would it be good to get an Acoustic Electric Bass as a first-start instrument and play it plugged in before playing it without it? and are they easy or hard?
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Acoustic Bass?
- Thread starter Kevin1234451
- Start date
If you’re looking for quick and easy then go with an electric Slab O’Wood bass.
The image I had in my mind, when posting was:
While the black one I just posted is a fine instrument, the advantage I spoke about wouldn't really be in play if you started with it and then switched to a solid body electric.
These photos will give you an idea of body thickness:
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I have a Taylor GS Mini-e bass, and I think it could be a great instrument to start as a beguiner, because it is short scale and it plays like butter due to its special super light strings (.037, .050, .062, .090). It also sounds great.
I wouldn’t suggest an ABG as a first bass when you’re starting out unless you can afford to get a better quality instrument. Far too many “entry level” acoustic bass guitars are poorly set up (if they’re even set up at all) and, if you’re a newbie bassist it’s doubtful you would know how to do a proper set up yourself. Lots of ABG’s come equipped with cheap bronze strings that many find clanky sounding and not very “bass like”. That combination of cheap bass/poor setup/clanky strings turns a lot of people off from using an ABG.
In the right hands, someone with experience can make those bronze strings sound wonderful. Properly set up, even a cheaper ABG can be quite playable. But a new player can struggle with these features at first. I only play ABGs, and I only play them amplified. I don’t care whether the ABG is acoustically loud. I wouldn’t use a pick under any circumstance since I dislike that particular sound and it absolutely doesn’t work well for me.
But I’m not like most of the ABG players here on TB. My suggestion to anyone just starting out is to get a bass that feels comfortable to you, whatever that bass might be. If your budget is pretty tight, you might want to look at an electric bass only because you can get a decent electric bass guitar for pretty cheap money. In my experiences, a $250 electric bass will be a better instrument than a $250 ABG for a beginner … YMMV
In the right hands, someone with experience can make those bronze strings sound wonderful. Properly set up, even a cheaper ABG can be quite playable. But a new player can struggle with these features at first. I only play ABGs, and I only play them amplified. I don’t care whether the ABG is acoustically loud. I wouldn’t use a pick under any circumstance since I dislike that particular sound and it absolutely doesn’t work well for me.
But I’m not like most of the ABG players here on TB. My suggestion to anyone just starting out is to get a bass that feels comfortable to you, whatever that bass might be. If your budget is pretty tight, you might want to look at an electric bass only because you can get a decent electric bass guitar for pretty cheap money. In my experiences, a $250 electric bass will be a better instrument than a $250 ABG for a beginner … YMMV
Same as already said: i would learn on an electric one: easiest to play than an ABG and if you want to play with a band, acoustic can bring some trouble when plugged with high volumes. It can be a sweet alternative to practice at home ampless, or play with a friend on acoustic guitar, but the risk is you pluck strings harder than necessary to have a higher volume sound than on an electric one, where you can manage volume with the amp.
If the question is "Are ABGs easier to play for a beginner?" The answer is "no". The only reason to start with an ABG is if you intend to continue playing ABG. They are totally different from electrics, with different uses, and need to be played differently. If your end goal is to play an electric bass, start with that. You can get a usable slab cheaper than a decent ABG anyway.
I've always found it easy to play this...but I always plug it in.
And some very nice battery-powered bass amps are available if you're thinking of playing on street corners, backyard barbecues, camping out, etc, in various sizes.
Just remember one important thing, even MTV Unplugged isn't actually unplugged.
Guitarists sometimes start on acoustic because it seems cheaper to skip the amp part. Acoustics are sensitive to humidity, although electrics shouldn't be neglected. You often have to pay $$ to get them set up to be less of a chore. ABGs are at a disadvantage because you have to play them much harder than a decent acoustic to be heard. It would be a tall order for an ABG to keep up with my dreadnought.
