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Recommended budget acoustic bass

Sean Parsons

Sean Parsons

Nov 13, 2018
82
67
#1
Hi Guys,

I’m trying to help my brother out in selecting an acoustic bass. We are looking at the more budget end of the market. Not sure if this is wise or not.

Brands like Fender, Cort, Tanglewood, Takamine all have something to offer that look pretty good. Not really interested in the extra short scale Taylor type offerings but a 32 scale would be great but a 34 scale is what he’s used to.

Does anybody have any experience of acoustic basses at this end of the market? Intended uses are just an unplugged home instrument although nice electrics are always a bonus.

cheers,
 
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#7
About the £500 mark. I know from my guitar days that you generally have to be prepared to pay more for quality acoustics than for electrics but things have changed a bit, i know there are some pretty decent affordable acoustics these days.
 
#8
In general - I consider most Acoustic Bass Guitar's (AUB's) to be a waste of money. Even the best of the best simply cannot compete with an acoustic guitar for volume. What you end up with is an electric instrument that looks like an acoustic one but must be plugged in to be useful.

I would push you towards a quality low budget electric bass with a good practice amp
 
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#9
Sean Parsons said:
About the £500 mark. I know from my guitar days that you generally have to be prepared to pay more for quality acoustics than for electrics but things have changed a bit, i know there are some pretty decent affordable acoustics these days.
Click to expand...
You've listed the budget in pounds, so I'm assuming you're in the UK.

Man...if I were you, I'd be tempted to hit this guy up...his ad's a little confusing in that I can't tell for sure where he is actually located (Qingdao, China, or the UK?), but that looks and sounds (there's a video) like a frickin' nice bass for what he's asking, especially given that it comes with a quality hardshell case...:cool:

(I've had this on my watch list forever, just can't swing it right now...)

Ortega 25th Anniversary walker VIDEO with stagg hard case | Reverb Canada
 
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#10
getBAK said:
In general - I consider most Acoustic Bass Guitar's (AUB's) to be a waste of money. Even the best of the best simply cannot compete with an acoustic guitar for volume. What you end up with is an electric instrument that looks like an acoustic one but must be plugged in to be useful.

I would push you towards a quality low budget electric bass with a good practice amp
Click to expand...

i know what you mean but he has decent pro electric bass gear for gigging. The intention here is just something with a decent unplugged tone for hone use.
 
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#11
Sean Parsons said:
Hi Guys,

I’m trying to help my brother out in selecting an acoustic bass. We are looking at the more budget end of the market. Not sure if this is wise or not.

Brands like Fender, Cort, Tanglewood, Takamine all have something to offer that look pretty good. Not really interested in the extra short scale Taylor type offerings but a 32 scale would be great but a 34 scale is what he’s used to.

Does anybody have any experience of acoustic basses at this end of the market? Intended uses are just an unplugged home instrument although nice electrics are always a bonus.

cheers,
Click to expand...
Ibanez ABG200 or AFB200 (wood bridge) and some others (Ibanez product names are HELL to remember) are 30.3" , loud enough to practice and hear yourself acoustically, great hollow tone amplified too.
 
#12
Sean Parsons said:
i know what you mean but he has decent pro electric bass gear for gigging. The intention here is just something with a decent unplugged tone for hone use.
Click to expand...
Don't listen to the naysayers. They just don't get it and never will. Even plugging in an ABG has a different vibe and feel than playing a slab o'wood bass. I own 121 basses of many varieties and talk from experience. When you see 'if I have to plug in, I might as well blah, blah', run away.
 
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#13
Sean Parsons said:
i know what you mean but he has decent pro electric bass gear for gigging. The intention here is just something with a decent unplugged tone for hone use.
Click to expand...
I would definitely push you towards a Uke-Bass Variant for this you can get a decent Kala for ~ $300 USD. Their big synthetic strings break a lot of the physics rules 'conventional' basses are subject to and sound quite good.
U•BASS® – Kala Brand Music Co.™
 
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#15
I have a Dean Playmate from 2008. HUGE body, lots of unplugged volume, and the suckola passive electronics don't sound bad at all once the bass is loaded with Savarez gut-core strings, should your brother ever decide to go plugged-in. There is a contemporary equivalent to this bass (big non-cutaway body), but I do not know the model name or number.
 
