Acoustic bass help

[BassicJazzy]

I have an Ovation Premier Elite which I bought in '91. I think it's 34" scale, never really checked. Just got done with maintenance on it yesterday, because most of the time it sits in its case. Back in the 90's it was my most often played bass, because I was in an apartment with thin walls, so I could practice unplugged. Now that I have a better practice space I find very little reason to play it.

ABGs in general have relatively high actions. If you set the neck with insufficient relief you get buzzing all day long, even on the best made ABG. Yes, they sound good, but not better than a really good electric bass, and they do not sound anything like an upright. They share more in common with acoustic guitars than they do with upright or electric basses.

I found that if I played the ABG for more than a couple days it affected my touch on the more sensitive electric basses. I would become ham-fisted.

Another thing to note is that with the fixed bridge, intonation on an ABG is often off above the 12th fret. Many of them, including my Ovation, play sharp above 12. Of course you don't go up there much on an ABG, but it is something to be aware of. Not much you can do about it.

Finally, last point, the ergonomics suck. Except for a few thin line models, which are expensive, the thick body and sharp ridges can be very uncomfortable. I play my Ovation with a strap to keep it from rolling away from me, with its bowl back.

Here's my Ovation, top of their line at the time.

 

[JoeyFab]

I've got a Fender 4-string acoustic/electric bass guitar, but I'm not sure which model it is, as the wife bought it for me as a present. It plays just fine, and I never have any problem switching to it from either my 35 in. scale 5-stringers or my 34 in. scale 4-stringers. I've used it for playing acoustic gigs either as a 3-piece with a guitarist and a vocalist, or as a 2-piece with both of those combined into one.

Practically, you CANNOT play without being amplified, as the volume is nowhere near loud enough (which is why acoutic basses, not bass guitars, are so large). I also had to put a cover in the sound hole to prevent excessive feedback from the soundboard vibrating incessantly whenever there was any real useful volume required. Havoing a standard, round soundhole is something I was VERY glad that this bass guitar had, as I cannot imagine playing one with crazy, non-standard sound holes where you cannot find a cover for them.

The tone is a bit softer than an electric bass guitar, and the look is much more authentic if you're playing with other acoustic (or acoustic/electric) guitarists. It's nice to have, but you won't hear it unamplified around the campfire. I'd suggest having a small battery-powered bass amp for that. Otherwise, I usually play it through my amp with just a 2 x 10 cab.

 

[Giffro]

I use my FENDER CB-100CE ACOUSTIC amplified mostly through my Fender Rumble 40, and use a Lutehole cover to lessen any feedback issues. Works well for me.

 

[scuzzy]

my Washburn is actually a 35" scale. I love it. My Dean is a 34" scale.

The new Sire models look promising, but haven't seen anything more on them.

 

[mapleglo]

I have a 5 string Ovation acoustic bass.



If I'm playing with one other acoustic guitarist, it's loud enough to be heard unamplified. It is 34" scale.

 

[Ketbass]

I guess this has been sort of addressed. ABG’s no matter the size can’t keep up with anything more than a nylon string guitar, if that. If you want to be in a “no amp” situation, you will really need a decent upright. I have a fretless Washburn AB20, strung with Spirocore jazz flats with no expectations of playing it acoustically with anyone. I bought it because it is warmer in sound and has the right “look” for certain gigs. That saying, I use it with an old AI Coda amp plugged into a portable battery pack and can play it up to 4hrs on a charge. Discreet and gets the job done without interfering with the vibe of an all acoustic stage. Just my 2 cents

 

[BassicJazzy]

I have a 5 string Ovation acoustic bass.

View attachment 7493568

If I'm playing with one other acoustic guitarist, it's loud enough to be heard unamplified. It is 34" scale.

Yeah, folks here don't believe me about how loud my Ovation is. I only plug it in to tune it, when I pull it out of its case, which is rare.

 

[Isaac_James]

(Note - for this thread, "acoustic bass" means "acoustic bass guitar", not "upright double bass")

I went to the local music store the other day and found an interesting specimen--the Fender Kingman Bass Guitar. It seems to have about the same body shape and size as a Dreadnought, with a 30-inch scale.

