does anyone know of a fretted acoustic bass guitar that truly sounds good acousticaly(not plugged in) one that can stand up in a setting of two acoustic guitars and a mandolin? one that the low notes of the E string don't peter out. I have found that anything below low A loses volume. any suggestions?
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acoustic basses
- Thread starter Your Uncle Al
- Start date
They exist but they are big, rare, and expensive. Ernie Ball Earthwood, Guild B50 are great if you can find either. Of those currently made, I think the Emerald Balor is likely the volume winner: Invalid Link Removed
or just get an electric ABG and a small portable amp.
or just get an electric ABG and a small portable amp.
Check out one of these:
BCPA4 Acoustic Bass Guitar | C.F. Martin & Co.
Have had good success playing with an acoustic guitarist. Use a pick to get more attack and volume.
BCPA4 Acoustic Bass Guitar | C.F. Martin & Co.
Have had good success playing with an acoustic guitarist. Use a pick to get more attack and volume.
I just think that we're fighting physics. You're going to need a small amp of some kind. Fortunately, there are quite a few good choices out there.
Upright bass bodies aren't the size they are for fun. It's the physics of amplifying low notes.
Even the giant acoustics that could sort of be heard don't sound very good and are very unpleasant to play.
Those are very nice but just as loud as a Dean or Epiphone for one tenth the price.
Bass guitar is all about tone. Not a day goes by here without someone talking about tone. Whether you like the P bass, Ric, Stingray tone, etc...it's not just the pickup(s) but the on-board controls, the strings and the amp. Earthwood bass, jumbo-body Guild, Taylor AB-3, no matter what acoustic bass you use, you're limited to that basic tone.
I have a great acoustic bass but I wouldn't dream of playing unplugged and limiting what it can do, and believe me, I can get some sounds out of it that I can't even get out of my G&L L2000...that's why I bought a battery-powered amp.
Sure, you can be heard on your Warwick Alien, to some degree, when playing with an acoustic guitar or two, but the bass won't be fully realized when the tone is restricted.
I have a great acoustic bass but I wouldn't dream of playing unplugged and limiting what it can do, and believe me, I can get some sounds out of it that I can't even get out of my G&L L2000...that's why I bought a battery-powered amp.
Sure, you can be heard on your Warwick Alien, to some degree, when playing with an acoustic guitar or two, but the bass won't be fully realized when the tone is restricted.
You didn't define what "sounds good acoustically" means. Some folks around here think an ABG is supposed to sound like a standup. Others think you're supposed to be able to pedal on the low G and boom like a P bass through an ampeg.
An ABG is neither of those things. Doing the wrong thing on the wrong instrument gets you the wrong result.
If the singer gets a Mic, the ABG gets an amp. Otherwise, use pick on a big bodied instrument with roundwounds. Transpose your figures up one octave if the key forces you to depend on the E string.
An ABG is neither of those things. Doing the wrong thing on the wrong instrument gets you the wrong result.
If the singer gets a Mic, the ABG gets an amp. Otherwise, use pick on a big bodied instrument with roundwounds. Transpose your figures up one octave if the key forces you to depend on the E string.
It's been a lot of years, but iwnt on the hhnt for an ABG i could play unplugged with my dad and brother and after trying just about everything available at the time, including a Martin and some giant old Guild, i wound up just getting a little 60W amp to use with a regular electric bass when it was time to chicken pick with the flat top crowd.
Most of the ABG's sounded good and carried really well on their own but trying to find a spot with a couple of flat tops found every one of them losing out from the 5th fret on the E all the way to open E. they would simply go away. Granted, ABG's have gotten much better but i still don't see any being used unplugged in a group setting.
Most of the ABG's sounded good and carried really well on their own but trying to find a spot with a couple of flat tops found every one of them losing out from the 5th fret on the E all the way to open E. they would simply go away. Granted, ABG's have gotten much better but i still don't see any being used unplugged in a group setting.
- Jan 28, 2009
- 2,929
- 4,152
- Disclosures
- Owner: Moonshine Custom Guitars
A resonator bass could be your best bet...
When properly set up they have more mid range and cut through better.
YMMV
Moonshine.
When properly set up they have more mid range and cut through better.
YMMV
Moonshine.
But "that basic tone" can vary widely on both electrics and ABGs, depending on where you pluck the string. Move your strikepoint in three- or four-inch increments from just before the bridge to up around the 15th/17th fret, and you get quite a diversity of sound. The harmonic mixture changes as you move away from the bridge.
Get one of these:
New 1/4 Size WHITE Upright String Double Bass~Students Teens Adults Orchestra | eBay
Play it across your knee; all the acoustic bass guitar you'll ever need.
New 1/4 Size WHITE Upright String Double Bass~Students Teens Adults Orchestra | eBay
Play it across your knee; all the acoustic bass guitar you'll ever need.
As an eBay Associate, TalkBass may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
The guild and the earthwood and about it, I've had decent success with the Tacoma thunderchief as well. But basically to be present while jamming, it's nothing like have my old Kay upright.
Average run-of-the-mill ABGs might stand up to 1 acoustic guitar, but two and a mandolin... only if you're jamming with each other in a small room ie no audience and even then ...
There are a number of threads on this topic — you'll find much the same info already given here: Earthwood, Guild, Resonator, go-big-or-go-home...
There's a fretted upright bass somebody's floggin', basically a modded CCB.
TB Thread: The Fretted upright
Various other esoteric solutions such as an old '30s Regal, Mandos etc...
They do come up for sale occasionally ... a year ago on Reverb:
Mando...
Can't fight the physics.
It's either go BIG, or amplify.
There are a number of threads on this topic — you'll find much the same info already given here: Earthwood, Guild, Resonator, go-big-or-go-home...
There's a fretted upright bass somebody's floggin', basically a modded CCB.
TB Thread: The Fretted upright
Various other esoteric solutions such as an old '30s Regal, Mandos etc...
They do come up for sale occasionally ... a year ago on Reverb:
Mando...
Can't fight the physics.
It's either go BIG, or amplify.
The reason amplification was invented, and first used by the Amp Co., was so the bass could be heard in the live mix with a full band. All the above is true : two guitars and mando will drown out an unamplified bass, no matter what instrument you are playing, so you need to use a small amp!
