Page 1 of 4 1234 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 83

Thread: recommend me an acoustic bass

  1. #1
    two t's and one hyphen fatt-dad's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Richmond, Virginia
    Posts
    7,635

    Default recommend me an acoustic bass

    Then my wife can thumb along with my fiddle tunes on the mandolin.

    Tacoma (no longer made); Martin (budget?); Breedlove, etc.?

    It's just for noodling around - no gigging or amps, for example.

    I've been googling the internet, but otherwise, know nothing. . .

    f-d
    ˇpapá gordo ain’t no madre flaca!

    '20 A3, '30 L-1, '97 914, 2012 Cohen A5, 2012 Muth A5, '14 OM28A

  2. #2

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    Those uke basses need an amp, but they produce a sound like a standup bass. It takes a big body to produce those low notes acoustically. Most of the guitar-sized ones aren't very loud and may need an amp anyway.
    2010 Heiden A5, 2020 Pomeroy oval A, 2013 Kentucky KM1000 F5, 2012 Girouard A Mandola w ff holes, 2001 Old Wave A oval octave
    http://HillbillyChamberMusic.bandcamp.com
    Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@hillbillychambermusic

  3. The following members say thank you to Don Grieser for this post:


  4. #3
    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Saint Augustine Beach FL
    Posts
    6,618

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    Charley

    A bunch of stuff with four strings

  5. The following members say thank you to Charles E. for this post:


  6. #4
    Registered User Bunnyf's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2015
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    206

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    +1 on the Taylor. It’s not super loud w/o an amp but it’s ok for living room play with one other instrument. My hubby prefers it to the ukebass that he had (kala) which was much quieter. Also he likes the steel strings better. He thought the rubbery uke ones felt weird.

  7. The following members say thank you to Bunnyf for this post:


  8. #5
    two t's and one hyphen fatt-dad's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Richmond, Virginia
    Posts
    7,635

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    I'm not headed towards a uke bass! I've been in settings with these and think acoustic better.

    Thanks!

    f-d
    ˇpapá gordo ain’t no madre flaca!

    '20 A3, '30 L-1, '97 914, 2012 Cohen A5, 2012 Muth A5, '14 OM28A

  9. #6
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Albany NY
    Posts
    2,054

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    Fatt-dad now you got me thinking about acoustic Bass guitars, I was kind of liking this

    Epiphone Deluxe Classic Acoustic-Electric Bass
    Stormy Morning Orchestra

    My YouTube Channel

    "Mean Old Timer, He's got grey hair, Mean Old Timer he just don't care
    Got no compassion, thinks its a sin
    All he does is sit around an play the Mandolin"

  10. The following members say thank you to tmsweeney for this post:


  11. #7
    Registered User mtucker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Los Angeles CA
    Posts
    1,500

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    Big dad - Pickup a fender jazz (lower level Squire model) and a small bass amp used. Add flatwound strings to simulate an upright sound. As Don says, most acoustics won’t give you what you’re looking for unless you add a pickup and amplification.

  12. The following members say thank you to mtucker for this post:


  13. #8
    two t's and one hyphen fatt-dad's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Richmond, Virginia
    Posts
    7,635

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    Quote Originally Posted by tmsweeney View Post
    Fatt-dad now you got me thinking about acoustic Bass guitars, I was kind of liking this

    Epiphone Deluxe Classic Acoustic-Electric Bass
    Link was to a cool looking guitar; however.

    f-d
    ˇpapá gordo ain’t no madre flaca!

    '20 A3, '30 L-1, '97 914, 2012 Cohen A5, 2012 Muth A5, '14 OM28A

  14. #9
    Registered User j. condino's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Asheville, NC
    Posts
    2,754

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    Buy your wife a small guitar - bass shaped object and you'll bring a toy into her life while only you think you did a something good.

    Buy her an honest double bass and you'll be a hero while she starts getting gigs within a few months.
    www.condino.com

    Crafted by hand in a workshop powered by the sun.

  15. The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to j. condino For This Useful Post:


  16. #10
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Albany NY
    Posts
    2,054

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    Quote Originally Posted by fatt-dad View Post
    Link was to a cool looking guitar; however.

    f-d
    sorry here is the real thing

    Epiphone De-Luxe-Classic-Acoustic-Electric-Bass

    it has mixed reviews - two complaints on machine heads, but some other 5 stars so who knows
    Stormy Morning Orchestra

    My YouTube Channel

    "Mean Old Timer, He's got grey hair, Mean Old Timer he just don't care
    Got no compassion, thinks its a sin
    All he does is sit around an play the Mandolin"

  17. The following members say thank you to tmsweeney for this post:


  18. #11
    Notary Sojac Paul Kotapish's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Alameda, California
    Posts
    2,484

