Acoustic bass guitar chat

[mikebass456]

I tried various acoustic basses in live situations ,with varying degrees of success.  Mostly either low volume or constant feedback problems ensued, along with the fact that being only 5'6" tall, the things were nearly as big as me when cased up and took up loads of room.

I eventually got rid of my Takamine electro acoustic and bought A kala Rumbler UBass.  Great sound, easy to transport, and draws interest from people wherever we play. No feedback issues either!

Reckon they're about £250 now, and apart from having to get used to the short scale (which doesnt take too long) theyre great for sitting at the back and sitting in on open mic sessions too 😀

[T-Bay]

I have a cheap one that I use mostly for home practice but used it once at a gig. I have a small Roland cube (battery powered) and just stuck that under my stool. It worked well and the batteries did the 90mins no problem. Without that it would been useless.

[mikebass456]

Agree, they need to be amplified the same way as a 'normal' acoustic bass, but they add a completely different tone to the proceedings! I use a little orange 30w practice amp, which is plenty to give me equal footing with the six stringers 😀.

I can't go back to full size acoustic basses now, plus it means that I have more room for my pint and scratchings.........

[casapete]

I have a Countryman Uke bass, and love it. Best £150 I've spent in a long while.

Sounds massive amplified, but almost inaudible unamplified. Fun to play, and the punters

always comment on it. As the last two posts above, a good alternative to an acoustic/electric bass.

[TrevorR]

On 15/12/2017 at 12:25, casapete said:

Not sure about louder, but the one I tried was more middle biased which may cut through a bit more. 

Still not enough unamplified though IMO.

 

And any I’ve seen have a pretty awful/unique tone... there is a different vibe and sound to acoustic basses beyond just the look. They are great to tinkle on around the house without worrying about amps and stuff. As others have said, for and ensemble playing a small amp is a must. There’s a huge variation in cost and quality in the sound (esp of the pickup) so try before you buy is pretty much a must. 

Ive got a Faith acoustic bass which I got a great deal on new at £500 and it'sgreat fun in more acoustic settings. 

For your jam session an electric bass and small amp would, of course, work fine. But if it’s also about the vibe and the look and a less electric tone and you just fancy one then definitely try some out. Then you can make an informed yes or no decision. 

 

 

[Monkey Steve]

I'd add to the list of recommendations with an Ortega.  they do a range of models at a range of costs

https://www.gear4music.com/Acoustic_Guitars/Ortega-Acoustic-Bass

I have the Ken Taylor signature model (no idea who Ken is, I just liked the bass) 5 string, and it's great to play, and louder than my acoustic guitar.  In fact I have to change my style to stop it from disturbing the neighbours...on reflection it's probably because i do hammer the strings somewhat.  That one's not within the £500 budget, but if one comes up on ebay?

[EliasMooseblaster]

The logic of this suggestion might seem a little oblique, but what about using an electric fretless? That's what I've started doing for acoustic gigs.

Obviously, you've got to balance the consensuses that: you'll probably have to plug in anyway; a decent acoustic BG with a good pickup is likely to be a sizable investment; and a normal electric bass is likely to receive a few disapproving tuts from some of the purists.

Fretless basses can sit really nicely in a gentler acoustic setup. More importantly, those likely to care enough about you using an electric instrument are also more likely to notice if your bass guitar has no frets; if they can spot that difference then they're also more likely to know that it (usually) has a softer and less intrusive tone than a fretted bass, and perhaps give you the benefit of the doubt that you are at least making some concession to their pedantic acoustic purism.

(Am I way off the mark here?)

[Barking Spiders]

39 minutes ago, EliasMooseblaster said:

The logic of this suggestion might seem a little oblique, but what about using an electric fretless? That's what I've started doing for acoustic gigs.

Obviously, you've got to balance the consensuses that: you'll probably have to plug in anyway; a decent acoustic BG with a good pickup is likely to be a sizable investment; and a normal electric bass is likely to receive a few disapproving tuts from some of the purists.

Fretless basses can sit really nicely in a gentler acoustic setup. More importantly, those likely to care enough about you using an electric instrument are also more likely to notice if your bass guitar has no frets; if they can spot that difference then they're also more likely to know that it (usually) has a softer and less intrusive tone than a fretted bass, and perhaps give you the benefit of the doubt that you are at least making some concession to their pedantic acoustic purism.