I vote "no",
I played ABG exclusively for a year or so. I loved the grab & play aspect. I could pull it out of the case at home and play it without an amp. Very cool. But the ergonomics were just awkward. The body was big. No place to anchor your right thumb (which turned out to be a blessing in disguise), the neck projects too much to the player left so the reach to the low F is long. And the tone when amplified was meh.
As a beginner I think it would be much better to start with a standard electric bass which can be had for less $ and will me much more playable.
YMMV.
I played ABG exclusively for a year or so. I loved the grab & play aspect. I could pull it out of the case at home and play it without an amp. Very cool. But the ergonomics were just awkward. The body was big. No place to anchor your right thumb (which turned out to be a blessing in disguise), the neck projects too much to the player left so the reach to the low F is long. And the tone when amplified was meh.
As a beginner I think it would be much better to start with a standard electric bass which can be had for less $ and will me much more playable.
YMMV.
Sort of like banging your head against the wall because it feels sooooo good when you stop?
You’ll notice peeps referring to a good set up for an ABG. These are the same peeps that prefer a super low action on an electric slab o’wood and play with the light touch dead fish handshake technique. In order to be heard unplugged on an ABG you have to have a high action to allow the strings to ring out. If you do go with an ABG, you really need to decide if you’re going to want to be heard when playing unplugged with other acoustic instruments.
The majority of electric bass players just don’t get that you have to use a different technique on an ABG. Seems like guitarists get this with the difference between an acoustic guitar an electric guitar, but it’s lost on electric bass players. An enigma wrapped in a conundrum.
The majority of electric bass players just don’t get that you have to use a different technique on an ABG. Seems like guitarists get this with the difference between an acoustic guitar an electric guitar, but it’s lost on electric bass players. An enigma wrapped in a conundrum.
I've gotten beautiful sounds out of a borrowed Takoma. Notes just bloom. But the only place I'd ever play it is in my living room. If you're gonna play out, go solid-body.
Disregard everything and go for an upright.
Unplugged I can rattle the snares on my son’s drum set in another room, and have no problem being heard in a large bluegrass jam. With an amp, it’s even better.
What’s more, the upright is larger, and therefore better.
Finally, you will get a workout - playing it, schlepping it, explaining that it isn’t a cello.
Unplugged I can rattle the snares on my son’s drum set in another room, and have no problem being heard in a large bluegrass jam. With an amp, it’s even better.
What’s more, the upright is larger, and therefore better.
Finally, you will get a workout - playing it, schlepping it, explaining that it isn’t a cello.
I played an acoustic bass for about a year before getting an electric. It was a guitar scale (25.5") which was very convenient for playing around the house. Worked fine to get me started. I wish I still had it around actually.
It comes with inherent compromises (the soundbox is significantly undersized for the frequencies it's expected to project and it's awkward), but if you're willing to accept them and use an amplifier as a primary way of getting your volume, then you should be fine.
Also: double-bass is a different instrument (viol) than an electric bass (guitar). Don't assume that you can switch from one to the other and have your technique translate over, especially if you develop a high level of proficiency.
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To also share some of my thoughts more, if you want an at home ampless solution, I recommended the Vox plugs earlier and other things, a Ubass is not bad either. However they are much smaller and have rubber strings (which can be changed) but the scale is way shorter and for me personally wasn't ideal. But again, different style of playing nothing insane just slightly, and also to recap my thoughts again, you are not going to be heard without an amp, but tons of battery power-amps and battery power PAs (which are better IMO) exist. To preach to the choir again, I say just go electric bass guitar, you won't regret it and get a ABG later on. Also I found my Ubass took so much more work of EQ to make it sound "nice" in my playing and playing with recordings. Others mileage will vary as always.
In General - I have always found acoustic/electric basses to be fairly useless. They are not loud enough to play with others, and when you plug them in they just sound like an electric bass. Only useful for solo practice IMHO. Sure - there are a few exceptions, but they tend to be really costly.
