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Loud acoustic bass

#61
Wow, I read through this thread and man there is a lot of hate. I will agree with everyone who said that basses need to be capable of moving A LOT of air to produce the same amount of volume as a regular acoustic guitar, that is factual. I think there are plenty of ABGs out there that can at least keep up, the Thunderbird being the one I would turn to first.......if my budget allowed. Sadly it does not.
I recently acquired a Michael Taylor solid top ABG and it seems to be doing the task quite well for my needs. My advice is, whatever you do, get a solid top, DO NOT get a laminated top. I say this based on simple physics. Part of that "need to move a lot of air" comes from the stiffness of said top, and from what I have researched on said interwebs a solid top will move more air than a laminated top based solely on rigidity. So do yourself a favor and get a solid top.
 
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#62
I love the acoustic bass sound but they are quiet and harder to play. I've owned a Fender BG-29, giant Dean and Luna Tat uke contrabass.
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The Fender sounded best, even with the recommended phosphor/bronze strings I used. But harder to play for a novice than a solid body bass. And precise intonation is not possible.
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The Dean was acoustically loudest and sounded OK. It was cheap and nicely made but very hard for an arthritic oldster to play because of its girth.
And the non-battery piezo passive amp was not good.
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The Tat by Luna was fun to play, nice metal strings, good sound, easy to carry and cheap @ $200usd.
But it is acoustically louder because it's tuned to guitar pitch. No built-in tuner, precise intonation is not possible.
MynameisMe said:
I have one of these https://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifiers-effects/pignose-hog-30-amp but as much as they are charging for them now I would probably buy the Roland Micro Cube for bass. When I bought mine it was only $ 150.00....
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Similar here, my Roland Bass Cube cost $300 two years back but does lots more vintage bass modeling, effects, drum tracks than the Pignose.
So it's a great practice amp even if you never play with others (me) or go a-busking.
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Sav'nBass said:
I bought a Roland Micro Cube for just that purpose. I would also consider a Tonewood Amp as well. It is no match for the Roland or the Joyo ..but it is a good option to consider because it will give you just enough extra to get I the mix.
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Thanks for the link, interesting.
LYNCHMAN said:
My EAB is nothing special...a Dean I got for $60 from 16 year old who said he never played it...I've got it playing and sounding pretty good...even with those awful bronzewounds.
If I need more volume I use a Pignose Hog30...
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If I'd kept my giant Dean I'd have replaced the useless built-in amp. It was the loudest unplugged and fine for an unaccompanied bedroom bass player like me except for its ergonomics. I'd have put tapewounds on it.
Get a acoustic bass for the fine woody tone and the convenience of keeping the thing next to you on couch to instantly bust out some bass riffs when inspiration strikes.
When playing with others or competing with a guitar though, bring a little amp.
 
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#63
I played a Guild B50 for years. It was fretless when I bought it. It had more volume when I added frets. Got rid of it when I bought a Boulder Creek for $300. That bass is louder, has tuner and pickup. I took up mandocello and found good volume and option of chording, but it requires a pick and I prefer pizz. All this being said, my main ax is an upright. It sounds great and has much more volume.
 
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#64
boombloom said:
...I took up mandocello and found good volume and option of chording, but it requires a pick and I prefer pizz. All this being said, my main ax is an upright. It sounds great and has much more volume.
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First I've heard of a mandocello. What a wonderful word. To bad you can't fingerstyle it.
Love the sound of a DB. I can see why jazz groups prefer them. It's that 'fretless' sound but with even more complex resonance than a bass guitar. My problem is hearing them (tinnitus from a war), same problem as with bass guitar only worse.
If I write a novel I'll name a character Sophia Mandocello.
 
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#65
Guild B-30 or B-50 are the way to go. There's a killer deal on one on Reverb right now, however the pickup might need a little TLC... sounds like you'd be using it unplugged anyway though, so I would check it out!
Also, they are 30.75" scale, not 32" as some say.
 