(Am I way off the mark here?)

hmm are a bit I'm afraid. i've already got two electric fretless basses. Thing is people at this pub just pick up guitars, bongos, whatever is around and just get on with it. No faffing around with tuning up, counting in etc. I 'd just wanna be able to whip out a bass and join in. Might just stick with bringing along my banjo instead.

[BigRedX]

1 hour ago, Barking Spiders said:

hmm are a bit I'm afraid. i've already got two electric fretless basses. Thing is people at this pub just pick up guitars, bongos, whatever is around and just get on with it. No faffing around with tuning up, counting in etc. I 'd just wanna be able to whip out a bass and join in. Might just stick with bringing along my banjo instead.

Unfortunately that's not going to happen with an acoustic bass guitar unless the only person you want to entertain is yourself.

[bazzbass]

On ‎12‎/‎15‎/‎2017 at 21:38, BigRedX said:

If you need to be completely un-amplified you are going to need a double bass.

Acoustic bass guitars simply aren't loud enough to compete with anything more than a single quiet (not strummed) acoustic guitar because the body isn't big enough to project the sound. Low notes and a decent volume requires a large body, hence the size of the double bass. There are a few very large bodied acoustic guitars like the Earthwood Bass, but they are very rare and expensive. 

The other issue you will come across is that decent small-bodied acoustic basses (one you will be using with an amp) tend to cost a lot more than an equivalent quality electro-acoustic guitar, partly because they aren't so popular and also because once again amplifying low notes is more complicated than a standard guitar. Unless you get very lucky with something like a bargain-priced second hand Takamine TB10, expect to pay at least £1k to get something of the equivalent quality to a £350 electro-acoustic 6-string guitar.

TBH if you are going to have to reply on amplification you might as well use your favourite electric bass and a small and unobtrusive combo. It will sound better and you won't have to worry about feedback or excessive handling noise from cheap piezo pickup systems.

exactly all of the above.

 

Don't waste $550 on an ABG

 

you'll need an amp, might as well use your EB.

 

If people say "but you're not unplugged"

 

reply "neither was anyone on MTV Unplugged" lol

[Brook_fan]

Just want to chip in hear to tell you about my acoustic bass, a custom Brook bass, handmade in Devon by three guys, using all traditional methods.

It is called a Lowman.  All Brook guitars are named after rivers, so I was delighted to discover there was a river Loman to name my custom bass after.  It is based on the body shape and size of a Gibson J200.

It has a Engelmann bear claw spruce top, bubinga back and sides, and walnut neck.  

This is what she sounds like, having just recorded this bass trio today.  The tune is a Gordon Duncan bagpipe tune (I am who folk musician who also plays guitar and mandolin.  I have arranged several celtic tunes for solo bass)

 

Sorry, don’t know how to embed this in the post

 

Acoustic basses are great fun, and my reasons for owning one are many.  I like the way they look, especially with other acoustic instrument, they sound more ‘alive’ than electric basses, and their acoustic nature lets you ‘feel’ the music more, if you know what I mean.

 

Robbie

 

 

[Brook_fan]

Just wanted to add as well that this instrument is quite capable of keeping up with 6 other mandolins in my band.  However, I do use a Phil Jones Briefcase.  I love this amp because it is loud enough to turn up but still sound like the sound is coming from my bass.  Its difficult to describe what I mean, but before I bought this I very briefly had an AER Amp One.  When I plugged into this, the amp was just too loud and powerful, and it was obvious that although I had an acoustic bass in my hand, the sound was coming from the big black box. With the briefcase, I can place it beside me, turn it up so that myself and the rest of the band can hear me, and still feel like the sound is emanating form the sound hole of my bass.  I often wonder whether its the smaller speakers of the Briefcase that help it integrate into the acoustic sound more easily?

[EdLib-3]

I have a Stanford Robot acoustic bass which I bought used, relatively unknown brand over here but a really good acoustic bass. I really like it a lot and use it all the time for practising at home and jamming with one guitarist (which it can just about handle). Good for playing and not disturbing the neighbours. As for using acoustic bass guitars for playing live, I would have to agree with the general consensus; they just ain't cutting it.