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For me, I may want to play it at the "old country church", where amplified instruments aren't exactly illegal, but very much frowned upon. Occasionally, I also want to play "around the campfire", where there's no electricity. Are there any other uses for it?

Which leads me to a whole host of questions:
1. Is there such a thing as a 34-inch scale acoustic bass? Or are they pretty much all short-scale?
2. If you started playing a 30-inch scale, would that mess with your technique? Or would you adjust to playing it pretty quick?
3. Other than playing "around the campfire" and "because I can", is there any good reason to own an acoustic bass?
4. If you plug it in, is an acoustic bass pretty much the same as an electric? So...you should just go electric, right?
5. Does anybody have any recommendations? Or things to know before buying an acoustic?
6. Any opinions on the Kingman?
7. It seems like you should avoid a 5-string, because the B-string won't really be audible. Amirite?

Open discussion. Just give me your thoughts, in no particular order.

I can't answer all of these but I have thoughts on a few points:

2: I've gone back and forth between my 33.25" Rickenbacker and my other 34" scale scale basses without much issue. It might take a few minutes to find your "footing" so to speak when you switch, but that's less of an issue than another aspect of ABGs: a lot of the time they have higher action and feel stiffer. That's not necessarily true with all ABGs, and I haven't tried out a Kingsman so I can't speak to that, but it's something to be aware of. Your picking/plucking had is also going to be at a different position simply due to the thickness of the body, and that can affect technique as well. I'd rank both of those higher than scale length in terms of how difficult to adjust to they are.

4: No, not even remotely. A solid body electric bass typically has electromagnetic pickups which react to the string's vibration through a magnetic field. Acoustic/electric instruments typically use piezoelectric pickups in the bridge, which senses vibrations and amplifies them. You'll get a totally different sound from an amplified ABG.

The thing to bear in mind about the acoustic bass guitar is that it's a compromise, it's much smaller, cheaper, and easier to play than an upright. But upright basses aren't that big for no reason, they're big because you need a large resonant body to project lower frequencies at a volume that can keep up with other acoustic instruments. The biggest complaint I see about ABGs is that they get overpowered as soon as there are other instruments playing, at which point you need an amplifier, and if you've got an amplifier already, then the question is do you want the sound of the ABG, or can you get what you want from your normal solid body electric?

 

[BassicJazzy]

I can't answer all of these but I have thoughts on a few points:

2: I've gone back and forth between my 33.25" Rickenbacker and my other 34" scale scale basses without much issue. It might take a few minutes to find your "footing" so to speak when you switch, but that's less of an issue than another aspect of ABGs: a lot of the time they have higher action and feel stiffer. That's not necessarily true with all ABGs, and I haven't tried out a Kingsman so I can't speak to that, but it's something to be aware of. Your picking/plucking had is also going to be at a different position simply due to the thickness of the body, and that can affect technique as well. I'd rank both of those higher than scale length in terms of how difficult to adjust to they are.

4: No, not even remotely. A solid body electric bass typically has electromagnetic pickups which react to the string's vibration through a magnetic field. Acoustic/electric instruments typically use piezoelectric pickups in the bridge, which senses vibrations and amplifies them. You'll get a totally different sound from an amplified ABG.

The thing to bear in mind about the acoustic bass guitar is that it's a compromise, it's much smaller, cheaper, and easier to play than an upright. But upright basses aren't that big for no reason, they're big because you need a large resonant body to project lower frequencies at a volume that can keep up with other acoustic instruments. The biggest complaint I see about ABGs is that they get overpowered as soon as there are other instruments playing, at which point you need an amplifier, and if you've got an amplifier already, then the question is do you want the sound of the ABG, or can you get what you want from your normal solid body electric?

I blame MTV's Unplugged episodes for making everyone feel they had to buy one of these things. IMO the only reason to have one is if you want to work on developing your bass lines at odd hours, when you can just have the thing next to your bed, pick it up, play a bit, put it down. No amp, no loud noises to worry about, always at the ready, nothing to slow you down.