Acoustic bass

[Jersey tuning]

I've begun playing acoustic bass and would appreciate recommendations on both instruments and key features (ie for acoustic-electric models). BTW have been playing 6 stringers since 1967.

[Steve DeRosa]

As a closet bass player for 40+ years and having owned two decent-quality acoustic basses ('82 Guild B-50SB and '93 B4E-AMB - still own the latter, BTW), IMO there are exactly two reasons for their existence:

• low-volume solo practice
• visual vibe - I actually caught crap from some hide-bound traditional folkies who complained that my Pedulla P/J was "too loud" through the PA but had no issues with my Guild B4E at the same volume

FYI very few - and I mean very few - acoustic/acoustic-electric basses have the volume and low-end depth to be useful for anything other than solo practice or the most intimate ensemble settings (think small living room with a nylon-string guitar); 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 anything short of either a Mexican guitarron or the comparably-sized/long-discontinued/uber-expensive Ernie Ball Earthwood (or slightly less-pricey Tacoma Thunderchief). If it's acoustic-style tone you're after, IME your needs would be better served with a hollow/semi-hollowbody electric 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 either no tweeter or one that can be defeated with a knob/switch (I've yet to find a single valid reason bass players need response in the 8kHz+ range, when most electric guitar speakers peak out around 5kHz ); I'd also recommend either flatwound or nylon tapewound strings for more of an "acoustic" tonal vibe. There are a few low-price hollow/semi-hollow instruments that would serve well for practice/small gigs with a moderately-powered amp: Hofner Ignition Beatle/Club, Epiphone Viola/Allen Woody, Rogue VB100 (these can be amazing instruments - $149 at Musicians' Friend for Veterans' Day, BTW - if you can cherry-pick a good one) - and if you're OK with a solid-body Squier, Dean, and Ibanez all make serviceable short-scale models that sell around $200+/- (which should leave you enough spare change for a good amp)...

[T Texas]

Amen Steve. The only acoustic basses worth their salt are double basses and guitarrons, which are tuned differently. Barring one of those you're better off just playing an electric.

[PorkPieGuy]

I've NEVER been blown away by an acoustic bass (except maybe for that one that Joel Landsberg plays, but I think it has ALOT more to do with his playing than the instrument).

With that said, IMO, you'll be better off buying an electric bass and small amp. Don't get me wrong...I LOVE the idea of an acoustic bass guitar. I love the vibe, the look, and the idea; however, they simply just fail to deliver. I researched them like crazy for a long time, and there are so many better options out there. The vast majority of them sound like fart boxes when unplugged, and they sound hollow when plugged in.

However, if you still want to look into them, there were only two that people consistently seemed to push me towards: 1.) The Taylor AB-series and 2.) the Tacoma Thunderchief.

The Taylor AB3 will run you close to $3k. The Thunderchief will run anywhere from about $1k - $1500. You can buy a whole lot a electric bass for those prices.

Give me a Fender Jazz or P-bass and an Ambeg BA-115 any day.

[paulp1960]

Just put flatwound strings on an electric bass guitar.

Acoustic basses look great for the acoustic vibe but don't deliver much.

[Wyllys]

It depends on the player. I've seen/heard/worked with both good and not so good. Personally, I prefer to play a good old "dog house" stand up bass fiddle.
Nothing comes close to the real thing.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by T Texas

...The only acoustic basses worth their salt are double basses and guitarrons, which are tuned differently...

You're right about the guitarron - traditional Mexican tuning is baritone-guitar A-to-A or A-D-G-C-F-A (sometimes Bb) - but standard orchestral double bass (which I played in high school) tuning is E-A-D-G, like its electric counterpart; although many string makers produce a "solo" set designed for F#-B-E-A tuning these are most commonly used as a guitarist might use a light-gauge steel or low-tension nylon set, particularly by jazz players looking for speedier technique in a club/studio setting, rather than concert-hall acoustic response and maximum volume...

[Earl49]

FWIW, I got interested in upright bass about three years ago. They sound great, but are expensive ($1700 for a plywood import) and are big / awkward to transport.

I ended up buying a Kala U-bass. With those big polyurethane strings, when plugged in it sounds a lot like a doghouse bass. The U-bass plus a battery powered amp is still cheaper and easier to move than an upright.

