Acoustic Bass Suggestions (Ibanez AEB10)

[ifret]

My husband is learning acoustic bass. He doesn't want to spend an exorbitant amount on a bass, so he's considering the Ibanez Acoustic Bass AEB10. Anyone have one who can share some feedback? Other suggestions?
Thanks.

[posternutbag]

There have been a ton of threads on acoustic basses, probably so many that it would be a daunting task to go through them all. The general consensus here and on forums like talkbass is that acoustic bass guitars (ABGs) are not very loud on their own (without an amp), and thus don't work very well in most performance situations without the help of an amplifier. It is just a matter of physics. Most ABGs have trouble being heard even over a single acoustic guitar. This mirrors my experiences exactly.

There are a couple of notable exceptions, the Tacoma Thunderchief was pretty loud, but even that had trouble keeping up with more than one acoustic guitar without amplification.

If your husband wants to perform on bass, he will need an amplifier. I am also a huge fan of the Ubass (ukulele bass). it is a strange little instrument the size of a ukulele, but has very nice bass tones when plugged in.

On the other hand, if your husband just wants to practice quietly in the house, an ABG will work fine. In fact, pretty much ANY ABG will be fine, as long as it is set up well and playable.

I think spending lots of money on an ABG is silly. It will likely never work as a performance instrument and will always be relegated to a role as a secondary/practice instrument, so why spend upwards of $1000 on a Tacoma or a Martin. Just roll with a nicely set up import and appreciate it for what it is.

[Steve DeRosa]

As a closet bass player for 40+ years and having owned two acoustic basses (Guild B-50 and B4E-AMB), IMO there are exactly two reasons for their existence:

• low-volume solo practice
• visual vibe - I've actually caught crap from some hide-bound folkies who complained that my Pedulla was "too loud" through the PA but had no issues with my Guild at the same volume

As stated above very few - and I mean very few - acoustic (more properly acoustic/electric) basses have the volume and low-end depth to be useful in any but the most intimate ensemble settings - certainly none in your price range; simple physics dictates that you need a large sounding board and a large resonant cavity to adequately amplify low frequencies - neither of which you're going to find on the typical A/E bass, especially one made of laminated woods. If it's an acoustic-style tone he's after, in my experience his needs would be better served with a hollow/semi-hollowbody bass - preferably short scale (30-31") to round off some of the initial attack and with humbucking pickups to add depth - and an old-school bass amp with a 12"/15" speaker (or two) and no tweeter (I've yet to find a valid reason bass players need response in the 8kHz+ range, when most guitar speakers peak out around 5kHz); I'd also recommend either flatwound or nylon tapewound strings for more of an "acoustic" tonal vibe. At your $400+/- price point there are a few hollow/semi-hollow instruments that would serve well for unamplified solo practice until you've got enough money for a decent amp - Hofner Icon/Ignition Beatle and Club, Epiphone Viola and Allen Woody, Rogue VB100 (these can be amazing instruments - $169 at Musicians' Friend - if you can cherry-pick a good one) - and if he's OK with a solid-body Squier, Dean, and Epiphone make serviceable short-scale models that sell around $200+/- (which leaves you $200 or so for a good used amp)...

Hope this helps...

[ifret]

Thanks for the replies so far. He has a Gold Tone Microbass right now which is getting him started and is good for travel. We understand about the volume unplugged and have an amp for when he needs to have volume. He would just like to expand into the world of an acoustic bass. Your responses have helped. Any others?

[Earl49]

I have a U-Bass and love it - the electric basses have hardly been touched since. It has provoked more than one friend into getting the Gold Tone version like you have. So he is pretty well set in that respect. You must plug in to get any kind of decent volume from anything less than an upright, but once you plug in, the U-bass sounds very much like a good upright / doghouse bass with minimal fuss and great portability. Even lugging an amp too is easier than rolling around a full upright bass. And the only ABG I've ever liked much was the Taylor version from the 90's - not cheap and long discontinued.

I second all the comments above. I had a used Olympia cheapo version of the Tacoma acoustic bass for a while. It was fun to practice with, but was not very loud acoustically. I had to use a heavy guitar pick and strong technique to get even minimally acceptable volume. I eventually sold it for my cost after getting tired of dusting it. After attending a couple of fun workshops, I was briefly enthused about a real upright bass. But shopping for them and considering the hassle of logistics made me give up the idea. I like the U-bass even more. I did recently see a break down electric version of an upright bass that wasn't bad (sorry, cannot remember the name or brand) but that does not get you away from the amp issue.

[royd]

frets4fun, can I ask why an acoustic bass vs. an electric one? What is it about the acoustic that is pushing the decision that way?

[ifret]

Acoustic sound.