I'm starting to play acoustic sets with my band and I need acoustic bass. The only problem is I have next to no money. Is there a good acoustic bass I can buy for under $300?
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Good & Cheap Acoustic Bass?
- Thread starter WowSuchPunx
- Start date
- Oct 7, 2000
- 18,619
- 38,939
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Musicman basses
I think pretty much all of the cheap acoustics available in the online stores (musiciansfriend, music123, etc.) are decent. I would strongly advise however to NOT buy one of the super cheapos (like under $100) on amazon, or eBay. I have experience with 2 of those and they don't even make decent toys. Don't ask yourself, "how bad could it be". It could be real bad. Just trust me on that.
There was a thread about this just yesterday, but if you can't find it, the answer is of course there is.
http://m.ebay.com/itm/331138389972?nav=SEARCH
Strange timing, huh?
http://m.ebay.com/itm/331138389972?nav=SEARCH
Strange timing, huh?
As an eBay Associate, TalkBass may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
^This.
If you want a new bass, it's hard to beat any of the Dean offerings.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/dean-eab-acoustic-electric-bass
Used in your price range, look for anything with Ibanez or Washburn on the headstock and you'll be fine. The Fender T Bucket would also be a contender.
Keep in mind you will STILL need an amp of some sort.
Oh, if you think you'll be playing anywhere near gig volumes, you'll need one of these too:
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If you can, get to a music store that has a decent selection and try several out, they are usually quite different animals from each other.
Good luck.
I've tried them, they play & sound good.
The only problem I had was the body size.
Standing with a strap I'd be okay-but sitting I couldn't do for very long having to reach over the body.
that's the main reason I don't have an acoustic bass--I've found a few good deals on them when I had the cash for one.
Dean maybe used Fender or used Kala ukelele bass. They still require amplification. If you're not plugging in at all get a guitarron or a double bass but then there's no such DB worth $300.
I'll assume... yea, yea, we know... you'll be plugging in along with the guitars, while calling it an acoustic set?
Make sure you have decent electronics. It used to be the lower tiered Dean ABG's had passive elecs and were very weak amplified.
Lot of people here like their Ibanez ABG's.
Takamine make a good ABG, EG512C. Maybe you can fine one on the bay for around your budget.
Read through the Acoustic Bas Fetish Club thread.
Make sure you have decent electronics. It used to be the lower tiered Dean ABG's had passive elecs and were very weak amplified.
Lot of people here like their Ibanez ABG's.
Takamine make a good ABG, EG512C. Maybe you can fine one on the bay for around your budget.
Read through the Acoustic Bas Fetish Club thread.
I don't have trouble with mine sitting down, and I just finished spending a couple of hours with mine. The strap I ordered for it isn't in yet, so I only play sitting down. I'm not really reaching over the fat part of the instrument, and I find it natural to play over the end of the fretboard, using the side of it as a thumb rest.
The electronics aren't very strong on it. I ordered a soundhole plug which also hasn't arrived yet; we'll see how it does amplified with that. But mostly, I bought it to play in our living room with my wife, and it does just fine (and has a very nice tone) unamplified for that purpose.
There is great contentious debate as to whether an acoustic bass guitar capable of producing volume capable of competing w/a mildly-annoyed mosquito even exists. Jes sayin
See if you can find an Applause AE-140. Smaller body size, with a strap it's comfortable to play sitting down. It projects reasonably well, but if you're playing with more than one acoustic guitarist you'll need amplification.
I had a chance to try some other ABGs today (Fender Kingman, Ibanez, Takamine); they're all much smaller than my Dean. I get it now why folks think ABGs are so quiet... and my bigger Dean really does kick out a lot more volume acoustically. (I haven't really plugged it in much.) It matches well with my wife's acoustic guitar, and I play fingerstyle. I haven't tried to be heard over hand drums, though.
Yes. I picked up a Luna for $150 brand new and it's FAR nicer than it should be. Place nice, sounds nice and looks strangely VERY nice.
BassHappy
Supporting Member
I definitely recommend the Fender T-Bucket, which retails for $399, but I have seen them cheaper. Ed Friedland likes them too as below:
FENDER T-BUCKET REVIEW BY ED FRIEDLAND
"Fender’s new T-Bucket Bass is a small-bodied entrant to the genre, with tasteful hot rod-inspired graphics and electronics by Fishman. An unplugged Bucket won’t send you running for earplugs, but its smaller, Grand Concert-style laminated mahogany/ maple body works well for close-miking in the studio, and when you do plug it in, its diminutive profile also helps reject feedback. The 1.650” nut width gives the 32"-scale neck a comfortable feel, and the dual-action truss rod makes accurate adjustments easy and effective. The onboard preamp is Fishman’s Isys III system, with volume, bass, mid, and treble controls, as well as a built-in tuner/mute function. The EQ is flexible enough that you’ll only have to twist a knob to go from bright grind to warm, upright-like thump.
I took the T-Bucket out for several acoustic-oriented gigs and was pleasantly surprised at how well it fulfilled the bass function, and how easy it was to play. On a Django-esque guitar trio gig, rolling off the highs, bumping up the lows, and plucking by the fingerboard gave me a texture that came close to an upright tone—the medium scale length gives the bass just enough tubby-ness to help simulate the doghouse. (A set of nylon tapewound strings would have nailed it.) On an acoustic singer-songwriter gig, I played with more treble; the zing of the factory-supplied Fender Phosphor Bronze strings blended nicely with the acoustic guitar, while still supplying a welldefined bottom in support.
To be honest, I am not usually a fan of acoustic bass guitars. I’ve found only a few that I enjoyed playing, and I wouldn’t take most ABG’s to a real-world gig. But the T-Bucket is an exception: A modest, laminated acoustic instrument whose easy playability, familiar neck, and flexible electronics go a long way toward making this hot rod ready to race."
BassHappy
www.innertainment.net
FENDER T-BUCKET REVIEW BY ED FRIEDLAND
"Fender’s new T-Bucket Bass is a small-bodied entrant to the genre, with tasteful hot rod-inspired graphics and electronics by Fishman. An unplugged Bucket won’t send you running for earplugs, but its smaller, Grand Concert-style laminated mahogany/ maple body works well for close-miking in the studio, and when you do plug it in, its diminutive profile also helps reject feedback. The 1.650” nut width gives the 32"-scale neck a comfortable feel, and the dual-action truss rod makes accurate adjustments easy and effective. The onboard preamp is Fishman’s Isys III system, with volume, bass, mid, and treble controls, as well as a built-in tuner/mute function. The EQ is flexible enough that you’ll only have to twist a knob to go from bright grind to warm, upright-like thump.
I took the T-Bucket out for several acoustic-oriented gigs and was pleasantly surprised at how well it fulfilled the bass function, and how easy it was to play. On a Django-esque guitar trio gig, rolling off the highs, bumping up the lows, and plucking by the fingerboard gave me a texture that came close to an upright tone—the medium scale length gives the bass just enough tubby-ness to help simulate the doghouse. (A set of nylon tapewound strings would have nailed it.) On an acoustic singer-songwriter gig, I played with more treble; the zing of the factory-supplied Fender Phosphor Bronze strings blended nicely with the acoustic guitar, while still supplying a welldefined bottom in support.
To be honest, I am not usually a fan of acoustic bass guitars. I’ve found only a few that I enjoyed playing, and I wouldn’t take most ABG’s to a real-world gig. But the T-Bucket is an exception: A modest, laminated acoustic instrument whose easy playability, familiar neck, and flexible electronics go a long way toward making this hot rod ready to race."
BassHappy
www.innertainment.net
