Helpful Reply**SERIOUS** Are acoustic bass guitars versatile? **SERIOUS**

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davdud101
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2015/06/30 11:28:50 (permalink)

**SERIOUS** Are acoustic bass guitars versatile? **SERIOUS**

I'm moving out for a year, but when I get back I'm considering buying an acoustic-electric bass guitar. I'm curious as to their versatility in general.
I play a lot of jazz (and other genres) and in my mind, the acoustic will be better at mimicking the sound of an acoustic upright bass than the sounds I'll be able to get from a solid body. At the same time I want an output so that if I want to do some "more different" stuff, I have that option available as well.
What do you guys think on this? Am I better served finding a nice semi-hollow body electric or something? I'm curious what the best options are.

 
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Kamikaze
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Re: **SERIOUS** Are acoustic bass guitars versatile? **SERIOUS** 2015/07/01 00:07:29 (permalink)
I bought a good friend a second hand acoustic bass guitar about 7 years ago or something, for his birthday. He has a Fender Jazz, and Stingray. The first thing he did was send it into a shop to get the action sorted, which made me realise how much he valued it, to invest in it. I went back in August and it was stood in his front room with the others. He says he plays it plenty and has done a few session jobs with it too. I'm can't recall if I knew when I bought it, but I was surprised that the frets were marked, but weren't actually frets. meaning it gave him a even different sound than he has as both his electrics are fretted. He's a big Jaco fan too.
 
I understand fret noise is a big issue, but some like that character, but if you were looking to replicate an upright more, then maybe fretless is worth considering and they could be marked to help the transition.
 
I like the sound of an acoustic, noticed a while back that Sigur Ros sometimes use one, and just yesterday was listening to the Alice in Chains unplugged session, they used an Acoustic too.

 
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ampfixer
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Re: **SERIOUS** Are acoustic bass guitars versatile? **SERIOUS** 2015/07/01 02:32:39 (permalink)
I have a Fender "T-Bucket" bass. It's acoustic with piezo pickup system. I will say it's very versatile and gives some unique sounds I can't get out of the P Bass. Since it's not fretless it doesn't have a full uprite sound and feel but it is very cool and I can take it to a camp fire.
 
I only spent $400 for the bass and it was worth every penny. I only wish that there was a better selection of strings because I can only find round wound and like flats.

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tlw
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Re: **SERIOUS** Are acoustic bass guitars versatile? **SERIOUS** 2015/07/01 06:24:24 (permalink)
Some are OK, some are pretty poor. Much depends on the setup and fretting job just like any other guitar.

For amplified use piezo pickups can be very harsh and brittle sounding unless it's a good pickup and connected to a good preamp. String noise and squeals when moving around the fingerboard can be an issue, especially of the piezo is naturally bright-sounding.

If you want to use one acoustically, the guitar sized bodies mostly aren't really big enough to produce low frequencies (compare one to a cello or upright bass) or much volume. Basically acoustic bass guitars are like acoustic ordinary guitars, you tend to get what you've paid for.

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Kamikaze
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Re: **SERIOUS** Are acoustic bass guitars versatile? **SERIOUS** 2015/07/01 08:04:47 (permalink)
Something I like about acoustics over electrics, is that I am more likely to pick up an acoustic randomly and practice, but then my amps are software amps.

 
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TheMaartian
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Re: **SERIOUS** Are acoustic bass guitars versatile? **SERIOUS** 2015/07/01 12:14:12 (permalink)
I haven't played it myself yet, but I have a friend who jams with a guy with a Guild a/e Bass. I've heard it, and it sounds amazing.
 
Here's a great, recent video of an audio test of a Guild acoustic bass. Enjoy!
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sReVucg7zy8
 
Edit: The one I heard was an older, all-mahagony fretless Guild.

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drewfx1
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Re: **SERIOUS** Are acoustic bass guitars versatile? **SERIOUS** 2015/07/01 12:29:53 (permalink)
Personally I've never liked them. At all.
 
Obviously many others disagree.

