Richie, I play acoustic bass, and I think the best way is to not amplify at all, but since that is not always realistic, I prefer a good pickup to a mike. I use a very simple Bassmax pickup from K and K easy to install, no tools necessary takes 3 or 4 minutes, and gets a darn good sound for about 75 dollars. Contact Bob Gollihur. he has an acoustic bass website. Also for amplification, you can't beat the Acoustic Image bass amp He also handles this line Fantastic and easy to transport. I have always preferred an acoustic bass to an electric. long before I started playing, for jazz and folk, it is just a purer sound. Kind of like why do folkies play Martin and Gibson and many other flattop guitars when they could just as easily play the same music on a stratacaster. you should get lots of opinions on thes question   Cheers