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Your string choice for an acoustic bass

shwabilly

shwabilly

Jun 2, 2013
307
801
50
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
www.reverbnation.com
#1
Hey all,

Im sorry if this topic has been discussed before, i did a search.

I have a trade in the works for an Epiphone acoustic bass. Ive wanted an acoustic bass for years, but have always found them to be very quiet in comparison to an acoustic guitar. The deal i have in the works is for a pedal im not using, so this is a good opportunity. I'll basically be using this for practicing at home and jamming with acoustic guitars. I would like to be heard without being plugged into an amp.

My question to acoustic bass players is, what are the best strings for an acoustic bass that will project volume? I use Chrome flats for my Stingrays, but i cant see them working in this case.

Thanks.
 
#2
Don't pay too much attention to me, I've played one for only a couple minutes, but maybe another way to look at this is first, how will you adapt your playing style to get more sound out of this thing? And then, what kind of strings suit that style?
 
#3
I doubt such strings exist, but if they do, I'd certainly like to hear about it, as I own one of these very quiet beasts myself. (I use tapewounds on mine, because with metal wound strings it felt like the fret clank was more pronounced than the tone itself).

Other than learning to play upright bass, the most sensible solution for bass guitar players seems to be to carry a small battery powered amp, in which case the "acoustic" part ends up being mostly for looks. I had a thought that piccolo tuning on the bass might also help with perceived volume, but I havent experimented with this.

Sorry not to be of any help with the actual question..
 
#4
Strings aren't going to have that much of an affect on the overall volume of an acoustic/electric bass; the body size will.

Phosphor Bronze will get you probably the loudest tone from the bass in question. Will it still be enough to play at a gig without amplification? Absolutely not.
 
#5
oysteivi said:
I had a thought that piccolo tuning on the bass might also help with perceived volume, but I havent experimented with this.
Click to expand...

Check out online videos of Jordi Gaspar on a five string acoustic bass, if you haven't. I guess it isn't piccolo tuning, just high C and playing high in the range, and there's presumably amplification anyway, but it's sure making something of the instrument.
 
#7
I use LaBella 760N tapewounds on both my ABG's. Like the tone, they feel really nice under the fingers, and they last for years.

That being said.... Donn is right regarding playing style. The only way to generate any acoustic volume is to get the strings off the board and dig in to get them vibrating. This can be a rude awakening to a low, fast action EBer.
 
#10
MD said:
I use LaBella 760N tapewounds on both my ABG's. Like the tone, they feel really nice under the fingers, and they last for years.

That being said.... Donn is right regarding playing style. The only way to generate any acoustic volume is to get the strings off the board and dig in to get them vibrating. This can be a rude awakening to a low, fast action EBer.
Click to expand...

I use the same on my Martin B-40. ABGs all seem to come with roundwounds in the store. But they sound like large guitars to me. With the LaBella's, at least they now sound like small basses.
 
#14
I used to have what is considered one of the loudest acoustic basses made, the Tacoma Thunderchief and it was hardly suitable for a single acoustic guitar jam. That being said it sounded excellent with D'Addario Chromes, somewhat high action, and a pretty hard (but not too hard) attack. It was a relief to plug it in so i didn't have to fight so hard for volume. I gave up and switched to acoustic upright!
 
#15
First off, this is an issue with most abg's. Mine is nice and loud, but it's a one-of-a-kind custom job, and its huge. (32" scale but the soundbox is huge). I use tapewounds, not too picky on the brand. Started with Bella's, I think i stuck elixirs on it this last time (could be mistaken though).
 
#19
I will politely disagree with the assertion above about de-fretting.

Acoustic basses are always quieter than similar size guitars. If you want to know which are loudest, search TB for discussions. None of them really compete with a couple of acoustic guitars played energetically.

That doesn't bother me. I use my ABG for practice or when I get together with a guitar player for practice. There's no problem playing an ABG sitting around when you just want to work out the music.
 

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