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What do we thing of acoustic basses?
- Thread starter MotherAnarchy
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- acoustic bass guitar
I suppose, if you assume that the only purpose of an ABG is to have a bass you don't have to plug in. There's nothing wrong with that, but there's also no inherent reason why that should be the only purpose of an ABG. Most acoustic guitarists, at least serious ones, don't play acoustic guitars primarily because they don't have to plug them in. They play them because they like the way they sound, respond, and feel. That's just as legitimate a purpose for an ABG in my book, and it's why some of us are happy to play ABGs.
I was curious about acoustic basses for a while, and then one of the gigs I play regularly decided to have an "acoustic weekend". They handed me a Breedlove to play (which I had to fix, and the pickup had major issues with string balance, and the strings were dead as a doornail). The thing was big, awkward to play, the body dug into my arm, and it was very difficult to get a good sound oujt of the thing - being used to sold bodies with very even sustain and sound quality across the neck, this thing was terrible on that front.
I persisted, did enough practicing to not tank the gig, gave the bass back, and any curiosity I had about acoustic basses was...gone. I'm sure for some folks they are the bee's knees, but they really aren't my thing at all.
I persisted, did enough practicing to not tank the gig, gave the bass back, and any curiosity I had about acoustic basses was...gone. I'm sure for some folks they are the bee's knees, but they really aren't my thing at all.
Do you think your opinion might have been different if the instrument you were given did not have "issues"?
That's exactly my reasoning for using mine. I like how it sounds.
Thing is, to get much out of an ABG, you have to forget about how you play slab. The ergonomics are different (no, it doesnt suck. It's different), setup is different, and how you play it is different. You canNOT drape a wrist over the edge and twiddle with your fingertips. You cant set the strings a dime off the frets and flap your fretting fingers like a berserk butterfly. If you do, you'll get zero sound, sore wrists and ribs, and end up saying ABGs suck.
You get different sound for different music in different venues with an ABG. I've been gigging and jamming for about 30 years using only ABGs, amped when necessary, unamped often. You just have to pick the right gigs and jams...and people to play with.
If you hope to play unamped with others, you need an ABG with a huge body, quality construction, and great materials. They're not common and not cheap. Acoustic instruments get their sound from how they're constructed, not how they're wired. But, if you want to play on your own or with a couple relaxed friends in a living room, or plan on plugging in when you play out, most inexpensive models will do.
If you want to play it like a slab and sound like a slab, then go get a P with tort, a burst, and flats, plug it into a fridge, and go crazy. ABGs are for other things. Maybe you want to do those things.
You get different sound for different music in different venues with an ABG. I've been gigging and jamming for about 30 years using only ABGs, amped when necessary, unamped often. You just have to pick the right gigs and jams...and people to play with.
If you hope to play unamped with others, you need an ABG with a huge body, quality construction, and great materials. They're not common and not cheap. Acoustic instruments get their sound from how they're constructed, not how they're wired. But, if you want to play on your own or with a couple relaxed friends in a living room, or plan on plugging in when you play out, most inexpensive models will do.
If you want to play it like a slab and sound like a slab, then go get a P with tort, a burst, and flats, plug it into a fridge, and go crazy. ABGs are for other things. Maybe you want to do those things.
Because they dont understand the purpose of using an ABG.
They're ungainly, unwieldy, inaudible acoustic and prone to feedback amplified.
Other than that, they're great!
Other than that, they're great!
I personally have never been a big fan of a lot of AGBs I've tried in the store. Too thin bodied tone for me, but maybe a change to flatwounds could cure that. On the other hand, a bass such as Mike's pictured above would be up my alley.
My acoustic bass is what the double bass industry doesn't want you to find out about and what the ABG industry is terrified about. . . .(Fill in more advertising drivel here) Lol.
Drum roll...it's not a bass at all, its just an ole beat up school cello with Fender electric flatwound strings. It can be a portable upright, or played like an ABG. It sounds similar to the double bass. I also loosely seal the f hole near the E string to downtune the body to closer match the D.B.
Why did I do it? I wanted an acoustic bass instrument that was a little unique. Also, the seller was only asking $125 for the cello, so it was worth the gamble to get and swap the strings.
My acoustic bass is what the double bass industry doesn't want you to find out about and what the ABG industry is terrified about. . . .(Fill in more advertising drivel here) Lol.
Drum roll...it's not a bass at all, its just an ole beat up school cello with Fender electric flatwound strings. It can be a portable upright, or played like an ABG. It sounds similar to the double bass. I also loosely seal the f hole near the E string to downtune the body to closer match the D.B.
Why did I do it? I wanted an acoustic bass instrument that was a little unique. Also, the seller was only asking $125 for the cello, so it was worth the gamble to get and swap the strings.
Or even better :
site:talkbass.com acoustic bass fetish club
it will explicitly ask Google to search "acoustic bass fetish club" within the site "talkbass.com" only
That said, the internal search has its own merits. I use it quite often with the filters "In this thread" or "by user…"
"The TalkBass search feature is not one of its most shining moments."
Agreed-Indeed!
