Hi everyone. I've found a jazz or precision to sound way out of line when I jam with a singer/songwriter with their acoustic guitar at an open stage event. Now I was thinking to get something like an Ashbory or ukulele bass or something. Not only would the tone be nice, but also the small form factor. What would you recommend and why?
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tiny bass for open stage events
- Thread starter iuserneim
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I think with their super-short scale (and those weird rubber band strings on the Ashbory) they might require a lot of adapting both for guitar and bass players - not good at an open session...
I'd get something easy to play, with a less unusual scale - a sunburst Höfner Club wouldn't look out of place among a bunch of acoustic guitars, and also fit in well tonally.
EDIT: On re-reading your post, I might have misunderstood - so it's only YOU who's playing bass, this is not a pass-around instrument for everyone who wants to sit in on bass?
I'd still prefer a Höfner (with flat- or tapewounds, of course) - I know the other options you mentioned can sound good, but for me those would just be a bit to gimmicky (in looks), and might distract listeners from your playing...
I'd get something easy to play, with a less unusual scale - a sunburst Höfner Club wouldn't look out of place among a bunch of acoustic guitars, and also fit in well tonally.
EDIT: On re-reading your post, I might have misunderstood - so it's only YOU who's playing bass, this is not a pass-around instrument for everyone who wants to sit in on bass?
I'd still prefer a Höfner (with flat- or tapewounds, of course) - I know the other options you mentioned can sound good, but for me those would just be a bit to gimmicky (in looks), and might distract listeners from your playing...
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I'd go for an acoustic bass. I mean, the looks would "match" , at least.
The sound , well that's pretty subjective. I'd prefer a precision over an acoustic, uke, or Ashbory.
The sound , well that's pretty subjective. I'd prefer a precision over an acoustic, uke, or Ashbory.
It sounds like you just need to turn your volume down
Keyboard. More versatile and wouldn't be a weird distraction like a tiny bass.
the problem is, that i have to rely on what amp they have. often times, it could be just the pa. and this makes a precision, or lets say a "regular fretted bass" sound way too percussive and out of line, when there is an acoustic guitar and a cajon playing.
it's not about volume. it's about tone. at these events, the tone often times ends up too thin, like you'd play through a guitar amp.
true, but i'm a bass player
I play my Squier Mini P with my acoustic/player friend/singer at the seniors home. We both go through a small PA and it sounds just fine. Also use it as my main bass at a 300 capacity country bar through the main PA. It works great for any venue.
Check out a short scale semi hollow body. Like a guild starfire.
i can imagine this would work for basically anything. i mean, the size of the instrument has nothing to do with its sound. had an alembic that sounded thin, and had a mustang shortscale that sounded fat...
interesting. how would that sound compared to a solid body. or is it more for the optics
The main issue here is not really the bass , but the sound coming out of the PA. It doesn't really matter which bass you buy unless you solve that first. The whole PA is probably EQd for the guitar and singer. A new bass isn't gonna solve this.
Going back to the starfire bass that gmarcus mentioned, it sounds pretty close to a precision.
if you are specifically looking for an "upright bass sound ", the closest you'll ever get is the ashbory. It has always been sort of a novelty item though.
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If it's mainly a tone thing, you should definitely check out a short scale (semi) hollow bass, like a Höfner, or the Guild that has been mentioned. With flat- or tapewound strings, you'll get a nice fundamental, thuddy/thumpy tone, almost like an upright bass.
But you can actually get pretty close to that by using flatwounds on your P bass, putting a piece of foam under the strings near the bridge, as a mute, and by picking the strings near me end of the fretboard. A Precision should work very well with acoustic guitars that way, if it's still too thin, turn down the tone pot quite a bit.
Oh, and if you have to plug directly in the PA often, I would invest in a bass preamp/DI, that will improve the tone a lot!
But you can actually get pretty close to that by using flatwounds on your P bass, putting a piece of foam under the strings near the bridge, as a mute, and by picking the strings near me end of the fretboard. A Precision should work very well with acoustic guitars that way, if it's still too thin, turn down the tone pot quite a bit.
Oh, and if you have to plug directly in the PA often, I would invest in a bass preamp/DI, that will improve the tone a lot!
The cheap Starfire I - yes; the expensive Starfire II - no. A true hollowbody like a Höfner would be better than both in this scenario.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
I would try flat wound strings on the bass you already have.
Another thing to try (that I've found fairly effective) is adding a push/pull switch on a p-bass pickup to run it in parallel. Mine gets a nice hollow woody tone compared to series, and might hit something you're looking for. All it costs is a single pot and some extra hookup wire and about an hour's time.
Maybe something with a mudbucker?
Nobody's ever accused them of being too "percussive ".
EB0, Newport, Rivoli..
Nobody's ever accused them of being too "percussive ".
EB0, Newport, Rivoli..
Stick with the electric and turn down
I have an ashbory and it has the sound for sure but that 18" scale is a bear to play in tune. Some uke or rubber string basses can be better up to maybe 23" or 25" scale.
check out other short scales and put flats on them. My best for this sort of thing would actually be the carbon fiber journey acoustic fretless (plugged in of course). It isn't as deep as the ashbory but it makes up for it in that 25" scale length and standard steel strings is significantly easier to intonate than the ashbory. There's also a couple offerings from gold tone in the 23-25" category.
check out other short scales and put flats on them. My best for this sort of thing would actually be the carbon fiber journey acoustic fretless (plugged in of course). It isn't as deep as the ashbory but it makes up for it in that 25" scale length and standard steel strings is significantly easier to intonate than the ashbory. There's also a couple offerings from gold tone in the 23-25" category.
