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#1
04-17-2014, 12:46 PM
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small acoustic bass?
hello, and thanks to everyone for this resource.
i'm looking for a small body short scale acoustic (or acoustic/electric) for a 7 yr old who has just started playing bass. he has an ibanez mikro short scale but would like an acoustic bass as well. given his size, i don't think a standard a/e bass will work (he's big for his age, but he's stil only about 50" tall, with an average wingspan). i don't have any experience so not sure if i should try converting a baritone uke, but my understadning is the nylon strings need amplification anyway... maybe there's some instrument out there i haven't heard of yet? i'm hoping you all will know.... thanks in advance for any thoughts or recommendations! 
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#2
04-17-2014, 01:27 PM
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#3
04-17-2014, 02:12 PM
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Gold Tone as mentioned above or http://www.kalabrand.com/instrumentsU-bass.html.
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#4
04-17-2014, 03:21 PM
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Something like a Kala U-bass or one of their other offerings?
http://www.kalabrand.com/instrumentsU-bass.html
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#5
04-17-2014, 03:45 PM
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I have an all mahogany UBass (and like it a lot) but I'd really love to see one of those all mahogany Goldtone M-Basses...looks like about 1/2 the price, has a larger, deeper body and with a 3" longer scale length, it looks great. Might be easier to play and louder acoustically (though it will still need amplification to be able to play along with anyone). Only thing that's of concern are the white strings which get some knocks for being sticky (not an issue with the black strings on the UBass)...maybe a set of UBass strings on the M-Bass?
Phil
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Solo Fingerstyle CDs: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back (2021) One Size Does Not Fit All (2018) I play Crosby, Emerald, Larrivée, Lowden, Rainsong & Tacoma guitars. Check out my Guitar Website. See guitar photos & info at my Guitars page. Last edited by philjs; 04-18-2014 at 03:49 AM.
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#7
04-18-2014, 12:43 PM
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Thanks everyone. The U-Bass is currently out of our budget.
I'm going to look around and see if I can find the M-Bass locally - looks really nice, but I'd want to play it and hear it in person. Also pricier than what I was thinking but looks like its hard to get away with spending less. I don't know from sticky strings but guess we'll find out what that means. Thank you!
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#8
04-18-2014, 01:18 PM
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Quote:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/deta...FUNo7AoddG0A4A Quote:
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#9
04-18-2014, 02:26 PM
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Quote:
so my next question: i just went to get strings for a conversion project (junky 1/2 size 6 string to bass) and was told i should check into a tenor guitar. did some research and it's not what we want - but could we more easily convert a tenor guitar to a bass than a 6 string to a bass? would the sound be better?
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#10
04-18-2014, 03:52 PM
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Tried a (not-too-successful) conversion project like that years back with an old MIJ bolt-neck dread body and a bass neck - for what it cost in time/parts/labor/lousy tone & intonation I should have just bought the Guild B-50 I eventually ended up buying in the first place. Frankly, IMO the whole thing is a bigger PITA than it's worth - save the bucks and pop for either the GoldTone or the Kala...
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#11
04-18-2014, 05:27 PM
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http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008KY...&robot_redir=1
I've seen one of these locally but never really tried it. Size might be right?
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#12
04-18-2014, 07:05 PM
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If it's steel (bronze) string and one breaks, where do you find 24" bass strings...
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#13
04-18-2014, 10:19 PM
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My opinion is that acoustic basses are pretty much toys. There are a few exceptions, notably the Tacoma Thunderchief and the Earthwood ABG, but both of these are very large instruments and even they have issues keeping up with the volume of anything more than a single acoustic guitar. Most ABGs are just too small to push enough air. They almost have to be plugged in to be effective, and if you are plugging in, you might as well play an electric unless you just really want the acoustic look. A short scale, small bodied ABG would just exacerbate these problems.
The Kala U-Bass on the other hand, is a serious instrument that doesn't look serious. My guitar teacher has one and while it doesn't sound exactly like an upright, it has a good solid thump when plugged in. Now that you have waded through my rant, let me answer your question. You are looking for an Alvarez MSB1. It was a small travel-sized acoustic bass.
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#14
04-20-2014, 04:40 AM
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Thanks for the recommendations everyone. I'm going to poke around and see if I can find any of these instruments locally and take it from there.
And meanwhile, if I can get my hands on some adequate strings, I'll try a really simple conversion anyway, for the fun of it. No matter what, something good will come out of the project...
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#15
04-29-2014, 08:12 AM
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I just bought a Gold Tone M-bass and I really think it's just the ticket. It's much louder than a U-bass - louder than many full size acoustic bass guitars - so it's useful unplugged for practice. Very portable, even with a little bass cube amp, much more so than a cello, upright bass, or even a full size acoustic guitar. And at $375 on the street its price is hard beat. I wish I had had such a cool instrument available when I was your son's age!
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