I loved my acoustic bass (a custom made instrument by Brook here in the UK, an instrument I miss dearly). I would agree with some of the comments on here- I commissioned it so that I could be the bass player in my mandolin orchestra, but there is no way it could be heard, even with just a couple of mandolins, let alone when we were playing with about 6 or 7 other instruments. But, I used to plug it into a Phil Jones Cub or a Phil Jones Briefcase, and it sounded absolutely amazing. A very very different sound to either an electric bass (more warmth to the notes, much more acoustic guitar like) or an upright bass (brighter and more articulate). So they definitely have their uses.
In the following video this was the first piece I recored on her- she was wearing Elixir strings, so quite bright, not everyone's cup of tea for a sound. But hopefully you can hear how well balanced she is, especially that low E
And in this video, I hopefully give you some idea of how the bass can sound in the context of a full ensemble, in this case a piece I wrote for my mandolin orchestra, but here overdubbed with me playing all the parts:
I hope this gives you some idea of what can be achieved with an acoustic bass. I hope someday I will be able to buy back this bass that I was forced to sell when I experienced some financial difficulties, otherwise I will replace her (hopefully next year) with a Furch (another bass that I have played and really enjoyed). There is a lot of false information put out there about how useful these wonderful instruments can be, but with a decently made instrument they are truly inspiring if, like me, you are solely an acoustic musician.
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