How do you feel about an acoustic bass guitar in your jam?

[Mike Bunting]

Nothing short of a doghouse is going to have enough umph to keep up with a band acoustically. But that said, there's some really nice amplified options out there.

You gotta check a Ubass. A good friend and x bandmate who'd always played doghouse showed up a couple of years ago with a Ubass at the big 48hr jam in Bakersfield. I can't remember what the amp is, but it's really small and the sound is absolutely great! It's just funny to see this big ol guy with an itty bitty uke looking thing, and then when you realize it's a bass, all most people could do was just marvel. I would have thought it wouldn't have much range but my buddy doesn't have any problem at all, any key, and somehow doesn't seem to run out of fretboard. He says he has no calluses, no hurtin' fingers, and best of all no more back problems from hauling that big ol' bass around. And somehow the Bluegrass Police haven't got riled up about it.

Just did a marathon crafts faire with a friend who's got a standup electric. Everybody in the audience, including several bass players raved about the sound. He brought the electric because he was camping in his small SUV and didn't have room for the doghouse. For me it was a snap to just come out of the pre out, straight into my board. No muss no fuss and sounded tremendous. Since we were doing a trio, I felt I needed to get his bass pretty loud and it was no problem at all. He was telling me it is fairly cheap($600) and there's forum's devoted to the tweeks that need to be done to make it work great. He also has a little battery powered bass amp so he can go to jams. Unfortunately he didn't mention the make and it had nothing on the bass anywhere as to maker that I could see. Just looked like standup neck with a very emaciated body. Pretty light and no bulk to speak of.

As with any amplified bass, you have be aware of your technique. The tendency is to have too much sustain so you loose the precision of the beat. So you have learn to mute.

A friend has one and I think they are a great sounding solution. Where is the forum?

[foldedpath]

I'd rather have it than no bass, but the main problem with electric instruments just about always shows up - the volume knob, and I rather have no bass than one that is too loud.

That's the problem in a nutshell. Any amp that's loud enough to do minimal reinforcement will have more headroom than is necessary for playing along with acoustic instruments. If the bass player is having trouble hearing their instrument in a loud jam, then they'll crank the volume... just a little bit. That little bit means the people nearby aren't hearing their instruments as well, so they start playing louder and more aggressively to compensate. Pretty soon, the whole jam is in that ear-stabbing zone of volume where everyone is playing beyond their ability to sound musical, and nobody can hear themselves.

This can happen with acoustic instruments too, of course. It happens frequently at Irish and Scottish sessions I've been to, due to the sheer number of fiddlers or the presence of a piper. It's just easier for it to get started when someone has a volume knob to play with.

[Jim Garber]

Jacob: are those Aquila strings the same as what originally comes on the Kala Ubass?

[pjlama]

Late to the party but I've been primarily a bass player for 30 years, worked in the bass biz and wrote for the bass rags. Anyway, some is better than none, if buying new the only one with any volume is the Tacoma Thunder Cheif, get rid of the carp phosphor string and go with flats. If you can find an old Ernie Ball Eartheood even better. Most acoustic bass guitars are horrible. These are the only two that will work, they won't be near as good as an upright but good enough.

[pjlama]

Oh I forgot, if you're amenable to a small battery amp have her get an Ashbury. I've played Ashburys on hard straight ahead gigs and they just flat rock and are so small she can put it in an oversized purse.

[Jacob]

Jim: original Kala Ubass strings are Kala.
I like the ones by Aquila much better.

[Bernie Daniel]

FYI

[Eddie Sheehy]

...and the Pignose Hog30 is battery-powered...

[Jacob]

FWIW, the solid body S-U-B Ubass has a volume control and 2-band EQ.
The acoustic-electric model does not list these as a feature.

[Mike Bunting]

FYI

Sounds fine. Tell those guys to get those tuners off their headstocks! I like that band, I'd enjoy seeing them.

[Cary Fagan]

Lots of great advice. Nothing replaces the doghouse, but something to take up to the cottage, etc, and for our wed night jam would be pretty cool. I'm tempted to run out and get her the fretless u-bass that's at the store. It's her birthday in August and I didn't get her anything much last year because I couldn't think of anything. Store is just closing but I could go tomorrow. Hmmm...

[multidon]

Nobody has mentioned this one yet, so I will. My wife plays bass with our old-time group and while she plays amplified for outdoors or large rooms, she sometimes plays an acoustic bass guitar for small venues. When we went shopping for one we pretty much played every one we could find and the only one that put out decent unplugged volume was the Breedlove. Those, I think, could hold their own in a jam unplugged

[Bernie Daniel]

I like that band, I'd enjoy seeing them.

My thoughts exactly! Tasteful.

[Kagey]

We have a local Band here Called "Subject to Change" The Bass player is Wheelchair bound, He plays an acoustic Bass and does a Really fine Job, This band has a 15 year old lead singer and guitar player and a 19 year old Fiddle player that is nothing short of amazing. I'll leave the link to their Web site if any want to check them out. http://subjecttochangeband.com/ They have videos on Youtube

[Paul Kotapish]

I have a modest Epiphone El Capitan acoustic bass guitar, and it works great for acoustic jams with a small, battery-powered amp. On its own it really is just too quiet for all but the most serene of music circles, but even with a Pignose or a Roland micro amp it has plenty of presence and doesn't suffer noticeably from the dreaded piezo quack. I think it's a pretty good alternative.