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    I have an Epiphone El Capitan acoustic bass guitar that was cheap and does the job. With an amp, it sounds reasonably fat, and it can stand on its own acoustically in a quiet session with a couple other players. The uke basses do sound pretty convincing, and even with a tiny amp the sound is round and warm. My favorite is a Hoffner "Beatle" bass through a small amp. Plays like a dream, and the hollow body gives a nice tubby sound that works great for acoustic music. The cheaper knockoffs vary in quality, but the original is great.
    Just one guy's opinion
    www.guitarfish.net

  19. The following members say thank you to Paul Kotapish for this post:


  20. #12
    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Saint Augustine Beach FL
    Posts
    6,618

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    One option might be to look for a 1/2 size upright bass. I played one in an old time band and it held its own with fiddles and banjos. The size and neck were very comfortable to play.
    Charley

    A bunch of stuff with four strings

  21. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Charles E. For This Useful Post:


  22. #13
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Howell, NJ
    Posts
    26,863

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    Buy her a cello. I keep looking at the cello in the other room and wondering if this would work. I'm assuming that's a cello.


    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

  23. #14
    Mando accumulator allenhopkins's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Rochester NY 14610
    Posts
    17,378

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    1. Unamplified "uke basses" are nearly inaudible, in my experience. If your criterion is "no amps," I don't think one of those would work for you. On the other hand, if you'll accept a small amplifier, they sound to my ears the closest to the "bass fiddle" sound.

    2. Here's a very positive guitar.com review of the Taylor GS mini-bass, which praises its unplugged sound. Apparently Taylor and D'Addario have collaborated in designing strings that give a convincing bass sound, even with the small body. I haven't heard one, but I'm generally a fan of Taylor quality.

    3. As former owner of a Kay half-size bass fiddle (traded it on a Pfretzschner [?] aluminum bodied 3/4-size, whole 'nother story), I'd say you're going a whole different route. The body's smaller, true, but the neck size and overall height are much like a "regular" bass. If what you're envisioning is a couple in adjacent chairs strumming in the living room, this might be a bit much.

    4. There may be acoustic bass guitars that give a satisfying bass sound unamplified, but I haven't encountered one. I hear legends of the former Ernie Ball Earthwood Bass and Tacoma Thunderchief, but neither of them is being made now -- you might encounter one on the used market, but they're rare.

    5. Coming in out of left field -- several Asian companies are making resonator "Dobro" bass guitars, and they are much louder and have more "punch" than the wooden-topped bass guitars, especially unamplifed. Here's Jake Wildwood demo-ing the Gold Tone model, and there are also Dean and Recording King basses that are cheaper (Gold Tone licenses Paul Beard, which means a US-made resonator cone; you pay for that).



    Good luck! Were I buying, I'd go with the Taylor or a resonator instrument. I have the ancestor of the uke-bass, the solid-body Guild Ashbory bass with silicon-rubber stringing -- later taken over by Fender/D'Addario -- but it's nothin' if not amplified.

    And, there's always a mando-bass, right?
    Allen Hopkins
    Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
    Natl Triolian Dobro mando
    Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
    H-O mandolinetto
    Stradolin Vega banjolin
    Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
    Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
    Flatiron 3K OM

  24. The following members say thank you to allenhopkins for this post:


  25. #15
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Seattle
    Posts
    13,087

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    I tried a Dobro-branded resophonic bass or two back in the day. You can't beat 'em for volume and the tone wasn't bad.
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

    Notorious: My Celtic CD--listen & buy!

    Lyon & Healy • Wood • Thormahlen • Andersen • Bacorn • Yanuziello • Fender • National • Gibson • Franke • Fuchs • Aceto • Three Hungry Pit Bulls

  26. The following members say thank you to mrmando for this post:


  27. #16
    '`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`' Jacob's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Posts
    1,130

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    1. Ernie Ball Earthwood Acoustic Bass (NFI)
    2. Dave Maize Acoustic Bass Guitars (NFI)
    Haven't played anything else with sufficient body volume and acoustic volume to be a useful acoustic bass guitar.
    Played original large Taylor, Martin, Guild, Dean, etc., but all had little acoustic presence.
    (Have seen acoustic basses in Fado ensembles, but haven't played one of those.
    Haven't tried guitarrons.)
    Good luck with your search.

    Accepting amplification as a necessary adaptation, my current bass guitar is a Kala U-bass with metal round wound strings. (NFI)

  28. The following members say thank you to Jacob for this post:


  29. #17
    Registered User Drew Egerton's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Statesville, NC
    Posts
    1,184

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    We got a Taylor mini bass and I really like it. As easy as a guitar to play but has a good sound to it I think!
    Drew
    2020 Northfield 4th Gen F5
    2022 Northfield NFS-F5E
    2019 Northfield Flat Top Octave
    2021 Gold Tone Mando Cello
    https://www.instagram.com/pilotdrew85

  30. #18
    two t's and one hyphen fatt-dad's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Richmond, Virginia
    Posts
    7,635

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    Thanks to all! I had forgotten about the cello option! I'd never heard of the resonator bass!

