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Loud acoustic bass
- Thread starter Bergerac
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- loud acoustic
A double bass. That will match an acoustic guitar, but that's what it's going to take.
This is the right answer - I studied Acoustical Physics. You want an acoustic bass with decent volume? Get an upright. You want one that fits in your car? That can be done, but only if you bring an amp along, or have a decent PA wherever you're playing. Loud, unamplified acoustic bass guitars just don't exist. I've played some heinously large ones, and even with those, to be heard, you need to plug in.
I think I’ve tried well over a dozen, and probably closer to two dozen different acoustic basses. None of them will hold their own against a good acoustic guitar & definitely not two guitars. There is some kind of non-wood acoustic bass (carbon fiber?) that was spoken of on a thread here on TB that supposedly could make it rain in west Texas when the bass was played in eastern Kentucky. I don’t recall the brand and I didn’t look for the thread, but it might be the one. I definitely haven’t played one.
Owning both;
Upright with a bow is plenty loud. Upright is the option if you wanna compete with Acoustic Gats. All guitar shaped acoustic basses suffer the same lack of oomph.
Upright with a bow is plenty loud. Upright is the option if you wanna compete with Acoustic Gats. All guitar shaped acoustic basses suffer the same lack of oomph.
Old EG512C. Can hang around a fire with two finger picking guitars and singing without a problem.
I've been eyeing this for years. Want to go to Vermont some day to try one out. Guess I should order one before the guy quits making them: Invalid Link Removed
That looks cool, nice styling. The fold neck is an interesting idea. Is that for transportation? I think some people would struggle with setting the bridge but this probably isn't for some people. I imagine the sound post would help the projection. It's a little more height than some but I'd like to hear one. NBD in your future?
Maybe...it's a lot of money, I've never met the guy, and I don't have a burning need for one. Been trying to talk myself into it for a long time but haven't been able to justify it. I would probably ask him for a fretless one if I did.
Jim Carr
Dr. Jim
- Jan 21, 2006
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Be careful, some of those smaller basses have a 37" scale!
You know what cry babies TBers are about mere 35" scales, right?
If there's any possible way I can obtain one, I'll own a lined fretless one day fo sho.
Never seen one never heard one. No mariachi culture down here. But I always wanted to try one. Its got to be loud. Those things go against trumpets.
I play unamplified acoustic bass guitar with 1-4 other acoustic instruments pretty much every weekend, with tapewound strings and no frets. I've heard field recordings, I assure you it's perfectly audible either in the living room or by the fire pit. I wouldn't attempt to play a show without amplification, but then I wouldn't do that with an upright, either. I promise, I haven't just made this stuff up, haha! My Thunderchief isn't even the loudest ABG there is, probably not in the top 5. It's set up somewhat high, and I dig in upright style pretty hard with the meat of my fingers. It can absolutely be done.
Guitarrons aren't big enough, they're loud enough because they're strung in octave pairs.
Edit: I've never played one and therefore don't know that for a fact, that's just how it was recently explained to me (on here if I'm not mistaken).
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Next time you guys get together, make a little video with your loudest and post it here.
I'm always interested in acoustic basses with the proper strings.
I could try, but the best video devices any of us would have would be a cell phone camera and it would likely suck. One fiddler friend of mine that comes around sometimes (not as much now that he's married, but sometimes) has one of those little 4-track (I think?) field recorders, that's what made said recordings on which I've heard myself plenty clearly. Not as loud as back when I played upright, and I'd never claim that, but it'll get the job done. I'd be happy to try and post one of those files next time the opportunity presents itself.