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#16
GretschWretch said:
I have a Dean Playmate from 2008. HUGE body, lots of unplugged volume, and the suckola passive electronics don't sound bad at all once the bass is loaded with Savarez gut-core strings, should your brother ever decide to go plugged-in. There is a contemporary equivalent to this bass (big non-cutaway body), but I do not know the model name or number.
Click to expand...
The newer versions no longer have the passive sliders. I believe the change happened starting with 2019 models. Still named as the Dean 'EAB' and 'EABC' in cutaway and non-cutaway versions.
 
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#17
Sean Parsons said:
Hi Guys,

I’m trying to help my brother out in selecting an acoustic bass. We are looking at the more budget end of the market. Not sure if this is wise or not.

Brands like Fender, Cort, Tanglewood, Takamine all have something to offer that look pretty good. Not really interested in the extra short scale Taylor type offerings but a 32 scale would be great but a 34 scale is what he’s used to.

Does anybody have any experience of acoustic basses at this end of the market? Intended uses are just an unplugged home instrument although nice electrics are always a bonus.

cheers,
Click to expand...

Per @jd56hawk The Dean EQAB with Aphex is great with Aural Exciter and Big Bottom Circuitry, but they only had Aphex from 2010 to 2015. Newer models do not have Aphex.
IMG_7366.JPG

wha2gopvpg1xr14fzipr_wdp.jpg
 
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#18
0DEBE3F3-7F6B-43B4-9336-E757746BEA27.jpeg
Sean Parsons said:
Hi Guys,

I’m trying to help my brother out in selecting an acoustic bass. We are looking at the more budget end of the market. Not sure if this is wise or not.

Brands like Fender, Cort, Tanglewood, Takamine all have something to offer that look pretty good. Not really interested in the extra short scale Taylor type offerings but a 32 scale would be great but a 34 scale is what he’s used to.

Does anybody have any experience of acoustic basses at this end of the market? Intended uses are just an unplugged home instrument although nice electrics are always a bonus.

cheers,
Click to expand...
Sean Parsons said:
Hi Guys,

I’m trying to help my brother out in selecting an acoustic bass. We are looking at the more budget end of the market. Not sure if this is wise or not.

Brands like Fender, Cort, Tanglewood, Takamine all have something to offer that look pretty good. Not really interested in the extra short scale Taylor type offerings but a 32 scale would be great but a 34 scale is what he’s used to.

Does anybody have any experience of acoustic basses at this end of the market? Intended uses are just an unplugged home instrument although nice electrics are always a bonus.

cheers,
Click to expand...
don’t buy a budget acoustic bass. I’ve played them all and they are disappointing. That said, a used Tacoma acoustic bass is a real joy. Great action, pretty loud and with the right amp and or preamp you achieve a really nice acoustic sound. I use specific strings for the right balance.
The paisley sound hole let’s in the sound of other instruments so I made a sound whole cover when playing with a group. It plays well through a sound system and has a natural tone that can be quite beautiful.
Sorry but the budget products (everyone of them) disappoint.
 
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#19
What is his intended "home use" for this bass? If it's to jam along with an acoustic guitar without amplification or practice electric bass lines, I'd say you don't want one. It is good at neither. By itself, it won't get loud enough to accompany any but the lightest of strummers. Many, in attempt to get more volume out of it (usually unsuccessfully) are set up with a vastly different action that a well set up electric bass, making it a poor analogue for rehearsing electric bass lines as the technique is so different. That said, if it's a bucket list bass for noodling around on the couch or for performing with that acoustic look while plugging in to be heard, knock yourself out. I currently have a Tacoma and a Uke bass and have owned a Washburn AB-20 and a few other low budget models. I'm digging the Uke bass, but haven't played the others much in a long time. Have him go try as many as he can lay his hands on. And be sure to try them plugged into a PA to be sure that the sound is what he expects it to be. Managed expectations is the name of the game here.
 
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