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Guitar Scale Acoustic Basses
- Thread starter SBassman
- Start date
What can you say about string to string volume / evenness? My PNB14E is good in that regard, but not Great. It could be better. I believe the AVNB1E has a better pickup and preamp, and if it yields more even string to string, that will coax me to go further down the rabbit hole with these basses and get one.
So - please go plug it in and come back here.
I PMd BHerman about the CB40s, and realized I should have posted the info here.
If any of you experiment with the CB40s on this type of bass, give it some time for the strings to break in. They will not break in immediately, and you won't see the desired stability immediately. I believe they are on a nylon core. It took mine several days to a week, can't remember precisely, and then the stability came. Be patient.
If any of you experiment with the CB40s on this type of bass, give it some time for the strings to break in. They will not break in immediately, and you won't see the desired stability immediately. I believe they are on a nylon core. It took mine several days to a week, can't remember precisely, and then the stability came. Be patient.
What can you say about string to string volume / evenness? My PNB14E is good in that regard, but not Great. It could be better. I believe the AVNB1E has a better pickup and preamp, and if it yields more even string to string, that will coax me to go further down the rabbit hole with these basses and get one.
So I played it plugged in for about 30 minutes, noodling around and playing some Bach suites (badly) and I am pretty happy with the amplified sound. Seems pretty even to me across the strings as well as up the neck. A bit hard to tell completely because of the zingy sound of the brass strings, but am pretty satisfied all around. Very fun little bass to play. Most of my playing these days is on an Eminence URB so its a completely different animal, but fun to play, stays in tune and sounds good.
Good to hear. Mine is a a blast play, but I could definitely see an improvement in string to string response. It is highly likely that I am going to take the plunge on the better pickup and preamp of the AVNB1E. Please post other feedback on the plugged in tone after spending some time with the CB40s. Thanks.
That is one thing I like about the ortega. Great pickup and even volume string to string. That is the one issue with my mini squire bass. D string in all 5 switch positions is louder. Looking for a bridge pickup but don't want to spring 85 for a satch track
Will do. Keep in mind that my expectations/needs are low - I don't intend to gig with this bass or use it to play with others, primarily as a travel practice bass. However, I've played alot of the smaller basses (from UBass to Ibby Mikro) and so far this is the best of the bunch. Well built, hoping that with reasonable strings it'll sound great too.
I went to GC to try & to buy the Taylor GS, but chose the Ibanez PNB14E instead.
I preferred everything about it; the tone, the feel, the look and the price.
The one at GC had an issue - the wiring harness had come loose at the point where it was taped between the bridge & the control panel & was rattling around, so I ordered one from Sweetwater.
Should be here just in time for my next rehearsal with my acoustic trio.
Thanks for posting about the La Bellas - its good to know I'll have a few options when it comes time to re-string it.
I preferred everything about it; the tone, the feel, the look and the price.
The one at GC had an issue - the wiring harness had come loose at the point where it was taped between the bridge & the control panel & was rattling around, so I ordered one from Sweetwater.
Should be here just in time for my next rehearsal with my acoustic trio.
Thanks for posting about the La Bellas - its good to know I'll have a few options when it comes time to re-string it.
EdwardofHuncote
I Still Dream of Jeannie
- Aug 21, 2013
- 6,644
- 2
- 16,407
- Disclosures
- I privately own and operate a local musical instument repair shop.
I've been thinking about the PNB14E as a therapeutic tool... played one in our local music store and thought it sounded great just sitting there. I've got a surgery coming up soon that's going to knock me out of playing gigs for a good long while, all Fall and Winter for sure. Seems like a good way to at least keep the stuff in my head...
My hands are getting so screwed up as I age that this scale is about all I can manage now. It is a big help.
My left hand is really shot. I imagine drumming contributed to it, along with now arthritis, and now trigger finger. Had bad trigger finger in my ring finger. Got cortisone once last year and that eventually opened it up again, but now it is back to being shot. Opening and closing my left hand is painful, with very little flexibility, so it creates a great challenge to bass playing.
[Along with the fact that I was never very strong on bass to begin with. ]
So, this - very comfortable - scale is allowing me to enjoy playing again.
My left hand is really shot. I imagine drumming contributed to it, along with now arthritis, and now trigger finger. Had bad trigger finger in my ring finger. Got cortisone once last year and that eventually opened it up again, but now it is back to being shot. Opening and closing my left hand is painful, with very little flexibility, so it creates a great challenge to bass playing.
[Along with the fact that I was never very strong on bass to begin with.
] So, this - very comfortable - scale is allowing me to enjoy playing again.
EdwardofHuncote
I Still Dream of Jeannie
- Aug 21, 2013
- 6,644
- 2
- 16,407
- Disclosures
- I privately own and operate a local musical instument repair shop.
Similar experience... the Taylor was nice, but not that much nicer, certainly not enough for the price differential. I'm not totally sold yet... I'll probably try both again.
