your EB playing will be amazing!
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