Get Out The Colostomy Bag!!!
Well, more low end GAS has struck. I've talked about it for months, and Thursday, I finally did it. I bought an acoustic/electric bass guitar. It involved a lot of searching, a lot of playing, some consultation, and just a bit of compromise.
The problem? A bass wave (think low "E") is huge. Because of this, volume becomes a big issue. Those familiar with electric bass may note that the standard rule of thumb is for the bass player to have an amp 2x the wattage of the guitarist's amp, and possibly more if the guitar player is going through a tube amp. In the acoustic world, there's a reason that the stand up bass is so big. It has to be that big to be heard over the other instruments in an orchestra.
Well, I played a lot of acoustic bass guitars, including offerings by Martin, Breedlove, Michael Kelly, Cort, Ibanez, Samick (Greg Bennett), Fender, Washburn, Carlo Robelli, Stagg, and maybe a couple more I've forgotten. In some lines, I only got a chance to sample one model, in others, maybe three or four different models.
The prettiest acoustic bass out there (at least to these eyes) is the Michael Kelly Dragonfly. The mix of flamed wood top, back, and sides, combined with the inlays on the fretboard has to be seen! Next, at least for the non-traditionalists, is Fender's Candy Apple Red acoustic bass. The color just jumps out at you. If this is your axe, you will stand out at an acoustic jam. Fender also makes a see through green finshed six string acoustic guitar, and as I looked at these two in the same shop, all I could think of was the Christmas concert!
The fastest, most comfortable neck to play goes to Carlo Robelli's short scale bass. I almost bought this bass, but more on that later. This also gets the win for coolest control panel, with its built-in LCD tuner. Ibanez' AEB10EBK gets runner-up here with a nice LED tuner included amongst its pre-amp controls. Both of these machines also feature a Low-Z connector to go straight into a sound board.
I've got to say that there are some damned fine bass guitars out there on the market, and you don't have to spend a lot of dough to get a nice one. Quite acceptable acoustic bass guitars can be had for as little as $150.00.
A couple of fun experiences presented themselves as I meandered through guitar shops, checking out their low end acoustic wares. I've already chronicled elsewhere my experience getting to play a quick tune with David "Honeyboy" Edwards. More recently, while checking out some instruments at one shop, a guitar player wandered in and picked up a Taylor. He was doing his thing, and I mine until he decided to play a little Crosby, Stills, and Nash. I couldn't help myself. Before I knew what was happening, I was belting out a bass line. One thing led to another and we began jamming. Pretty soon, another cat walked in and plugging a thin little black Martin into a Fender Acoustasonic amp and was laying down a lead. It's a damn shame we didn't have a recorder going. It really sounded great and all three of us were having a blast.
OK, on to my decision. I didn't plug any of these in, except for the one I ended up with, and that was only to make sure the pickup and pre-amp worked. If I want to play plugged into an amp, I have four more-than-capable solid-bodied electric bass guitars to choose from. This is all about non-amplified music. Well, I thought I had narrowed it down to a black Ibanez a couple of months back, but, as this purchase wasn't a "need it now" kind of thing, I didn't make a purchase at the time.
I played several variants of the Dragonfly and was impressed. Then I decided to check out a few Carlo Robelli's. I believe that this is Sam Ash's house brand. The bottom of the line was so-so. It had an uncomfrotably high action. Then I picked up this little short scale number, the one I mentioned earlier. Wow, I thought, this thing had it all. It was fast and easy to play, it had a great built-in tuner, it sounded sweet, and it had volume. I could live quite comfortably with this bass, except for one thing. It features a scale length of about 30".
I was talking with my bass coach about my plans to buy an acoustic, and about the short scale Robelli in particular. He cautioned me against picking up a short scale, and his reasoning made sense. As you are all aware, I am now playing (primarily) fretless. My teacher said that getting used to the shorter scale could end up throwing my intonation off on the fretless as my fingers became used to the shorter distances between frets.
Well, with the Robelli eliminated, it seemed down to the Kelly and the Ibanez. I played them both again. The Kelly was the nicer looking, but the Ibanez played better. Then, I was back at one of my local music stores, and just for grins, I played what they had there, including the Stagg AB203CE-SB. I had liked the way this bass sounded before, and I still liked it. The more I played, the more I liked. What I didn't like though was the tobacco burst finish. I'm not a big burst fan. Here's where the compromise came in. I decided on the Stagg, based on several points. It sounds good, and has plenty of volume. It is comfortable to play. Finally, rather than supporting a "big-box" store, I supported a local area business.
I've had it for a few days now, and I'm happy with my decision. The look is even starting to grow on me!
Rob Smith
I AM the bass player!
GUITARS: '93 ZON Sonus 4, '85 G&L L-2000 (Mahogany), '05 Schecter Stiletto Custom 4, '06 SX SJB-62MG (Fretless), '07 Squier Bronco (project), '06 Ibanez AEB10E-BK acoustic bass, '70s Epiphone OO-sized acoustic, '94 Peavey Reactor (extreme makeover edition)
AMPS: '03 Ampeg BA115 bass combo, '86 Peavey MkIV Series 400 bass head, SWR Workingman's cabs, 2x10" & 1x15", '00 Peavey Micro Bass