Acoustic bass help.

I tried one of those at G.C. . Very nice! Be advised, there's not a lot of love here for acoustic bass guitars. Personally, I like them. I've owned three so far. A Takaminie Jasmine, a Michael Kelly "Dragonfly" fretless 5 string, and my current Dean EABC acoustic bass.

I sold the Dragonfly and the Jasmine when money got tight. My Dean was the replacement for them. Had the Jasmine 12 years, the Dean sounds and plays much better than my other two did.

I say go for it! In that price range the Dean acoustic basses are the best bang for your buck (IMHO).

 

I have one of these http://www.guitarcenter.com/Ibanez-AEB5E-Acoustic-Electric-Bass-105956627-i1470159.gc Only $200, which leaves you something for a case or bag, which you will want.

 

^^ I have one of those as well. Bought it used for $100. Its great.

 

I have an Ibanez like that, but I'm not too keen on it. It is OK, but I have never been able to get a decent set up on it. I got a Breedlove which is much better (and more expensive), but still ABGs are not really that useful to me beyond having something aound the house to pick up without plugging into an amp.

 

Personally I am not a fan of 99.99% of acoustic basses. But there have been three acoustics that (if i had the money/found the bass) I would buy them. First being the fist acoustic I fell in Love with, the Fender Victor Bailey Signature Acoustic-Electric Bass. It was the first acoustic bass I had ever played and it was in the middle of the Fender Booth at NAMM. I was surprised because through all the commotion of NAMM, I could still hear the bass and I could hear it over others playing basses and guitars through amps. The tone on said bass was phenomenal and I am getting one after I get a few more electrics. the VB acoustics on Ebay go for ~$400

Second bass was a Laguna LAB5CE Acoustic-Electric Bass (discontinued and EXTREMELY HARD to find) I ran into one of these at my local GC. I was looking for an acoustic for my B-day, and tried deans, Ibanez, all of them. None of them were doing it for me, and I even tried another Laguna. Then I saw this bad boy hanging up on the wall and had to try it. It was easily my favorite bass I had ever played. I give myself s*** for not getting it while I could. I'm not sure why I hesitated but someone else got themselves a great bass. IIRC, it was around $380 at GC. (found a few old ads for sale, and most where $250-$300)

The last Acoustic that I played that was worthy of mentioning was the dragonfly bass. It was a 4 string Tans. black fretless. I found it on craigslist for $80... Yes... $80... Played it in person at it was a fabulous bass.... Sadly I only had $60, and by the time I scraped together someone to give me the extra $20 (One day later) someone else had bought it.

Thought I would just give you a bit of insight on what I personally have played and liked. IMO,the most important factor to an acoustic bass it just that. How well it plays unplugged. And for me, those are the only three acoustic basses that have even been worthy of mentioning.

 

Check out this Fender.

http://www.bassnw.com/Used Basses/fender_gb41sce_aeb.htm

 

Remember to check the classifieds here. I recently saw a Fender AEB at a steal of a price there.

 

Find a used Epiphone El Captain or EL Segundo both are nice acoustic/electric with anti feed back Eq

 

Generally, I agree. However, I have found that I can use mine through a lot of PA systems where I can't use my electric bass w/o hauling my amp. These are open mic situations where I play three songs and listen to everyone else.

 

Check out this instrument, I have no affiliation with the company. I have been waiting for Aquilla to get the Short Bass One in fretless available but.....someone on Talkbass mentioned the Micro Bass so I called. It will be available in Sept. Just when I am going to visit mom in Florida. I may be coming home with one. Here is the link to their site.
http://www.goldtone.com/products/w/c/138/MicroBass-New-for-2013 I won a Tacoma Thunderchief, Ovation Celebrity 5 string EABG, and a Kala Mahogany UBass. Always looking for the upright sound without the massiveness of an upright. As Kala says more bass less space.

 

I have owned several ABGs and I think the Deans are the best bang for the buck. They actually have one of the best acoustic tones of ABGs and are probably louder acoustically than every available ABGs with the exception of the Tacoma Thunderchief. I have a Performer Acoustic Electric fretless cutaway that I love. (I think now it is called an EABC). I really don't think you would be disappointed at all with a Dean.

 

I have a Michael Kelly Dragonfly fretless I play all the time. It's up in the kitchen near the sliding door. Every chance I get I take it out in the back yard and noodle around. Just love the way it plays. $150 pawnshop deal.. No where near $80 but still a very good deal. I have a Takamine G series ( gold/yellow curly maple top ) that is very nice.. but I find myself playing the fretless more.. partly because I'm into fretless lately.

My band all lives in the same subdivision and it's not uncommon for us to get together in someones back yard and practice acoustic only ( drummer has an electronic set he uses for that ). And when we play at open mic nights, I always bring an acoustic. If someone is jamming by a campfire, adding a bass really fills out the songs.

I've seen some really good deals on the Michael Kelly 4 and 5 string basses. Look used first and don't hesitate NOT to buy if you don't like the feel or sound of the bass. You can really save a lot of money buying used. Especially locally.