It'll never happen. It's sort of surprising the Mikro series are still being produced, but they are great little basses for kids, small handed folk, people with medical issues that make longer scales hard to play, and guitarists. I really liked mine as a tenor or piccolo bass, and it was serviceable in E standard too.
I imagine a micro scale bass with only a piezo pickup would sound like crap. I've never heard a piezo-only electric bass that I wanted to hear again.
The other issue is strings; the Mikro gets it right in that department because you can use standard short scale strings (for 30" basses with a regular/ not a stop-tailpiece bridge), so you aren't stuck tracking down either custom strings or whatever OEM garbage Ibanez ships them with. Sure, you can get strings for standard tuning at that short scale from the likes of Newtone , Curt Mangan, maybe Octave4Plus (I had an awful time several years ago getting a string set made for my Samick Corsair Mini bass and would never recommend anyone give them money), or if you can manage to get them to ship things to you, Kalium... again, I'd never recommend anyone give them money.
Unless multiple manufacturers get onboard with the micro scale bass thing and then get string manufacturers to produce strings that will fit 25-27" scale electric basses, I wouldn't be jumping onboard with one. Tone is so subjective, and strings such a big part of it, that I think you'd have too many players disappointed because they were stuck with whatever strings were offered as stock.
I am more optimistic than that. This segment is fascinating to me, and it appears it is now growing. I think with a little bit of marketing, a little bit of additional string options, and a little bit of additional bass options, that we can see a market grow and remain. Between DAddario and La Bella, they can Easily create more string options for these basses. And the manufacturers can easily create other designs - some that look old school traditional, and some that are more modern.
I already wrote to Ibanez to build that bass. I know it is a long shot, but - I am going to believe that other manufacturers are going to jump into this, and we will eventually see other modern design versions of a guitar scale acoustic bass.
I haven't liked some acoustic bass tone I have heard in the past, too - but it was mostly because of the phosphor bronze. I think the tone I am getting with the La Bella CB40s is very good, and the tone of a Rob Allen with La Bella tapes is to die for.
I already wrote to Ibanez to build that bass.
I know it is a long shot, but - I am going to believe that other manufacturers are going to jump into this, and we will eventually see other modern design versions of a guitar scale acoustic bass.I haven't liked some acoustic bass tone I have heard in the past, too - but it was mostly because of the phosphor bronze. I think the tone I am getting with the La Bella CB40s is very good, and the tone of a Rob Allen with La Bella tapes is to die for.
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Labella flats have as they have reproduced their already popular flat to fit the goldtone microbass. Unfortunately it is for the m.e. that has a two position bridge. Their acoustic version only has one position with intonation set for poly strings. Maybe you could get goldtone to change their acoustic to have bridge set to intimate for their flats. Of course you can use their fretless one now.
While I do think the Taylor is a better feeling and sounding instrument, I thought the PNB14E, which I had recently tried out at a couple of local stores, was very nice for the price, and more than adequate for my purpose which, like bherman, is mainly as a small, travel practice bass. And then a like-new Ibby popped up for a very good price on CL, so I couldn't resist.
And as it happens, I've got an outdoor gig this afternoon, and we're starting the second set acoustically, so I'm going to try 'er out on the first two songs and see how it goes. I have fabricated a funky sound hole cover for it (out of an old CD and some foam) because I'm concerned it might feed back a little when the volume goes up. We'll see how it goes.
Regarding the string volume question that came up earlier, mine is pretty even from string to string, and the intonation is quite good. But I think I will order a set of the CB40s and see if they are any less "noisy" than the bronze ones.
And as it happens, I've got an outdoor gig this afternoon, and we're starting the second set acoustically, so I'm going to try 'er out on the first two songs and see how it goes. I have fabricated a funky sound hole cover for it (out of an old CD and some foam) because I'm concerned it might feed back a little when the volume goes up. We'll see how it goes.
Regarding the string volume question that came up earlier, mine is pretty even from string to string, and the intonation is quite good. But I think I will order a set of the CB40s and see if they are any less "noisy" than the bronze ones.
Please let us know how that gig goes.
I'm contemplating a sound hole cover that would be a nice pickguard cut into a circle - with foam on the back. If anyone comes up with a source of buyable soundhole covers for any of these basses, please chime in.
I'm contemplating a sound hole cover that would be a nice pickguard cut into a circle - with foam on the back. If anyone comes up with a source of buyable soundhole covers for any of these basses, please chime in.
IMHO, the Ibby has a wee bit darker tone due to the woods used, and the Ibby's slightly longer scale length (24.8" vs. the Taylor's 23.5") equated to a much better tension & feel for me.
Can't really go wrong with either one though.
I want this : Invalid Link Removed
It is the Magma Transpositor Bass. 5 string with a low B and uses classical guitar style strings and stringing . Not really sure if we can get it in the USA or how much it costs. Does look cool though.
It is the Magma Transpositor Bass. 5 string with a low B and uses classical guitar style strings and stringing . Not really sure if we can get it in the USA or how much it costs. Does look cool though.
