Subject: Advice on cheap accoustic bass guitars? From: Steve Parkes Date: 20 Aug 99 - 08:40 AM My dear daughter has decided she wants to learn bass guitar (in any style but Folk!). This sort of dovetails with my sneaking desire to own an accoustic bass guitar, so I've rashly offered to go halves at some vague undefined future time. Then I thought, why not ask my fellow Mudcatters if there's anything I ought to know before I have to put my hand in my pocket? I don't intend to pay more than about £200 (i.e. up to £400 with Beckie's share). Over to you! Steve |
Subject: RE: Advice on cheap accoustic bass guitars? From: JedMarum Date: 20 Aug 99 - 09:54 AM There are several low cost acoustic basses on the market, some of which may be in your price range. None of which are worth the price because they cannot truely produce a quality sound, at a reasonable volume. I have played many, and heard many and few can keep up with the other acoustic instruments you are apt to be playing with. There is one galring exception, however, and a new instrument will cost you half again the amount you say you are willing to spend. CF Martin, makes a superb acoustic bass guitar. It has a beautiful guitar tone, and produce the volume required to play with ohter acoustic instruments. You may be able to find a used one close to your price range, but I suspect you'll find they hold their value. Good luck! |
Subject: RE: Advice on cheap accoustic bass guitars? From: Bert Date: 20 Aug 99 - 11:23 AM REAL folkies use these ;-) |
Subject: RE: Advice on cheap accoustic bass guitars? From: JedMarum Date: 20 Aug 99 - 11:32 AM thank god for gutbuckets!!! |
Subject: RE: Advice on cheap accoustic bass guitars? From: Chet W. Date: 20 Aug 99 - 12:12 PM Have to disagree with Liam. There is a Dobro acoustic resonator bass guitar, which sounds great, is surprisingly loud, but it costs about $1600 around here. BUT, there is a very nice lower cost copy from Saga Instruments (brand name Regal, made in Asia) that you can get here for less than $600, so it should be within your 400 pound limit. I am planning to get one of these myself. I already have one of their round-neck resonator 6-string guitars, and believe it or not, it sounds just as good as the current Dobro brand similar model, and it is set up to play (frets level and finished, etc) much better than the overpriced Dobro. If you can't find a dealer for them I'll look one up for you. Don't try to look for an old (as in vintage) one, because this is a fairly new thing. Chet |
Subject: RE: Advice on cheap accoustic bass guitars? From: JedMarum Date: 20 Aug 99 - 12:36 PM I'll have to look into the Dobro bass, and/or its Asian copy. I don't believe I've seen it around Dallas. I am not surprised to hear that there are other quality instruments out there, I simply have to restate - there are surprsingly few - and Martin's guitar is certainly one of the very good ones! Thanks for the tip on the alternative, I'll keep my eye out for it. |
Subject: RE: Advice on cheap accoustic bass guitars? From: Barbara Shaw Date: 20 Aug 99 - 02:45 PM If your daughter really wants to play bass guitar, she may really want an electric, in which case Fender would be a good bet. They often have used ones in the larger music stores like Sam Ash. If she likes acoustic, why not think about a big ole stand-up bass? It's the only thing that really sounds like a bass (IMHO) and getting more popular even in non-Folk non-bluegrass circles. I personally think that acoustic bass guitars are not loud enough to play well with other instruments, and they're pretty lame alone... Course, I'm in the minority around this house full of bass players. They would both love to have a Martin bass guitar, maybe to play duelling basses with our 5/8 size stand-up. (A little thread creep. That last comment reminded me of the jam where there were two basses, two banjos and me on guitar. Just imagine. Kinda like the Bluegrass Marching Band from Hell.) Whatever it takes to get and keep her playing music is a good idea. |
