Recommended budget acoustic bass

[Nebadon2000]

I can vouch for the Takamine GB72CE; I would recommend
GHS 4L-RBB Pressurewound Bronze Acoustic / Electric Bass Strings
Gets rid of 80-90% squeak and high level string noise from most Acoustic Bronze strings without cutting volume as would be the case with using Electric Bass Strings; since it is going to be used Acoustic.

 

[B-Mac]

Expanding on what B-Mac and NCBaker have previously said: An AGB can drastically alter your technique in ways which you might not otherwise account. There're no volume or tone controls on an AGB, so everything you do comes straight from your hands. Getting a super clean sound from an AGB requires a different way of playing and it can do wonders for how you approach your instrument.

That being said, if you can find an older Korean made Breedlove, snatch it up. I picked up a used Luna AGB about ten years ago for $250 US dollars, and for what I paid for it, it has served me faithfully. Had a Dean, didn't like it.

Luna and Dean are both from Armadillo Enterprises.
Armadillo Enterprises, Inc.

The discontinued Dean Performer ABG MIK 32" scale is a great bass to also consider besides the 34" scale Dean Exotica and EAB/EABC.

 

[keyofnight]

Yes yes and yes! If your brother wants to jam unplugged it can certainly be done.

So I went the opposite of most and began with ABG, specifically the Olympia version of Tacoma's Thunderchief. I used dunlop picks, heavy attack, and some form of phosphor bronzes (I usually stuck with Elixirs). I regularly jammed with two guitars and light percussion (e.g. djembe or the like, because those were cool twenty years ago), everyone was unplugged and we could all hear each other fine. I was chasing the Brian Ritchie/Violent Femmes tone, he played an Ernie Ball Earthwood (massive bass!).

I do agree though that the right bass makes a huge difference here-- I tried a lot before I found the Tacoma/Olympia. The larger size of this and similar instruments makes unplugged jamming possible and not just frustrating.

I will say that after getting an electric, I realized that the technique I had developed on the ABG was all wrong for electric. I had/am having to relearn a lot. Also, just for fun, I put LaBella LTF's on the Olympia, and it has a nice sound, but very different and not nearly enough volume to go unplugged.

Yep! If brother wants to jam, he just needs a good instrument, good technique, and the will to play.

I also learned to play on an ABG, an Ibanez AEB10, which I still have and enjoy. I haven't tried the other offerings out there, so I can't speak to those. People are suggesting the Kala UBass, but I just think it sounds dinky unplugged. If I had to start over, I would get the same bass. It fits me pretty well.

I'll just take a moment to say: the AGB was an amazing teaching tool for me because of its limitations and its potential for expression. I learned very quickly that to get good tone out of the ABG, I had to play with clear intent and good technique. I had to play strong and clear rest strokes. I had to place my fingers right before the frets press firmly. I had to mute the strings I wasn't playing. I had to try to play with dynamics and clean articulation. I had to play by the bridge for thinner tones and over the neck for a thicker tones. These were all lessons I carried over to playing on a solid body successfully. My technique is still nowhere near perfect, but I still think it got off to a good start after learning on the ABG.