since i started playing abg about eight years ago i have no desire to play a regular electric bass. my tacoma olympia with bronzes is louder than most and retains the same tone amplified. with labella tapes it has the perfect tone for me. its beat to hell with a broken neck repair and the finish worn off the neck. lots of honest mojo.
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acoustic bass? your reccomendation
- Thread starter rutto
- Start date
I played several before buying a pair of Tacoma THunderchief's, a 4 string CB10 and 5 string CB20. They can play just fine with an acoustic guitar and have a lot of thump, the CB20 seems to have a little more as a 5 string.
Like any acoustic bass feedback can be an issue when you amplify it, especially if you move around onstage, but the notch filters on their Fishman electronics do a pretty credible job of squelching it.
No longer in production though but worth it if you find a nice one, if you take care of it, it will only go up in value.
Like any acoustic bass feedback can be an issue when you amplify it, especially if you move around onstage, but the notch filters on their Fishman electronics do a pretty credible job of squelching it.
No longer in production though but worth it if you find a nice one, if you take care of it, it will only go up in value.
I did a lot of research before buying my ABG about a year ago. I had wanted one anyway for situations where I wanted to play my bass but using electric was not possible or preferable, or when I just want to play quietly but still hear the tone, but when a few of the guys in my band wanted to do an acoustic trio with vocals, I took the plunge.
Like with any bass, it has to feel good to you, as well as sound good. In my budget, I narrowed it down to the Ibanez AEB 10E and the Fender Kingman. I liked the sound of both, but the neck of the Fender felt great to me (actually has a fender electric jazz bass neck) and the Ibanez was too thick for my taste. I have to admit, it's not super loud, but I knew that to be true about most ABG's in general.
It's great for practice and out around the campfire or at somebody's house when I don't want to drag equipment around and/or when friends are playing acoustic guitar.
For performing, after talking to a number of people who have gigged with ABG for years, I found that pretty much everyone uses some kind of amplification with the ABG anyway, usually a small acoustic or practice amp. I already had a 15 amp Fender Rumble practice amp, and it works great with the ABG. The onboard Fishman active preamp does a great job and sounds awesome plugged in. (It really sounds great through my Ampeg PF 500 and SVT 410 HE
)
I put black nylon tapewounds on it, and love the feel and sound. They go for $499 at GC. If you have not already, give one a try and see how you like it.
Good luck!
Like with any bass, it has to feel good to you, as well as sound good. In my budget, I narrowed it down to the Ibanez AEB 10E and the Fender Kingman. I liked the sound of both, but the neck of the Fender felt great to me (actually has a fender electric jazz bass neck) and the Ibanez was too thick for my taste. I have to admit, it's not super loud, but I knew that to be true about most ABG's in general.
It's great for practice and out around the campfire or at somebody's house when I don't want to drag equipment around and/or when friends are playing acoustic guitar.
For performing, after talking to a number of people who have gigged with ABG for years, I found that pretty much everyone uses some kind of amplification with the ABG anyway, usually a small acoustic or practice amp. I already had a 15 amp Fender Rumble practice amp, and it works great with the ABG. The onboard Fishman active preamp does a great job and sounds awesome plugged in. (It really sounds great through my Ampeg PF 500 and SVT 410 HE
)I put black nylon tapewounds on it, and love the feel and sound. They go for $499 at GC. If you have not already, give one a try and see how you like it.
Good luck!
- Jul 30, 2006
- 2,315
- 453
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist:Regenerate Guitar Works Carvin, Micheal Kelly Guitars
As you can see, I'm an endorser of Micheal Kelly guitars. That being said, I believe the MK Dragonfly II 5 string fretless I have is the best ABG I've played. Understand that I have absolutely no interest in using it in a totally acoustic setting. You will not find any ABG loud enough unamplified to compete with two strummed acoustic guitars (sometimes just one). You may as well not be playing. So, my quest was to find the best sounding amplified ABG. The very 1st thing I did was ditch those brass strings (ugh!). I replaced them with Dogal Jaco flatwounds. They are a bit like TI flats. I think I would order the less decorated "Club" model if I had it to do over again. The inlay on the Dragonfly had risen in a spot or two when I got it & it buzzed in those places. I had Bill Gibbetz re-radius the fingerboard. Now it plays like a dream & sounds so much like an upright it will shock you. Just slap on some flats, roll the highs & mids off & boost the bottom. Boom! You're right there. I have some people I play with who insist I play that bass. I've had URB players compliment me on the sound as well. That's my vote.
I have a Epiphone El Segundo discontinued. Nice bass if you can find one used? 3 and change back when I bought it has a 4 band Eq with feedback reduction a must with acoustic electrics
I have an early 2000's Washburn I absolutely adore. It has a d.i. as well as a standard output jack.
I spent a couple hours today at GC trying thier acoustics out. Of thier selection I liked the Ibanez and Fender best, not even counting that they were half the price of a couple of the others. I would have picked the Fender if I was leaving with one, mostly because I liked the super skinny neck on it. But they Didn't have a huge selection... other than the two I mentioned they had a couple Deans, a Washburn, and one other I can't remember but it's not one named in this thread.
I can send pictures if you want to see it...rutto said:
I bought a Michael Kelly pre production Dragonfly 5 string with the early Fishman pre and I've been offered quadruple what I paid for it. Amazing tone, and I've gigged it out in jazz, folk and cover gigs and everyone is amazed at the tone. Yes you have to amp it. I played it through a Pig Nose when playing at the beach and it sat in the mix of up to five other acoustic instruments just fine.
An acoustic bass will challenge your technique unlike an electric, it takes patience to get your technique dialed in, but once you do, the tones you can pull out are beautiful. But if you just approach it as your regular bass you might get frustrated with it. The difference is similar to that between an electric guitar and an acoustic guitar, tougher on the fingers, lots of transients off the strings, you have to watch the feedback when playing around amps and such. But if you approach it less as an "unplugged" bass and more as a unique bass voice, it will reward you with a whole new experience, somewhat like you get when you go fretless.
I have the Dean mentioned earlier in the thread and I love it. Everytime I pick it up, I have a hard time putting it down. The pickup is weak, but its not a make-or-break thing for a bass that affordable.
I had two Michael Kelly's, they both sounded fantastic, but like some posters said, I couldn't really find any practical use for them. Not loud enough for a gig, and if I'm gonna plug in, I may as well just use an electric.
I have a EWB-30, same series that the EWB-10 (which I don't think they make anymore), paid around 500$ for it new. It has a nice satin finish on a red-ish wood stain. Nice looks. In terms of sound, it's pretty warm and round for an acoustic, compared to many ABG I tried that sounded only like a tuned down guitar. Very resonant.