Played one of the above-mentioned Ubass units at a music weekend recently and thought it sounded terrific. Didn't dig the feel of the thing that much, but it would be bliss for anyone suffering from hand or wrist pain.

A bass player I work with a lot has National Resophonic acoustic bass (much like the Beard pictured above), and it's pretty great, too. Noticeably louder than any of the guitar-bodied basses I've tried, but still marginal for an acoustic session of more than a couple folks and certainly not loud enough on its own for a bluegrass session.

[Ray(T)]

My experience is that if you have more than one other instrument, the acoustic bass can't be heard unless amplified. This was true for all the models that passed through the music store where I worked and a few I've seen at jam sessions. There is a woman here who plays bluegrass and her backup is an Ashbory (with the rubber band strings) and a small pignose amp. She slaps the Ashbory pretty well, and it sounds pretty similar to an upright. You can get battery powered amps now. Some of the jams here don't allow any electrification, even if it means no bass. I'd rather have it than no bass, but the main problem with electric instruments just about always shows up - the volume knob, and I rather have no bass than one that is too loud.

I was also going to suggest the "Ashbory" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashbory_bass

Whilst they are now made under license by Fender, be careful if you find an original one; I think they were low impedance and, therefore, you won't be able to use a normal bass amp without additional equipment.

[Rvl]

I have 2 electric uprights and 3 uprights and 4 acoustic bass guitars and 5 semi acoustic basses and alot of electric basses
I would suggest an amp and an electric upright
Don't get a cheap junky amp
But.......

Hope you don't mind this not-strictly-a-mandolin-question.

My wife plays double bass but just doesn't like, and can't always take it out. Not easy to get in our car, either. So she's thinking of getting an acoustic bass guitar just to jam with once in a while so she won't be left out.

My understanding is they're often not loud enough unplugged. She's hoping that she could play it unplugged (if she got one of the louder ones) in a small jam (for ex, we're going to a small festival for a couple of hours this weekend) and use an amp at other times.

Any experiences, opinions? Thanks. I think we might rent one this weekend just to give it a try.

[Jim Garber]

Rvl: perhaps some specific suggestions... what amp and upright would you recommend. What are decent instruments for those on a budget? There seem to be many of those Palatino uprights on eBay for under $700 -- I assume that those are not very good. How about this NS Design?

This is intriguing but I have a feeling that we may be on shaky ground for quality: Foldable Upright bass from China (see below)

[MikeEdgerton]

To say that the U-Bass is intriguing would be an understatement. That's amazing. has any played the different acoustic models? Are there any real differences between them?

[dcoventry]

As the resident in-house Rigel fanatic, I'd like to point out this new product from Pete Langdell:

http://www.rigelinstruments.com/publish/abg.shtml

Looks pretty nifty and would get the comments for sure!

[1-2-many]

I'm tempted to run out and get her the fretless u-bass that's at the store.

As a bassist for over 30 years (yipes!) I have owned an Guild Ashbory briefly, (the strings started breaking my themselves). I've played several Kala basses and really like them, but I would not recommend the fretless as it is not what you would expect sound-wise. I believe it's because of the strings. Play them both and you will see what I mean. It responds well to right hand technique, side finger type plucking. I never cared much for acoustic bass guitars, but they are cheap and plentyful. If you plan to play acoustically at all, neither the Ashbory or Kala are very audible w/o an amp.

[Jim Garber]

As the resident in-house Rigel fanatic, I'd like to point out this new product from Pete Langdell:

http://www.rigelinstruments.com/publish/abg.shtml

Looks pretty nifty and would get the comments for sure!

I don't know why Peter doesn't link to these videos...

[Ryk]

Ten Thumbs up for dcoventry's post. Pete works on my instruments and i'm over at his shop as often as i can get there. I've been around while the ABG was developed and found it really comes closest to the sound of a standup. The ABG is a wonderful instrument. (Good enough for Joshua Bell to buy one for his mandolin orchestra.)

Ryk

[MikeEdgerton]

Apparently some others are jumping on the ukulele bass concept.

http://www.hoochies.info/ukulele/truth/000406.html

[Rvl]

Upright bass is an upright bass
So I would recommend either an Azola or BSX or an Aria
None of them is cheap or junk(palantino or folding basses)

If you want an acoustic bass guitar
Tacoma(tops are weak,only light guage) and still need an amp
Korean acoustic bass guitars are pretty good
Kala's good but as soon as another bass player sees you(they smirk)
Kleins are nice but $$$$$ but still needs an amp
I prefer a Fender acoustic bass guitar ...has a 32" scale and sounds good plugged in and is cheap!!!!!!, with heavy flat wounds sounds like a bass and not a guitar

As for amps
GK 200mb or newer ones(older sound better)
AER I have a Compact 60/2 , sounds good with both mandolin and bass(bass ones are probably better for bass only)
EA I have Wizzy 12 and a Combo and a Micro300 head
I am looking at picking up a Crazy8 speaker
I use GK 112mbx and a EA Micro300 or a AER Compact 60
I dont know how many other amps i have...stupid .....huh

Bass is big
And big is not easy
It takes money to get a good sound

thanks

Robert VanLane