Fender Kingman acoustic bass- any good?

[SlapbassSteve]

Hi all,

I'll be looking to spend up to around £300 on an acoustic bass in a couple of weeks as my ukulele group(4x ukes, and meself on bass.... don't laugh...) is really starting to go places. I've been using my regular basses so far but it looks a bit mixed up with four ukes and then myself swinging a massive great Paul Simonon-style Fender Precision around on the end, I stick out like a sore thumb. It'll be handy for busking over xmas(we've been hoping to apply for a spot in Liverpool One) and I've been after an acoustic bass for some of the duo gigs I've been doing too, so I reckon I can moreorless justify the expenditure.

Came across the Kingman series and they look beautiful, especially that neck! Has anyone got any experience with them, live sound etc? Not had a decent acoustic bass before so I'm not really sure what I should be looking/listening for -any thoughts? Are there any other basses in that price range I'm overlooking that'd be better?

Cheers!

[basshead56]

I used a mate's Kingman for a couple of acoustic gigs and a busking session.
While i loved the neck, i really got put off buying one-no louder than a P Bass unplugged-unless its a Mark Hoppus sig-they are pretty loud unplugged!
I remember being genuinely gutted that it didnt hold its own but then again, that has been my experience with most acoustic basses.
Try and get ur hands on a Fender Victor Bailey sig, aa amazing acoustic bass that sounds great unplugged or amplified. Always get compliments on it when i use it live!

[Ed_S]

I had one not long ago and came to the conclusion that:

+ It looks nice
+ It sounds nice on its own
+ The J neck is really comfortable
+ It's light to carry round in a gigbag
+ It sounds pretty authentic when plugged in
+ The built-in tuner on the preamp is handy

but...

- The neck-dive is monumental when stood up
- The body is small-ish so the unplugged volume is minimal (moreso than most I've owned)
- Unless hard-cased, the tuner on the preamp turns itself on in transit and completely drains the battery
- The room-volume before feedback is pretty low, so you need a sound-hole suppressor

...and as soon as you have the feedback suppressor in and you're DI'd to the desk, it sounds pretty much exactly like a P-bass in the mix! So, given that it was always for a side-project and was a big chunk of instrument to try and store when not in use, I came to the conclusion that it had to go, and I'd just use my P-bass.

[Jacqueslemac]

I enjoyed gigging mine the few times I did so. It has a great sound for an acoustic set (when plugged in), but the previous comments about the volume when it's unplugged are true. It's much louder than an electric bass unplugged, but won't hold its own against acoustic guitars.

I didn't notice any neck dive when playing, although it does dive if you take both hands off the bass. Mine lives in a hard case, so I've never noticed any problems with battery drainage.

My only real issue with it is that the body is quite deep front-to-rear, so I found it a bit of a stretch for my right forearm, which ended up resting on the edge and was a bit uncomfortable after a few songs.

All-in-all, a great bass for the money (although I did buy mine secondhand, but in as-new condition).

[kerley]

Could always get a U-Bass and really fit in?

Edited December 1, 2012 by kerley

[Ed_S]

[quote name='Jacqueslemac' timestamp='1354356253' post='1885064']
My only real issue with it is that the body is quite deep front-to-rear, so I found it a bit of a stretch for my right forearm, which ended up resting on the edge and was a bit uncomfortable after a few songs.
[/quote]

Oh yeah! That too

[SlapbassSteve]

Cheers folks! That Victor Bailey model looks beautiful, but I'll hazard a guess if I can find one anywhere it'll be out of my price range.

Fender's CB-100CE is about £100 cheaper then the Kingman, does anyone know if that is any better unplugged or at dealing with feedback?

[quote name='kerley' timestamp='1354358231' post='1885097']
Could always get a U-Bass and really fit in?
[/quote]

Was looking into one of these as a mate of mine has one, they look and sound fantastic but I always struggle to get those massive rubber strings in tune! There's also a bass solo I get in the set where I feel the need to properly shred the neck and that'd be impossible on one of these sadly...

[RussiB]

I play in an acoustic 'classic rock' band and wanted an upgrade to my original little Ibanez bass. As soon as I saw this new (2023) version the Fender Kingman, with the iconic headstock and a beautiful tobacco-burst finish, I knew this would be the one.

When it arrived I wasn't disappointed - a beautiful, quality build & finish and, considering this is the best and most expensive acoustic bass that Fender make, I think it's incredible value for money.

The body feels a little bigger and wider than the Ibanez, but you quickly get used to it and find a comfortable way to hold and play it. And my goodness is that Jazz-style short scale neck wonderful, just perfect.

I'd been converted to playing flat wound strings on my electric bass already and knew at the time of purchase that, after a bit of research into what works on an acoustic, I should add a set of short scale tape wound strings to the order. That my friends was the mistake: when fitted to this bass, and the way the ball end installs under the bridge and is held in place by the pins, short scale strings are, well, too short - about half an inch too short at least!

Luckily I had chosen to try Deep Talkin' Bass black nylon tape wounds and I have to say that, having been made aware of the problem, La Bella have been absolutely fantastic at helping come up with a solution.

After much trans-Atlantic discussion, measuring and photo sharing, it would appear that this latest version is a little longer 'ball to silk' than previous models and that, while short scale strings are too short, medium scale is slightly too long!

The solution: Beatle Bass strings! 

I chose La Bella's own black nylon tape wound Beatle Bass strings and they're absolutely perfect. Lower tension than the stock bronze strings perhaps, but that suits me and they play beautifully, as smooth as butter and as mellow as an upright bass.

La Bella also do a steel flatwound in this length and, as the saying goes, 'other Beatle Bass strings are also available', but that's the learning:

- If you want a pro-quality acoustic bass that sounds fantastic, doesn't break the bank, and has the right name on the headstock for the audience to assume you're good (ha ha), this is the one. Just buy it.

- ...but if you intend to only play it 'amped up' and prefer flat or tape wound strings, make sure you get 'Beatle Bass' strings that are 33-34" length ball to silk, because anything else won't fit!

Hope the review is useful, cheers.... 👍

[StingRayBoy42]

I think most ABGs are too quiet unplugged - to get enough volume, they have to be about the size of a Cello.

The loudest one I've found is the Tacoma Thunderchief - sadly discontinued (Thanks, Fender) but they do turn up second hand from time to time.

About £600 used, which is way over your budget... they are lovely though!

There's a cheaper version, the Olympia OB3CE which is probably around the £300 mark used but they're rarer than a scouse tory.

I've also heard good things about the Epiphone El Capitan... or there's that Warwick Alien on Marketplace at the mo.

EDIT - Just noticed this thread in 11 years old, so you're probably not still looking for one. 🙄

Edited March 2 by StingRayBoy42