 In order, then, to discover the limit of deepest tones, it is necessary not only to produce very violent agitations in the air but to give these the form of simple pendular vibrations. - Hermann von Helmholtz, predicting the role of the electric bassist in 1877.
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Leadfoot
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Re: **SERIOUS** Are acoustic bass guitars versatile? **SERIOUS** 2015/07/03 21:42:02 (permalink)
I think if you want to sound like an upright, you should just buy an upright, and a clip-on mic.
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craigb
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Re: **SERIOUS** Are acoustic bass guitars versatile? **SERIOUS** 2015/07/03 21:50:26 (permalink)
Or rent Tony Levin. 

 
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bapu
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Re: **SERIOUS** Are acoustic bass guitars versatile? **SERIOUS** 2015/07/04 11:00:42 (permalink) ☄ Helpfulby craigb 2015/07/04 12:38:44
craigb
Or rent Tony Levin. 


Nah, he'll just stick it to ya.
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TheMaartian
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Re: **SERIOUS** Are acoustic bass guitars versatile? **SERIOUS** 2015/07/04 14:55:59 (permalink)
bapu
craigb
Or rent Tony Levin. 


Nah, he'll just stick it to ya.


Or tickle you with his Funk Fingers.

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Re: **SERIOUS** Are acoustic bass guitars versatile? **SERIOUS** 2015/07/05 10:28:47 (permalink)
craigb
Or rent Tony Levin. 


Upright bass, surley Danny Thompson?

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Moshkito
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Re: **SERIOUS** Are acoustic bass guitars versatile? **SERIOUS** 2015/07/05 10:33:22 (permalink)
bapu
craigb
Or rent Tony Levin. 


Nah, he'll just stick it to ya.



There are better stick players than Tony. He's good ... but as a Stick, he's average. I will take Don Schiff any day, even though he doesn't get the kissing that Tony gets.

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Zonno
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Re: **SERIOUS** Are acoustic bass guitars versatile? **SERIOUS** 2015/07/05 17:24:27 (permalink)
If I remember correctly Steve Swallow played an acoustic bass on the album "En route" by the John Scofield Trio.
It is not better than electric and it doesn't approach the sound of an upright bass.
post edited by Zonno - 2015/07/10 03:01:29

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bitman
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Re: **SERIOUS** Are acoustic bass guitars versatile? **SERIOUS** 2015/07/05 22:47:18 (permalink)
In the case of an EMP they will be all important (in some households).
My wife plays bass, I cannot believe we don't own an acoustic bass.
 
 
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Zonno
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Re: **SERIOUS** Are acoustic bass guitars versatile? **SERIOUS** 2015/07/06 16:01:44 (permalink)

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TheMaartian
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Re: **SERIOUS** Are acoustic bass guitars versatile? **SERIOUS** 2015/07/06 17:22:09 (permalink)
Zonno
 
Proof:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT6awGkbSfM


Nice!
 
Here's a demo of the Furch B62-SW 4-string acoustic bass from BassTheWorld[dot]com:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atYRFRFK4LQ

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outland144k
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Re: **SERIOUS** Are acoustic bass guitars versatile? **SERIOUS** 2015/07/09 01:05:03 (permalink)
First of all, a disclaimer: I am primarily a tenor and soprano saxophonist who doubles on flute and WX5. I also play keyboard pretty well. But at one time, I did play acoustic bass and acoustic fretless bass guitar well enough to record for a few bands and, at that time, gigged pretty steadily on them (mostly acoustic bass, and yes, it was odd to have to remember on which instrument I was gigging every night). So....
 
A fretless bass guitar just doesn't sound like an acoustic bass (it sounds like a very warm electric fretless bass). I tend to think that it just cannot be made to sound like an upright. It's not just the pick-up. It is (as someone noted here) the body size and the distance of the strings from the body of the upright bass that are the issues. I think that if one needed to quantify the percentage of the reasons between the two issues, my guess is that it would be perhaps slightly tilted towards the string distance. The reason I say this is because I have heard some upright solid-body electrics that sound more like full acoustic basses than any acoustic fretless bass guitars I've heard. Obviously, in those cases, it's not the body size that's the difference.

 
FWIW,
 
Dan 
post edited by outland144k - 2015/07/09 18:11:52

“Beer is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy” is attributed to Benjamin Franklin perhaps in error, but the thought remains a worthy sentiment nonetheless.

 
 
 
 
 
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