#66
Oddball choice, but i heard a guy playing a resonator bass in a bluegrass jam with a hard pick, and it definitely cut through in a group of about 10 string players. Obviously, you're not really hearing the low end, but you are hearing it.

As a younger man,, I played a fully-carved 7/8 DB, with high action and a very aggressive pizz style that would regularly leave my fingers bloody after a couple hours of playing. I prided myself on being able to play medium sized rooms without an amp ... but I probably should have just been using a small amp. I don't thinknit was ultimately worth it to be that guy.
 
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#67
BarfanyShart said:
Oddball choice, but i heard a guy playing a resonator bass in a bluegrass jam with a hard pick, and it definitely cut through in a group of about 10 string players. Obviously, you're not really hearing the low end, but you are hearing it.

As a younger man,, I played a fully-carved 7/8 DB, with high action and a very aggressive pizz style that would regularly leave my fingers bloody after a couple hours of playing. I prided myself on being able to play medium sized rooms without an amp ... but I probably should have just been using a small amp. I don't thinknit was ultimately worth it to be that guy.
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With a good set up including the right strings and some good technique you can prove it all night on the upright. It's been years since my fingers bled....
 
#68
Williethump said:
First I've heard of a mandocello. What a wonderful word. To bad you can't fingerstyle it.
Love the sound of a DB. I can see why jazz groups prefer them. It's that 'fretless' sound but with even more complex resonance than a bass guitar. My problem is hearing them (tinnitus from a war), same problem as with bass guitar only worse.
If I write a novel I'll name a character Sophia Mandocello.
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Interesting to note Jaco played some Mandocello on the studio recording of Birdland.... Here's a wonderful primer on the instrument. It corresponds to the cello. CGDA. It has frets. It's played with a pick. Tuned in fifths instead of fourths.
 
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#72
Just for kicks and messing around at home with my AB, I got one of these Eden MicroTour amps.

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It actually sounds pretty good for such a small enclosure and a couple of Watts. It will let you hold your own with a couple of acoustic guitars and a percussionist on a cajon just fine. Unless you see the guitarists walk in with a couple of Martin D18s or D28s or certain Takamines, then you will be pushing it.

I even took it along to an open mic night once where the two guitarists were plugged into one of those Bose columns with one sub, along with three mics, so no more inputs for me. So I brought it in from the car, set it to full treble on the floor against the back wall, and played it as loud as it would go without distorting. It almost kept up; in fact with no vocals going on, it was probably adequate. It was a big room (50'd X 70'w maybe) with 30 people watching. You could hear it, but obviously nothing that small could ever sound 'big' in that setting, at least not with a driver about the size of an AB sound hole at 4.5".

Heck, it weighs less than three pounds and you can find them for seventy bucks. So maybe not for everyone, perhaps not for very many at all, but I'm glad I got it. I'll use it occasionally. It's not a monster volume machine, but it turns out that it isn't just a toy either.
 
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#73
J_Bass said:
One TB'er posted a thread a while ago about a custom made giant acoustic bass. I can't remember the name of the TB'er but maybe you remember, @bholder?
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I think I remember that - it was really huge, and played like an upright standing on its endpin, right? I searched around a bit for it, haven't found it yet, sorry.
 
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#77
A common subtext in all these ABG threads (the gift that keeps on giving) is that everyone wants an acoustic bass guitar which is as portable and easy to play as a Fender but still is loud enough to hold its own acoustically in ensemble, and there are a few who almost make it. The reason I keep flogging 1/4 size DBs in these threads is that they are about as close as we are going to get to checking all the boxes. They can be played comfortably across the knees (as can Regal bassoguitars whoda thunk), and the tailp[iece can be extended with aircraft cable to permit the use of electric bass strings, and the mensure is only 35 1/4". They sound like a mid-rangy double bass, and with the right strings and set-up the mwah is to die for.

The only deal-breaker is trying to hang one from a strap. If that visual is part of the job description then your are going to have to go with a bona fide ABG.
 
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