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glocke
Senior Member
Username: glocke

Post Number: 937
Registered: 9-2002
Posted on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 12:08 pm:   Edit Post

Suggestions for any acoustic basses that sound fairly good, and will keep up fairly well volume wise with an acoustic guitar player???
sonicus
Senior Member
Username: sonicus

Post Number: 2652
Registered: 5-2009
Posted on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 12:42 pm:   Edit Post

A great bass was the Guild B50 . It is short sale. They pop up once in a while . I would like to find a long scale version of something in this caliber as well . Here is one currently on eBay ; http://www.ebay.com/itm/120987583903?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

A long time ago Jack Casady let me check out his after an acoustic Hot Tuna show .
terrace
Junior
Username: terrace

Post Number: 42
Registered: 3-2008
Posted on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 1:33 pm:   Edit Post

I believe that the Tacoma Thunderchief is the loudest.
They also made an off shore version called Olympia.
dnburgess
Senior Member
Username: dnburgess

Post Number: 690
Registered: 1-2003
Posted on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 3:57 pm:   Edit Post

At Bass People we used to have a large(ish) acoustic bass department. My favourites were the Warwick Alien and the Ovation (Nikki Sixx signature). I am not familiar with the Tacoma, but the Ovation was the loudest that we carried.
byoung
Senior Member
Username: byoung

Post Number: 1397
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 4:56 pm:   Edit Post

The Halfling basses are reasonably loud.

http://rgcguitars.com/
briant
Senior Member
Username: briant

Post Number: 628
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Saturday, September 29, 2012 - 5:50 pm:   Edit Post

If you can find one a Taylor AB-3 is the Alembic of acoustic basses. They sound amazing. Loud, lots of low end, and just sound incredible.
richbass939
Senior Member
Username: richbass939

Post Number: 1179
Registered: 11-2004
Posted on Sunday, September 30, 2012 - 8:49 am:   Edit Post

I have been really happy with my pre-Fender Tacoma Thunderchief. The acoustic sound is really good and the amplified sound is just like it, only louder.
Rich
pace
Senior Member
Username: pace

Post Number: 887
Registered: 4-2004
Posted on Sunday, September 30, 2012 - 2:41 pm:   Edit Post

Dittos on the Guild B-50. My neighbor has a fretless B-50 which I have been planting the seeds for him to sell to me for the past decade!.... :-)

Other than that, I have to cite Brian Ritchie and his EB Earthwood Bass: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLmxbS15A-c&feature=related
stout71
Member
Username: stout71

Post Number: 85
Registered: 7-2011
Posted on Monday, October 01, 2012 - 6:18 am:   Edit Post

I used to own a Tacoma Thunderchief as well. I found that playing with high-end strings made a difference. Also, I played about 4 that were in the store before I settled on the one I bought. There can be large variances in sound quality and playability in an acoustic instrument like that. I had some Fishman electronics wired in after the fact, and those made it really pop when it was amplified.
murray
Intermediate Member
Username: murray

Post Number: 134
Registered: 7-2007
Posted on Tuesday, October 02, 2012 - 1:19 am:   Edit Post

I have two but they are not made any more. Fender BG 29 and Fender Victor Bailey 4. Both nice Acoustic Bass Guitars. I string them with Fender Phosphor Bronze and if you leave the strings on for longer than you would on electric bass, they develop an almost double bass sound which suits the purposes I use them for. I did try this the other week in Expresss Music Coventry UK without an amplifier and was impressed - Sigma Bmc-15e 15 Series Acoustic Bass - at £399. I am not sure how the finish would stand up to outdoor use (rain, cold etc.) but the sound was a pleasant un-twangy one with good bottom end. Glynn
jacko
Senior Member
Username: jacko

Post Number: 3264
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Tuesday, October 02, 2012 - 5:58 pm:   Edit Post

I really like my Michael Kelly dragonfly fretless. With Labella deep talkin flats on it sounds great played acoustically; even the B sounds great and it projects really well. It lacks something in the bottom end when it's plugged in though. (not a problem for me as I never plug it in ).

graeme
bigredbass
Senior Member
Username: bigredbass

Post Number: 1933
Registered: 9-2002
Posted on Wednesday, October 03, 2012 - 12:31 am:   Edit Post

No.

There's just no way that those length frequencies can be generated by those strings on that size body. The physics involved just doesn't allow these axes to even begin to approach an upright's tone. Cello maybe . . .

Though I must admit, the Rybicki is close, but hugely expensive. It's not a cheap instrument to build, so I can see the money, but it's still a lot of money.

A five string ABG is even more impossible, but since I am not smart enough to go back and forth from four to five, I'll one day run across a used Michael Kelly and get one to maintain the five string fingering, and they're pretty nice, cheap, eye candy.

Don't even get me started on piezo pickups in electric acoustic axes . . . .

J o e y
glocke
Senior Member
Username: glocke

Post Number: 938
Registered: 9-2002
Posted on Saturday, October 06, 2012 - 7:40 am:   Edit Post

thanks for the replies, I thought the answer would be no but wasn't sure...ive really only had access to budget priced ones (under $1000.00), and was underwhelmed with what I saw to to say the least.

My intention was to find something to bring to some jam session with acoustic guitars, but i guess it just ain't gonna happen.
sonicus
Senior Member
Username: sonicus

Post Number: 2656
Registered: 5-2009
Posted on Saturday, October 06, 2012 - 8:04 am:   Edit Post

You can purchase a nice compact 1/4 sized Bass Violin for $ 500-$1000 ! Bigger sound then an acoustic bass guitar and as a bonus you can play it arco (bowed) ! It will have a 35.5 inch scale.
kungfusheriff
Senior Member
Username: kungfusheriff

Post Number: 1010
Registered: 8-2003
Posted on Tuesday, October 09, 2012 - 1:53 pm:   Edit Post

Yeah, but DB is COMPLETELY different than bass guitar, as I've been finding out the hard way over the last few years.

glocke, the only effective ABG is the Earthwood Bass, if you can find one that hasn't torn itself to pieces under string tension. The one I has was as loud as my 3/4 DB

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