U-Bass, EUB, or ABG?

Probably depends a lot on image. For some gigs only one of the three types would do. I’d go for a U Bass as all of the three: EUB, acoustic bass and U Bass would need to be amplified anyway and the U Bass would take up less space and weight.

 

It comes down to comfort and tone...I think there are pluses and minuses to all of these types of bass, but they differ from person to person.

And you're missing one more type of bass from your list: Guitar Scale Acoustic Basses
Ibanez, Guild, Taylor, Gold Tone, Michael Kelly, Orangewood Guitars, and maybe others are making acoustic basses in the ~25" scale range. Some of them use special nylon-core bronze-wound strings; some use steel-core strings.) If I were after an acoustic bass, I'd go for one of those.

 

I love ABGs but (don't worry, this isn't mean)...
Since you have to amplify any of these options to do a gig with a guitarist (as said above) why would you need to pick one of these? Is it for the appearance? Guild makes some really nice acoustic bass gits that aren't crazy money and they are very useful in the studio and downright fun to play. I think the upright would be first off the list or first on the list depending on you. Do you need to learn to play upright?

 

I’d pick my Rivoli or one of my p basses.

 

We had a bass player in our acoustic trio a couple years ago (I was playing mandolin) and he was searching for an acoustic sound. He bought an EAB and it sounded like crap. I suggested a Kala Ubass and he laughed at me and said “I don’t want to look like Tiny Tim.”

 

I recently purchased the Ibanez UB804 and it quickly became my favorite bass. It sounds somewhere between an eub and a fretless bass, leaning heavily toward the eub side. It has way more mwah and expressive tone than any fretless I’ve ever played, but it can be subdued with technique. It has way more bass content in the upper registers than a fretless bass guitar. It is 34” scale so you won’t have as much difficulty with intonation and left hand technique. Regular bass strings too.

I could not imagine a better instrument to accompany a piano. Big blooming notes if you want them or syrupy fretless glissando on tap. Looks classy too, comes with a nice stand and bag.

I’ll be happy to field any questions about the instrument that you may have. The level of fun playing this is too high not to share.

 

The EUB will certainly need to be ampped. I think the same goes for the U-Bass. Although it may be a tad louder unplugged than the EUB, it'll still need to be ampped.
The ABG however, with a good setup geared for acoustic volume, and an aggressive pizz technique, should do ok on its own. We'll figure, for general loudness concerns, the guitar player isn't a knuckle bleeding head banger - not there there's anything wrong with that! My old G Series Takamine would certainly be a good choice for the APMC - acoustic patio music circuit, as set fourth by the OP.

 

I have an Ibanez acoustic and use it mainly for noodling, taking on trips, occasional drunken campfire, not something I have ever tried to play on a gig. I also have an NS Designs NXT4 and have used it a lot with bluegrass and jazz groups. It does take a little work to get used to the longer scale and it was a process to make it sound good, pre with high z input, quality hifi cab and new strings that were not cheap but have been on there six years. I do like the NXT and have gotten many compliments on the sound. I've only played a u bass once and it was fun, not sure how I would feel gigging with it but probably would be ok, wish I had bought that instead of the Ibanez. The acoustic has too much sustain and I've never seen anyone play one at a gig where I thought the tone was good. I've also played a bunch of acoustic gigs with my Fender P which goes well with acoustic guitars, etc, especially on more rock type songs. I play mine regularly with the acoustic band at Church and it works well.

 

Budget/goals/experience are key factors here.

If you want upright sound without the price and size, U Bass all the way. I had one for a few years. Liked it a lot, but eventually it wore off and I sold it.

If you just want an upright to have one, that is about the only reason I see to get one here. If you are on low end of EUB they just don’t get there tone wise for the few I have tried. Upright Also plays a little different if you are not used to it. I also had one of these for a few years, but the image wasn’t worth the effort of hauling it around.

Acoustic electric bass is probably where I would land for this. I might be a little biased though as I love my Emerald Balor. At the Dean Contra price I would probably look for a used Warwick Rockbass Alien. Maybe spend a touch more and get a used Godin semi-acoustic. Michael Kelly makes solid acoustics in that price range too.

Noting that even the loudest acoustics still need at least a small amp for any real gigging work IMO. Balor has a huge body and great projection, but I wouldn’t rely purely on its output for anything other than home practice or a campfire. Worth noting on the acoustic you might need a feedback killer of some sort. I used a lute hole cover on my old Michael Kelly. I use a notch filter on a preamp pedal with the Balor.

 

I said Kala U bass because that’s the most fun for me to play, personally. It’s smaller, lighter, easy to transport, fun to play, and sounds great. Many ABG and EUB sound terrible IMO, both acoustically and amplified.

That said, all three options you are looking at will need an amplifier to be heard clearly along side an acoustic guitar.

 

Yes, although I have yet to do so myself.

 

Nearly all of my gigging over the last 10 years has been with folk/rock duo's and trio's with acoustic guitarists and I've always used an electric bass. If you just want an excuse to buy a new toy then go for your life but you really don't need any of those three for that gig.

 

Acoustic bass has the look. That’s what I would go for, personally. Some find the sound too midrangey, but I think it’s right for an acoustic bass guitar

If everyone is going to be unamplified (purely acoustic), not even mics, get an upright unless you only plan to play in "intimate" situations. For example, my acoustic bass is fine for a living room jam with an acoustic guitar-playing friend or two (who’s not strumming/banging away like an un-amped busker) plus a little unprofessional singing (weak voiced - not some triumphal operatic singers, lol), but it would start to get lost in bigger situations.

If portability is the main concern, the U Bass. Also, (although I haven’t played one myself) they’re said to have a more upright-like sound if that’s what you mainly want. But of course in the much smaller and more affordable package

Anyway, ABG

 

I bought a Kala Journeyman for my Cuban band. I am so pleased with the tone. It sounds woody, uprightish, just super cool.

Don't know if this is the kind of visual vibe you are looking for. But tonally, this is simply amazing for an acoustic/upright kind of feel and sound.

 

Any of your choices will require an amp, and only the ABG will do anything for image (neither the uke nor the EUB look anything let me an upright). Get and play the best instrument you can afford.

 

I switched between my Hofner Ignition Club Bass, UBass and DIY EU for a few years but eventually went with just the Hofner.