Acoustic bass guitars

[Humabass]

So I don't see much discussion on TB about acoustic bass guitars. Hardily ever see any in the Classifieds. Have read some comments that they are considered "useless" by many. It seems that sentiment is driven by their unplugged performance. Some also view them as a way to mimic an upright. My interest in them is neither of those. I actually want to "mimic" an acoustic guitar.

At 67 I've long ago accepted that I just will never play acoustic guitar. I have always only played bass. I've had regular scale, fretless, medium scale, short scale, 8 string (choruses), 4,5,6 string, etc. My comfort zone is all of that. Back in the 90s I had a Washburn AB25 ( ?) strung with a high C and I would tune the low E to a D. Always used it plugged in as those slanted sound holes were notoriously quiet and of course prone to feedback. I actually cut little rubber strips and put them in each slot.

At this point my hands have suggested to me that medium scale instruments are going to work best for me going forward. I'm looking for a medium scale acoustic bass guitar in either 4 or 5 that I can string either normally or even as a tenor ( A D G C or E A D G C ). Again, unplugged volume is irrelevant to me. I'm looking for tone and playability and reasonable build quality. I've only found one medium scale 5 string by Ortega. The Warwick Alien 4 interests me. I did have a Fender T-Bucket that actually had a very nice neck and action but being that many of these ABGs are on the cheaper end the electronics and pick up system was an issue with unbalanced output between strings.

The playability issue seems to be the easiest to overcome maybe. I have a great guitar/bass tech friend who certainly could shape, file, adjust whatever for optimum playability.

I've gone down the ABG rabbit hole so I pretty much know everything that's available from cheap to way too expensive but I would like some real world opinions and feedback ( no pun intended )

Any input is appreciated.

 

[turf3]

Really? "Not much discussion"? Seems to me like there's pages and pages and pages of it.

What I can't figure out is what you plan to do with this thing (what does "mimic an acoustic guitar" mean?). If you have ideas of playing chords and strummy strummy strumming, I think any kind of bass guitar will wear out your hands in short order and the finger spread will be too great to make a lot of chords.

Also I can't figure out, since you say you expect always to amplify the thing, why you'd think an ABG would be better for whatever it is you're wanting to do, than a solid body electric bass with really light gauge strings, maybe tuned up a couple steps.

 

[jd56hawk]

Quite a few threads about acoustic basses around here...I reply to them all the time.
I've been playing acoustic bass for fourteen years and I usually only recommend one...the Dean Exotica, the older model with the Aphex System electronics. Unique among acoustic basses.
They Exoticas are full-scale though, so I recommend you try one of these.
Ibanez AEGB24E medium scale.
Doesn't have the horrible bronzewounds most acoustic basses have, too.
Much nicer tone.

One of the few acoustic basses I'd buy if I didn't already own two Exoticas.
Sure, you still need an amp to be heard in an acoustic gig, but they do sound pretty good.
(One more thing, don't listen to the acoustic-bass detractors and their "Umm, just buy a P bass" bs.)

 

[skycruiser]

Looks like Fender and Ibanez make several 32" acoustics these days, including a 5-string from Ibanez. All in the $300-500 range. Also a pricier Alvarez but with a nice arm contour feature the others don't have.

I had a problem with an Ibanez under-saddle pickup long ago. If it isn't inserted properly and they don't have a nice flat cut on the bottom of the saddle it will have uneven volume across strings.

 

[RSBBass]

A couple of things: I had an ABG for many years and enjoyed it unplugged. My problem was when it was plugged it. The large body was extremely prone to feed back. By the time I had muted the body enough to prevent feedback I may as well have played one of my electric basses, the tone would be better. A well set up acoustic guitar is actually easier to play than a bass. The scale is shorter and the tuning of the first four strings will be very familiar. In my experience, the key is a good setup. Even expensive guitars are frequently shipped with the nut cut too high. on the other hand,even an inexpensive guitar can be a joy when it is set up right.

 

[jd56hawk]

I've been playing acoustic bass for fourteen years.
Feedback isn't a big problem with either of my Dean Exoticas...D'Addario soundhole plug...unless I lean it up against an amp.

 

[el murdoque]

Really? "Not much discussion"? Seems to me like there's pages and pages and pages of it.

What I can't figure out is what you plan to do with this thing (what does "mimic an acoustic guitar" mean?). If you have ideas of playing chords and strummy strummy strumming, I think any kind of bass guitar will wear out your hands in short order and the finger spread will be too great to make a lot of chords.

Also I can't figure out, since you say you expect always to amplify the thing, why you'd think an ABG would be better for whatever it is you're wanting to do, than a solid body electric bass with really light gauge strings, maybe tuned up a couple steps.

I'm having the same problem following the argument. IMHO, the only reason to play an ABG is when your band plays an MTV unplugged gig and you want to look the part.

 

[ThudThudThud]

I played one as my main bass in a couple of bands. You'll hear a lot of positives and negatives in threads like this.

Here's the plus side:
* Not usually heavy
* Aesthetically fitting with acoustic guitars
* Great for couch playing/practice
* It's something different in the roster of basses
* They are just cool

The negatives:
* Not loud enough to be played unamplified with other instruments
* Piezo tone can be difficult to dial in at first, and isn't everyone's cup of tea, and not all onboard preamps are built the same
* Cumbersome to some players
* As noted above, 34" scale isn't always available at lower price levels
* Feedback needs to be tamed at stage levels (a simple soundhole cover works for most)
* Not as versatile as a solid body bass

I strung mine with tapewounds, and used a SABDDI v1. for tone shaping. I mostly went directly to the PA, so didn't need an amp, and when I did it was a smally one (based on the act I was supporting). It doesn't always fit, but when it does, it's great.

Would I get another one now I'm not gigging? Probably not, although I could likely be tempted with a UBass.

 

[jd56hawk]

My Exotica is more

* Not as versatile as a solid body bass

Some very good points, but this one's more versatile than both of my Jazz basses.

 

[Wasnex]

So I don't see much discussion on TB about acoustic bass guitars.

I think most of us are probably sick of discussing this subject as it has come up frequently over the years. The last thread I remember seeing started a matter of weeks back. You should be able to find lots of content if you want.

The subject tends to be polarizing with the vast majority of people expressing the view that an ABG is essentially worthless. There is a small minority that feels that ABGs are useful and have unique benefits. Make your own decisions for your own reasons. Maybe an ABG is the perfect bass for you...or maybe you will eventually decide they suck!

Most of my music gear is downstairs. My primary basses are a Yamaha TRB6P and an NS Design EU6 electric upright. For the most part, I keep my Thunderchief upstairs in a room with my computer. I use it primarily to respond to post on TB that require a bass in-hand. There is no way I would consider the Thunderhief my #1. I would say it's a distant third out of 9 or 10 basses. IF I get a double bass, the Thunderchief will then become the distant fourth. If I was into acoustic jams with guitars, I would probably get a Roland Cube Street EX, which is a small, light battery powered amp.

ABGs can generally be classified as not loud enough and really not loud enough. The best ABGs can be used acoustically with a quality acoustic guitar. The audience will hear the bass, but playing experience for the bassists is likely to be very frustrating because the guitar will dominate unless it is played with restraint.

The obvious solution IMHO is to plug the ABG in. Some will argue that you might as well use a slab. But IMHO a slab will not sound like a good ABG plugged in. My Tacoma Thunderchief sounds incredible through an amp. It was designed to be loud acoustically, but the acoustic tone is thin and it simply cannot compete equally with a good acoustic guitar. The tone through an amp is fat and bloomy with a bit of grind in the mids. However since the Thunderchief was designed to be loud acoustically, it tends to interact significantly with the sound coming from the amp. At low volume the interaction seems to give the tone a nice organic quality. However, as the volume is raised, this feedback tends to become increasingly problematic

My Thunderchief has the Fishman Prefix + preamp which has a, polarity switch, notch filter, and sweepable mids. These controls allow me to tune the bass to play louder with decent tone, but there are limits and the tone tends to vary somewhat from one playing situation to the next. A sound hole plug would be really beneficial, but since the Thunderchief has long since been discontinued and uses a wing shaped sound hole, AFAIK no one is making custom sound hole plugs for it any more. I have been able to get the Thunderchief loud enough to play with a drummer at medium volume. Something to consider: A small ABG that is less resonant is likely to have far less problems with feedback, and be usable at higher volume levels.

Ergonomics tends to be an issue, especially with larger ABGs. My Thunderchief works better on a strap than sitting...but even on a strap it's necessary to hold my arms at an angle that quickly becomes uncomfortable and tiresome. I wouldn't want to do a long gig on the Thunderchief.

All of the ABGs I have played sounded more like the low strings on a big steel string acoustic guitar than an upright. AFAIK this is partly due to the Phospor Bronze strings, which I believe give the sound sort of a grindy quality in the mids. A lot of bassists hate this quality. A fretless ABG with tape wounds will sound a bit more like an upright, but not like an upright. I assume tape wounds will be significant quieter, thumpier, and warmer sounding than phosphor bronze.

 

[MCS4]

If playability is a primary concern and you don't mind a more unorthodox choice, the PBB by Goldtone could be a good choice. It is a resonator bass and therefore gets its volume more from the resonator cone than from raw size like a typical ABG, so the body is relatively slim compared to many alternatives without losing acoustic volume (obviously I understand the volume component by itself is less relevant to you). It also is 32" scale and quite playable in terms of the neck and action. It uses a humbucker for amplification rather than a mic or piezo, which could be good or bad depending on preference. Overall despite the oddity it tends to be a pretty friendly transition from electric bass compared to most ABGs in my opinon.

 

[Humabass]

Well, I humbly retract my premise of not a lot of discussion ,it's a fair point. To be honest 98% of my time on TB is spent in the classifieds. I guess I live in a Classifieds bubble. Not withstanding those of you who don't understand what I'm trying to do I appreciate the feedback on your experience with specific instruments. That's really what I'm after. I never expect anyone to understand what I'm trying to do ( even when I clearly explain it ), just ask my wife.

 

[Ben Esparza]

These 2 are probably the best to fit the big. Both are discontinued. The bodies are large enough to project some volume and provide the lower registers needed for bass. Both are short 30" scale. I wish I had bought the above version of the Guild bass when it came out. Notice the two bridge saddles vs. the single saddle newer bridges. The Ernie Ball Earthwood bass was friggin' HUGE with a bolt-on neck.

 

[BassicJazzy]

I think the issue is they don't have great ergonomics, unless you sacrifice depth of the resonator box (or bowl) which may then limit the tonal qualities, and of course also take away volume if you want to play unplugged. The cheaper ones just don't sound great, but if you spend a little money you can get really good acoustic tone, even unplugged.

Here's my Ovation. It's the top of the line model from '90, before they stopped making them in USA. Not inexpensive, they listed for $2,000 at the time, but sounds incredible, even unplugged, which is how I have always played it (except when tuning).

 

[Humabass]

I wish there were more places to go to try more of these instruments out. I'm near a couple Guitar Centers, 3 actually, they have a reasonable selection but none of them really do it for me for different reasons. The Resonator bass is something that intrigues me. Wish I could try one out.
On a side note there is a guy on Reverb called MORtone music. He does modifications to electric guitars and basses to turn them into mandolins, mandocellos, and even does a mod where he takes one the new Guild ABGs and turns it into an 8 string bass with double choruses. He actually does a video demo of it and it sounds pretty cool. Worth checking out.

 

[Clark W]

So I don't see much discussion on TB about acoustic bass guitars. Hardily ever see any in the Classifieds. Have read some comments that they are considered "useless" by many. It seems that sentiment is driven by their unplugged performance. Some also view them as a way to mimic an upright. My interest in them is neither of those. I actually want to "mimic" an acoustic guitar.

At 67 I've long ago accepted that I just will never play acoustic guitar. I have always only played bass. I've had regular scale, fretless, medium scale, short scale, 8 string (choruses), 4,5,6 string, etc. My comfort zone is all of that. Back in the 90s I had a Washburn AB25 ( ?) strung with a high C and I would tune the low E to a D. Always used it plugged in as those slanted sound holes were notoriously quiet and of course prone to feedback. I actually cut little rubber strips and put them in each slot.

At this point my hands have suggested to me that medium scale instruments are going to work best for me going forward. I'm looking for a medium scale acoustic bass guitar in either 4 or 5 that I can string either normally or even as a tenor ( A D G C or E A D G C ). Again, unplugged volume is irrelevant to me. I'm looking for tone and playability and reasonable build quality. I've only found one medium scale 5 string by Ortega. The Warwick Alien 4 interests me. I did have a Fender T-Bucket that actually had a very nice neck and action but being that many of these ABGs are on the cheaper end the electronics and pick up system was an issue with unbalanced output between strings.

The playability issue seems to be the easiest to overcome maybe. I have a great guitar/bass tech friend who certainly could shape, file, adjust whatever for optimum playability.

I've gone down the ABG rabbit hole so I pretty much know everything that's available from cheap to way too expensive but I would like some real world opinions and feedback ( no pun intended )

Any input is appreciated.

I have a Fender Kingman V2, short scale Jazz neck, strung with flats. The phosphorus cheese graters it comes with aren't needed for volume since I only play it live plugged in. And at home unplugged sometimes when I just want so sit down and quietly work on riffs.

I originally got it for a MTV Unplugged yet plugged in style gig. And it does well for that, as long as you're sitting on a bar stool. Standing for 4 hours with it is a no go. I did that once, and the positioning of your arm over the body for 4 hours is a bit much.

 

[Humabass]

If I could have one custom built it would be a 5 string with a high C, a shallower body, medium scale, 22 frets with a cutaway, as thin a neck as would be reasonable for stability, and a high quality piezo system.

 

[Humabass]

Well this discussion has inspired me to trek to GC and play what they have. I always thought the Kingman was interesting especially since it has a miniature version of my 1969 Jazz neck.

 

[bassbrad]

I have several ABGS that get a lot of play for practice and recording but don't currently have a gig where I might use one, but that can always change. I started on acoustic guitar and always wanted a bass version of that. Never felt it was a substitute for upright, which I also have played.
I found a Washburn AB20 that was gigged regularly in the 'unplugged' coffee house circuit daze, that bass sits right beside my TV watching chair so gets plenty of finger time. The AB20 is strung with Rotosound Tru Bass 88 tape wounds to get a sound that works.

Dean EABC5 that I played mainly in a duo with a classical guitarist in which it balanced perfectly, passive piezo and a Behringer ADI21 does well enough. Dean offers several choices, Luna and Ibanez are other brands to look at.

I have a 'Best Choice Products' cheapo that has a set of baritone strings tuned ADGC for higher note access and chords. I have seen similar basses with other branding like Glarry, these are decent platforms for experimenting with different strings or tunings as you stated.

Mitchell EZB compact acoustic bass for a nylon string tone that has fairly decent volume for it's tiny size.
There is a wide wide range of acoustic preamps, but I found that the inexpensive Behinger ADI21 does a respectable job with all my basses and guitars. YMMV.

 

[ole Jason]

If I could have one custom built it would be a 5 string with a high C, a shallower body, medium scale, 22 frets with a cutaway, as thin a neck as would be reasonable for stability, and a high quality piezo system.

At that point wouldn't a solidbody bass with a piezo system sound the same without being prone to feedback? I guess it wouldn't really look like an acoustic bass if that's part of the appeal.