Barking Spiders you are absolutely right not to want to spend more than £500 on one. The best sounding one I have ever tried was a Martin selling for something ludicrous like £1,800. It only sounded slightly better than the one I have and wasn't really much louder. Finding a truly good acoustic bass guitar at a sensible price is very difficult. Plugged in using their onboard preamps they often sound thin, uneven and give you a lot of unwanted clackity string noise. The practical application of the ABG as a useful tool for a bass player live (and in general, to be honest) is so totally minimal that I think if you are looking for something for gigging with in an acoustic type setting, get a semi-acoustic hollow body type bass strung with flatwounds and (as others have said) a small amp. You'll get a much better sound, and actually be heard. A semi acoustic / hollow body type electric bass will also give you an acoustic looking instrument that fits in with the vibe of your fellow musician's instruments.

Edited December 21, 2017 by EdLib-3

[MoonBassAlpha]

By an odd coincidence, the tune I'm covering for the December covers challenge, was originally playing on an acoustic bass guitar: 

first appearance of the bass is at 0.45, and you can clearly hear a difference in sound to an electric bass guitar. Andy Metcalfe is the player here. I played our version on an electric with flats through a valve amp, and it sounds nothing like this.

[TrevorR]

On 20/12/2017 at 18:59, Brook_fan said:

Just want to chip in hear to tell you about my acoustic bass, a custom Brook bass, handmade in Devon by three guys, using all traditional methods.

It is called a Lowman.  All Brook guitars are named after rivers, so I was delighted to discover there was a river Loman to name my custom bass after.  It is based on the body shape and size of a Gibson J200.

It has a Engelmann bear claw spruce top, bubinga back and sides, and walnut neck.  

This is what she sounds like, having just recorded this bass trio today.  The tune is a Gordon Duncan bagpipe tune (I am who folk musician who also plays guitar and mandolin.  I have arranged several celtic tunes for solo bass)

 

Sorry, don’t know how to embed this in the post

 

Acoustic basses are great fun, and my reasons for owning one are many.  I like the way they look, especially with other acoustic instrument, they sound more ‘alive’ than electric basses, and their acoustic nature lets you ‘feel’ the music more, if you know what I mean.

 

Robbie

 

 

Lovely bass. Simon and Andy do make some amazing instruments. I’ve often gazed longingly at their Otter basses but would never be able to justify the outlay, though. I do have a Tamar 6 string which I adore. That will have to do... would love to see the full bass.

[Brook_fan]

Ok, here are two more pictures.

You can see that I had to swap the original Schaller Da Vinci’s, for much better Hipshot ultralites, and tying in with the black trim theme a bit more.

Currently strung with La Bella Gold tape wounds, but would love to try some of the new GHS pressure wound phosphorus bronze, as I do miss the sound of PBS a little, but can’t stand the noise of my (very short) nails scraping on them, and when moving up and down the strings.

One thing to note Trevor is that the Otter bass was always based on the Tamar shape.  My Lowman uses a body size more akin to their giant Okement shape.  I think it works much more as an acoustic as a result.

[Johnm93]

I use a G4M electro-acoustic which I bought used from a percussionist mate. The main reason for actually wanting one is that I live in a flat and can use it for practice late evening and not upset the neighbours. That said, it has come in useful when rehearsing in peoples houses rather than a studio.

Seems to knacker the P3 batteries pretty quickly... 

[TrevorR]

9 hours ago, Brook_fan said:

 

One thing to note Trevor is that the Otter bass was always based on the Tamar shape.  My Lowman uses a body size more akin to their giant Okement shape.  I think it works much more as an acoustic as a result.

 

Nice! And on the choice of body shape I’d have to heartily agree!

[Frank Blank]

I have just recently moved to using acoustic basses exclusively. They have the right sound for the music I play and there is just an alive feeling I get from them that I don’t get from any other kind of bass. Having said that I find myself agreeing with most comments above including the apparently negative ones. I have...

Taylor GS Mini-e Bass

Godin A4

Fender Kingman

...I have attempted to play the Fender in an acoustic jam and despite it being the loudest ab I’ve ever played and it being fitted with very bright strings it just wasn’t loud enough an I was playing it hard! I was satisfied with the sound reaching the short distance to my ears but nothing of note reached anyone else’s. The simple fact is that they do need amplifying, and yes, they are expensive if you want a good one unless you get the Taylor but then you have a short scale. Imho the Godin is an unparalleled acoustic bass but again, useless unless amplified. I rehearse in a normal sized room with one other acoustic guitar player and both the Godin and the Taylor need amplifying even in that minimal situation, the Fender cuts through but, again, even in that situation I have to play it hard. I don’t necessarily agree that the simple option of having to amplify it negates the reason to have one and use an eb instead, but, again, unless you get an expensive one you might as well because you won’t get that character and tone.

Then if you decide to amplify it you are into difficult water again because to get the best out of them you need a acoustic amp really, I know people say just use a normal bass rig but it doesn’t cut it, really you need that acoustic amp and you can lay out a lot and it won’t be able to handle it. I’ve just sold a Fender Pro 200 because, as lovely as it was with an acoustic guitar it couldn’t reproduce the tone properly. After years of trying other amps I ended up (two days ago) with an AER, I knew I’d end up with one because they are kinda faultless at reproducing the bass tone accurately, I thought I might find a cheaper option but nope, AER it had to be.

So I’d say I can’t see an option to jam with a large group of people unamplified. I think I’ve banged on at length here without being any help.

[casapete]

Just found this - anyone on here seen / tried one? All ply construction, carbon fibre reinforced neck / short scale etc.

https://www.tonkbros.com/collections/short-scale-acoustic-basses/products/tonk-bros-parlour-bass-guitar-trashed-black

Made in UK, retail for £499.

[Brook_fan]

4 hours ago, casapete said:

Just found this - anyone on here seen / tried one? All ply construction, carbon fibre reinforced neck / short scale etc.

https://www.tonkbros.com/collections/short-scale-acoustic-basses/products/tonk-bros-parlour-bass-guitar-trashed-black

Made in UK, retail for £499.

Um, not sure about that headstock, Spacing seems a bit tight.

Has anyone come across Buzzards Field ukulele basses, based in Trowbridge?

https://www.buzzardsfieldukuleles.co.uk/

They seem unique in that basically they are made from very cheap “donor”  classical guitars, and he then creates a kit to turn it into a U bass.  The banjo bass looks pretty funky.  

A member of my band has one of his early “models”.  Being based on a short scale classical, these are longer scale than most u basses, and work a little better in my view.  Mind you, I still hate those silicone strings with a vengeance!

 

[Davo-London]

`i'm with Paul Warning.  Just get a battery operated amp and use your usual bass.  That way you'll be heard and can sit anywhere and be part of the fun.

I have a fretless Godin which sounds gorgeous but in terms of times I've used it in anger - it is a waste of money.  

 

Davo

 

[josie]

On 12/23/2017 at 16:23, Johnm93 said:

I use a G4M electro-acoustic which I bought used from a percussionist mate. The main reason for actually wanting one is that I live in a flat and can use it for practice late evening and not upset the neighbours. That said, it has come in useful when rehearsing in peoples houses rather than a studio.

Interesting comment... I got my first acoustic bass exactly because I thought it would be quieter than an electric, and less likely to be overheard by housemates. But I found (and it's also true of the two much better ones I have now) that to get a decent tone they have to be played hard, and are actually louder than an electric on lowest volume (let alone with headphones, which personally I can't get on with).

I do quite often take one round to play with people who don't have a spare amp. I also love the physical feeling of those big light thin resonant bodies - I would play mine just because it feels good, if for no other reason.

[Johnm93]

On ‎31‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 21:31, josie said:

Interesting comment... I got my first acoustic bass exactly because I thought it would be quieter than an electric, and less likely to be overheard by housemates. But I found (and it's also true of the two much better ones I have now) that to get a decent tone they have to be played hard, and are actually louder than an electric on lowest volume (let alone with headphones, which personally I can't get on with).

I do quite often take one round to play with people who don't have a spare amp. I also love the physical feeling of those big light thin resonant bodies - I would play mine just because it feels good, if for no other reason.

I found mine to be spot on for what I needed. Also, I do use headphones sometimes...