Acoustically, none of the ABG's I've ever tried did a very satisfying job, except for living room practice.

[Wyllys]

Originally Posted by Earl49

FWIW, I got interested in upright bass about three years ago. They sound great, but are expensive ($1700 for a plywood import) and are big / awkward to transport.

I ended up buying a Kala U-bass. With those big polyurethane strings, when plugged in it sounds a lot like a doghouse bass. The U-bass plus a battery powered amp is still cheaper and easier to move than an upright.

Acoustically, none of the ABG's I've ever tried did a very satisfying job, except for living room practice.

You can still find serviceable uprights for a good bit less than a grand.

No fretted bass will ever give you the true sound of the upright and the shorter string length cannot give the innate rhythmic pulse either. Not saying they don't have their merits, but they are different instruments altogether.

As to the logistics of transport and performance, I'll put up with schlepping the upright for a few minutes in and out of the gig over having to carry the weight of the acoustic bass guitar with a strap over my shoulder. I can simply lean on the upright when I get tired and still play and an end-pin wheel lets me trundle the instrument in and out rather than tote a hard-cased over-sized guitar.

But that's my preference and to each his/her own.

[JLT]

There was a thread on this very subject a few weeks ago.

FWIW, I mentioned that it's really all about the pickups. I agreed that you won't get enough volume unplugged to match a couple of other instruments playing with you. And if you're using conventional electric bass pickups on an acoustic bass, there won't be any significant difference in the tone when you plug it in. But if the acoustic bass has a piezo pickup that can hear what the soundboard is doing (as opposed to just the strings), then you'll hear a marked difference in tone which might come across as "muddy" or "warm" or "woody" ... not as much note clarity, but lots of overtones. Whether that's what you're looking for is something only you can tell.

[jomaynor]

Originally Posted by paulp1960

Just put flatwound strings on an electric bass guitar.

Acoustic basses look great for the acoustic vibe but don't deliver much.

This.

Or get a double bass.

[Jersey tuning]

Tried out a bunch of acoustic basses and fully agree about their lack of projection. In the low key pickup band I'll be playing in I'm tempted just to use my baritone guitar, which HAS acoustic projection unplugged. As a bass newbie I have no preconceptions about range so maybe I'll just get by with what I have -- or get smitten by an electric bass...............

[Jersey tuning]

What are the limitations of using a standard electric guitar amp for an electric bass?

[Earl49]

It mostly has to do with speaker size. It is hard to generate the low frequencies with a small cone. For a bass amp I use an old Peavey KB60 60 watt keyboard amp I've had for 25 years, originally purchased for other uses. Being a keyboard amp, it is more full range than guitar amps, which tend to be limited in frequency response. With a 15" speaker, and does a credible job as a bass amp. A real bass amp would probably be even better, but tends to be even larger and heavier.

[PorkPieGuy]

Originally Posted by Earl49

FWIW, I got interested in upright bass about three years ago. They sound great, but are expensive ($1700 for a plywood import) and are big / awkward to transport.

I ended up buying a Kala U-bass. With those big polyurethane strings, when plugged in it sounds a lot like a doghouse bass. The U-bass plus a battery powered amp is still cheaper and easier to move than an upright.

Acoustically, none of the ABG's I've ever tried did a very satisfying job, except for living room practice.

Yup, but folks need not be fooled by a laminate-top upright bass. All of the bluegrassers around here want a upright Kay laminate bass for not only the sound, but the durability.

Man, I forgot all about those little Kala basses! I'd love to have one of those just for kicks. I watched a few videos and I was totally impressed.

Originally Posted by Jersey tuning

What are the limitations of using a standard electric guitar amp for an electric bass?

Another thing to consider is the wattage of the speaker itself. A guitar-amp speaker may not be able to handle the push/pull of the bass frequencies coming off a bass guitar. In other words, you could blow the speaker pretty easily if you're not careful.

One of the best purchases my wife and I ever made was buying a Ampeg BA115 (she's a bass player). The amp is 100 watts, a nice 15" speaker and also a tweeter. You can use it for anything. I've hooked my little Mackie to it and used it as a small PA system, and I've also used it as a keyboard amp as well. Music playback isn't too shabby through it either. It's a really, really diverse amp.