    Now, I think she likes the idea of a regular bass!

    Time will tell!

    Thanks again to all!

    f-d
    ˇpapá gordo ain’t no madre flaca!

    '20 A3, '30 L-1, '97 914, 2012 Cohen A5, 2012 Muth A5, '14 OM28A

  31. #19
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Brooklyn, NY, USA
    Posts
    1,249

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    Bass is my primary instrument. I own an inexpensive acoustic bass guitar. With tape wound strings it does come close to an upright. The volume it produces is so low that it is ok with a quiet acoustic guitar but would be lost around a fiddle or mandolin. I have tried several upmarket ones and while they were better made and nicer to play they didn't produce noticeably more volume.

    I love playing upright but it is a significant financial and learning commitment. While there are plenty of inexpensive bass shaped objects out there, unless you get lucky you are looking at $1,200-1,500 to get a good plywood student instrument. I started playing upright after over 30 years of playing electric. It is very different. Frankly, playing mandolin is more like playing electric bass than playing upright bass is like playing electric bass. I would suggest renting an upright for a few months and being how it goes.

  32. The following members say thank you to Nevin for this post:


  33. #20
    Layer of Complexity Kevin Knippa's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Central Texas
    Posts
    93

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    The Ernie Ball Earthwood Bass is the best sounding acoustic bass guitar I have ever heard without amplification. They are the size of a guitarron with a 34" scale fretted neck.

    Conversely, a guitarron will sound great, but it is a different instrument to a bass guitar, for sure.

  34. The following members say thank you to Kevin Knippa for this post:


  35. #21
    Registered User Pappyrich's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2020
    Location
    Williamsburg, VA
    Posts
    237

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    Fatt-Dad,
    Check out www.fretwellbass.com. They are located in Staunton. They have used basses starting around $1,100. I would reach out to them and see what they have to offer. They were recommended to me by a friend who is a bass player. I have no financial interest in them.
    Richard

    Eastman 305
    Gibson A1 (1919)
    Martin D16 guitar
    Great Divide Guitar (Two-Old-Hippies)
    OME 11" banjo (1973)
    Pisgah 12" banjo

  36. The following members say thank you to Pappyrich for this post:


  37. #22

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    Strung the old home made 30" scale 000 size acoustic bass guitar a fourth above as a-d-g-c for river float trips, kept up with the rest just fine. Never met an ABG e string that floated my boat, even the 22" diameter WTF! abb....
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

Name:	sanjuanfloatjam.jpg 
Views:	140 
Size:	97.3 KB 
ID:	188449   Click image for larger version. 

Name:	wtfbass.jpeg 
Views:	118 
Size:	208.3 KB 
ID:	188451  

  38. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to oldwave maker For This Useful Post:


  39. #23
    Registered User Brian560's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    New York
    Posts
    131

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	4D08D933-B6D5-4278-A8A3-C2AE94327CFB.jpeg 
Views:	89 
Size:	24.8 KB 
ID:	188452How about the Guitarron ?

  40. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Brian560 For This Useful Post:


  41. #24
    Registered User David Rambo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Alden, Minnesota, 12 miles west of where I-90 and I-35 cross in Southern, Minnesota
    Posts
    519

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    I have a Tacoma Thunderchief, and outside with a group, the sound is lost. The person next to you can hear you, but not the ones several feet away. I used a Roland Microcube bass RX, and got the boost the bass needed. If you are looking for one, there are 3 on Reverb right now. Personally, I would try to get one made before )ctober, 2004. (Acquired by Fender, and later killed)
    "Put your hands to the wood
    Touch the music put there by the summer sun and wind
    The rhythms of the rain, locked within the rings
    And let your fingers find The Music in the Wood."
    Joe Grant and Al Parrish (chorus from The Music in the Wood)

  42. The following members say thank you to David Rambo for this post:


  43. #25
    Registered User mtucker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Los Angeles CA
    Posts
    1,500

    Default Re: recommend me an acoustic bass

    Quote Originally Posted by fatt-dad View Post
    Now, I think she likes the idea of a regular bass!
    Adapting to a 42” scale and fretless would be a huge commitment, especially if she hasn’t played before. Unless she has giant hands like you! I’ve played for many years and it’s always a real challenge when I pick up a full scale bass. A short scale 30-32” with frets would be the real ticket, way easier for her.

  44. The following members say thank you to mtucker for this post:


Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •