High end acoustic basses?

[molan]

So I may have an 'unplugged' gig and my suggestion of just playing an electric 'quietly' didn't go down very well, lol.

I'm fairly picky these days and could probably afford a good quality acoustic but I really have no idea what to look for!

My ideal would be something that's actually as close as an electric to play really but still has a good 'woody' acoustic sound & vibe.

Any suggestions people. . .

[AndyTravis]

[url="http://www.takamine.com/?fa=series&sid=172"]http://www.takamine.com/?fa=series&sid=172[/url]

I fancy either the fretless (over £2000)

or the cedar topped one...

If money were no issue, mind.

[derrenleepoole]

Godin perhaps, even though it is more semi acoustic? I would imagine even in a fully acoustic set, you're going to need amplification of some sort. With all the will in the world, and acoustic bass isn't very bassy without it!

[molan]

Would definitely be amped up

Just spotted this:



[url="http://www.bassnw.com/Used%20Basses/ribbecke_halfling_BV_acoustic_electric_bass.htm"]http://www.bassnw.com/Used%20Basses/ribbec...ectric_bass.htm[/url]

Looks rather nice but $4,500 used. .

Seen some nice Rick Turners which along the Godin kind of style which would probably suit me. Will look out for some Godins too

[BassBod]

[attachment=47421:DSCN0885.JPG]

I've got a small bodied Martin - could be persuaded to part with it (or rather, my car is in a bad way..I can see a large bill in my near future). PM me if you're interested?

[franzbassist]

Hi Barrie

This is a subject close to my heart, and I have gone for a really acoutsic, organic tone over the last couple of years.

[quote name='derrenleepoole' post='807588' date='Apr 15 2010, 08:34 PM']Godin perhaps, even though it is more semi acoustic? I would imagine even in a fully acoustic set, you're going to need amplification of some sort. With all the will in the world, and acoustic bass isn't very bassy without it![/quote]

+ 1 to this. I have a beautiful hand made fretted 5 string by Brook Guitars down in Devon. It's a serious high end bass and has the most stunning flamed myrtle back and side. It copes very well against two unamplified guitars when played with a pick, and has a pickup in it as well so I can use it "plugged" but still have the acoustic look.





If you want something that has a good acoustic vibe but is more like an electric to play then a Godin or any decent hollowbody would serve you well. I had a fretless Godin briefly and, while it was a bit of a one trick pony, it did that trick very well! However if you really want to splash the cash something like my Veillette Archtop fretless would do the job very well indeed.



And then, if you just want to look acoustic, a solid body made to look like an ABG is an option, just like the [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=82415&hl=samick"]Samick[/url] that has just sold in the For Sale section.

Cheers

Gareth

[chrisd24]

Fender Kingman, not exactly high end but plays pretty nice , and sounds good plugged in or acoustic....and the neck is basically a jazz neck

[BoomBass]

How about semi-acoustic. Rob Allen's basses are amazing...!

[cgordonfreeman]

Have a look on www.clc.ie in the bass gallery section. Some nice ones there including a 6 String acoustic made for the bassist from Jethro Tull. Give Chris a shout. I'm sure he'd be happy to discuss a few ideas with you.

[chris_b]

If you're going to be "amped up" anyway then "playing an electric 'quietly'" is a reasonable option, unless the other guys want to splash out £700+ on a bass for you!

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='chris_b' post='812111' date='Apr 20 2010, 12:31 AM']If you're going to be "amped up" anyway then "playing an electric 'quietly'" is a reasonable option, unless the other guys want to splash out £700+ on a bass for you![/quote]

It's what I used to do...
Have you a fretless electric? That may be a viable alternative- they can sound quite nice in an acoustic setting.

[deathpanda]

Acoustic guitar + fretless electric can be a beautiful thing

[NJE]

[quote name='chrisd24' post='807710' date='Apr 15 2010, 10:00 PM']Fender Kingman, not exactly high end but plays pretty nice , and sounds good plugged in or acoustic....and the neck is basically a jazz neck[/quote]

+1

Not sure if these come with pickup inside or anything but I played one and was one of the best acoustic basses I have played. Saying that if I had the cash, Rob Allen or for a smaller budget an Epiphone Zenith, people seem to be saying very good things about them:

[attachment=47791:67329_l.jpg]

Edited April 20, 2010 by NJE

[The Burpster]

Ovation is the way to go. Not silly money but very good instruments. A secondhand Viper if you can get one (fits your bill perfectly) or one of these:-

[url="http://www.ovationguitars.com/?fa=detail&mid=55"]http://www.ovationguitars.com/?fa=detail&mid=55[/url]

[benthos]

[quote name='deathpanda' post='812198' date='Apr 20 2010, 08:15 AM']Acoustic guitar + fretless electric can be a beautiful thing[/quote]
It's a good option indeed - I use one of these. Semi-hollow body and a combination of lightwave and piezo pickups :-)
[attachment=47824:Lightwav...Fretless.jpg]

[Noisyjon]

I have, and use, a Tacoma Thunderchief. They are the absolute dogs danglys of acoustic basses.
To give you an idea they keep up, acoustically, with an acoustic 6 string guitar in both volume and bass.
IME a lot of the cheaper acoustic basses lack real bass sounds and can be really 'honky' in the mid range.

Cheers,
Jon

[Davo-London]

Check out Rob Allen. I have a Godin and I like it a lot. But Rob Allen is what my Godin wants to be. Oh and it has to be fretless. I can't see the point of a fretted ABG.

[url="http://www.roballenguitars.com/"]http://www.roballenguitars.com/[/url]

Davo