Subject: RE: Advice on cheap accoustic bass guitars? From: JESTER! Date: 20 Aug 99 - 09:18 PM I've owned one of the Guild B-30's, and was mostly happy with it. I settled for it whilst searching for an affordable upright, and didn't play it at all during the "honeymoon" with the new axe. Ended up selling it on consignment through Elderly insrtuments, and got $200 more than I paid, but I'd never find another for $450, I'd bet. The Guilds have considerably more air space then the Martins, and cosequiently a fuller bottom end, to my ears. I was a beast to carry around, and when playing with more than 2 or three other folks tended to get drowned out. I've also played the Taylor bass, and they're wonderful, but VERY pricy. I thought the Dobro model was decently loud, but not very pleasing in tone, and the Ovations...well, I won't bad mouth them, but they're no good. As others have written, the lower priced "budget"models are not worth purchasing. You might come across an Earthwood bass (made in the 70's by Ernie Ball, I think) but they're quite rare in the states. Good luck! |
Subject: RE: Advice on cheap accoustic bass guitars? From: Legal Eagle Date: 21 Aug 99 - 05:44 AM I have to join the chorus of "Don't". They are nearly inaudible unplugged, and feedback like the clappers, plugged. |
Subject: RE: Advice on cheap accoustic bass guitars? From: JedMarum Date: 21 Aug 99 - 02:04 PM But I must make one post script to my comments ... if you are really looking for a quality, inexpensive bass guitar solution ... I must agree that the best choice is to find a nice used Fender (Precision)electric - fine instruments, there are lots of them, and you can find a good, cheap one fer sure! |
Subject: RE: Advice on cheap accoustic bass guitars? From: Margmac Date: 21 Aug 99 - 02:56 PM Margaret MacArthur here. My son Dan makes bass guitars here on our farm in Vermont. Beautiful intrunents, excellent tone, handmade. He just shipped one off to CA. His email is DMacArthur@igc.apc.org |
Subject: RE: Advice on cheap accoustic bass guitars? From: Chet W. Date: 21 Aug 99 - 07:01 PM Steve, This may sound like a weird point, but if your daughter is going to play a bass guitar, is it really the most important thing that it be heard above a large group of players, or to a large audience, at least at first? If she gets any of the acoustic bass guitars that I've seen, she'll be able to hear it, and that seems to me the most important thing, at least while she's learning. And, if you get one that has a built-in pickup, like the Fenders that two of my friends have (about $800), she can plug it in later. And, if you do it right, there is no reason why it has to be a big feedback problem. I think the problem some people have is that they plug it into a bass guitar amp, turn it up, and then stand right in front of the speaker. If you have a sound system, even like one of these little powered mixer heads like I use, just plug it straight into that and it can be mixed appropriately with everything else. Or, if you do use a bass guitar amp later on, get a good one and don't stand right in front of it, or turn it on low volume and mike it into the sound system. In other words, these problems can be fixed. I guess it really is just an opinion, but I've solved these kinds of problems over and over. Chet |
Subject: RE: Advice on cheap accoustic bass guitars? From: Jeremiah McCaw Date: 22 Aug 99 - 09:59 PM With certain caveats, I'd recommend the Fender. I recently bought a Fender BG-29 as a fretted companion to my custom-built Glen Reid fretless acoustic bass guitar. I'm quite impressed with the bottom and volume they were able to get acousticly with this. I paid $759 here in Canada, which I think puts it in the neighbourhood of your target price. Short scale - 29 inches, and can be gotten with either a spruce or a maple top (mine's maple). The onboard pickup is by Fishman, 3-band EQ with adjustable mid-range, and gives pretty fair results. I've owned an Applause (Ovation's lower-priced line) acoustic bass guitar. Plugged in to a sound system it has a very respectable tone, but sounds far too thin unplugged. The body cavity is too small to reproduce the bottom tones without amplification and what you get is the first fundamental above One thing I've found that increases the volume of acoustic bass guitars is to use a pick. I've used a thumb and finger pick, and am starting to experiment with a felt pick (the jazz guitarists used to use them WAY back, but they can still be found). |
Subject: RE: Advice on cheap accoustic bass guitars? From: Steve Parkes Date: 23 Aug 99 - 10:15 AM Thanks for all the advice guys! Normally, I listen to everyone's advice, then do what I was going to do in the first place. It's a bit different when I've asked for it myself, though! I think she'd look good with a double bass, especially in the new shoes (pair #362 - nearly there!) with the high heels. I don't know if it'll appeal to her heavy-metal boy-friend, though. Well, we'll wait till we're both solvent again, then review the wise words above. Steve |
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