It's not nearly as useful my Guild/USA B4CE...
Had it for many years, and like it a lot. There is a kind of, learning curve though, as to
how, and when to use it to its full potential.. like all ABG's, I guess.
Agreed-Indeed!
It's not nearly as useful my Guild/USA B4CE...
Had it for many years, and like it a lot. There is a kind of, learning curve though, as to
how, and when to use it to its full potential.. like all ABG's, I guess.
I personally don't care for the "reach-over" one has to deal with when playing a deep-bodied ABG (such as the Jasmine-By-Takamine I used to own). If I were to buy an ABG again, it would have to be semi-acoustic/something with a shallower body. I'm pretty sure the Washburn AB series would qualify, if I could find a used one, and I've been eyeing up Godin for years as well.
Most people who seem opposed to/unimpressed by ABGs always focus on the fact that "you need to plug 'em in anyways, so what's the point" - yeah, beat that dead horse a little harder. Everyone's known this for decades. But don't tell me they don't have their own sound. All I need to do to remind myself of how great/different an ABG can sound is to check out Alice In Chain's MTV Unplugged performance, and yeah, I realize the irony of the "unplugged" here, given the context, but in fairness, I'm pretty sure everything/everyone was amplified to some degree in any band's perfoprmance on that show.
Most people who seem opposed to/unimpressed by ABGs always focus on the fact that "you need to plug 'em in anyways, so what's the point" - yeah, beat that dead horse a little harder. Everyone's known this for decades. But don't tell me they don't have their own sound. All I need to do to remind myself of how great/different an ABG can sound is to check out Alice In Chain's MTV Unplugged performance, and yeah, I realize the irony of the "unplugged" here, given the context, but in fairness, I'm pretty sure everything/everyone was amplified to some degree in any band's perfoprmance on that show.
Fair question. The issues that the bass had (things that made it not play like it was supposed to) were dead strings and very inconsistent levels string to string (piezo bridge pickups often have that issue). I fixed both of those - took the thing apart and got the bridge to sit on the piezo pickup (involved cutting it into two pieces so the thing was not constrained by it's stiffness) so that the strings were balanced, and I put a new set of strings on it. So, for most of my time with the instrument, it didn't have "issues" - it played as well as it could. So....switching gears a bit....
Musical instruments are tools, but they are also emotionally charged objects used in the pursuit of ephemeral art - they should, even if they are challenging to operate, give us some amount of joy in the process. An instrument that inspires you to play - it sounds or feels so good that you want to play it - that is a great instrument (I don't care how much it costs, that is the sole thing that matters). The rationale behind that is that the music ultimately comes from you (not the instrument), and for the music to be really "you", you have to be well practiced. If the instrument does not inspire you to play it, you won't practice enough, and...you will not be a good musician.
Most of my basses are 5 string one offs that I built - they all have the same physical platform - same neck, very similar body geometries. You can pick one up blindfolded, and until you play it, you can't tell which is which. They differ in type of pickups, locations of pickups, and electronics - they have different sounds, different vibes, but the physical interfaces are essentially identical. I have one bass that isn't like the rest - it's a 4 string short scale (I also built that) that is different in pretty much every physical aspect. It is, because it's different, and my muscle memory is built around the 5's, challenging to play physically - things are in different places, I don't have a B string, so I have to rethink certain parts, etc. But...it is a gas to play....It doesn't do what the 5's do, it's different. Despite being ergonomically very different, it is (to me) a great instrument.
At no time during my time with the ABG did it inspire me to play - it felt dead, it felt like I was doing all the work, and it was fighting me the whole way. It's like flat wound strings - to some folks they make an instrument into one that inspires them. to me, I'm struggling - it does not do what I want it to do. and everytime I pluck a string it dissapoints me in what comes out of it. ABG's, to me are not great instruments - they do not inspire me to want to play, they make me want to put the thing down, and do something else.
That said, that certainly doesn't mean that they can't be great instruments - for you. They're just not MY thing.
Absolutely. The odd thing is that there are lots of folks that play instruments that would drive me up a tree (a P with flats and foam is not something that I could get along with playing - I've tried, several times, and it's just not gonna happen), but..... to my ears, they sound great - that is THEIR instrument, and when they express themselves with that instrument, great music comes out. It's not a really rational thing, it's just what it is, and we learn to work with whatever preferences we have baked in.
Exactly. I use my acoustic because I like how it responds to me playing. It has a warm tone and the body physically resonates. It kind of rings out in a way I enjoy. It even retains these qualities when plugged in to an amplifier. On the other hand, my electric has its own qualities that make it a good instrument for me. It has a shorter scale length and a narrower neck which is easier for me to navigate. I use my ABG when I want a warmer resonant tone that sounds vaguely like a double bass, and I use my electric when I want the traditional electric tone that we all love.
Not my thing. I had a 5-string Michael Kelly Dragonfly fretless acoustic bass back in the 00's. Used it some on recordings and liked it, but never could totally bond with it. Ended up selling it. I'd prefer to get an electric upright or double bass instead.
You've found your instrument. Great! Now...go and practice. ;-)
