Looking for an acoustic bass guitar

[robinc]

Hello all,
 
I'm in the market for an acoustic bass guitar. I intend to spend a good deal of time in the music shop playing as many instruments as I can, but has anyone had any good experiences and can point out some notable instruments?
 
Specifically, I am looking for:
-5 strings
-24 frets
-easy on the wallet :-)
 
Edit: Also, please feel free to let me know of any useful information about acoustics that can help me choose a bass. I really know very little about acoustic bass guitars.
 
Thanks!
 
(Message edited by robinc on August 11, 2008)

[keavin]

http://shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQ_nkwZacousticQ20bassQ20guitarsQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZR40QQ_mdoZ

[flaxattack]

question is do you want cheap or do you want good?
cheap- check out the michael kellys- good for the price.....

[jacko]

Plus one one for the Kelly. I play my dragonfly every day.
 
Graeme

[funkyjazzjunky]

Carvin makes a great model
 
https://www.carvinguitars.com/catalog/guitars/index.php?model=ac50

[3rd_ray]

I've owned a Carvin AC50 in the past. It was a great bass, but I wouldn't call it acoustic because you can't really hear it unless you plug it in.  
 
I tried a Breedlove 4-string fretless in a store a while back (they also make a 5-string with frets). I was pretty impressed with the sound and the feel, but I didn't buy it so I can't say too much about it. It was louder than the Carvin, but you would probably still need to plug in for most situations. I don't know how the loudness compares to other ABG's.  
 
If you're always going to plug in anyway, I would recommend the Carvin. The piezo pickup has a great tone, close to an upright sound.  
 
Mike

[elwoodblue]

I've been happy with my Michael kelly instruments also.

[dnburgess]

We are just building up our acoustic bass department and so far I've been able to spend time with Ovation, Michael Kelly, Warwick, Godin models.
 
In summary, the Michael Kelly is great value for money. The Warwick Alien is the nicest playing acoustic that I have played. It sounds and looks great and is well worth the extra cost. The Ovation Nikki Sixx Signature is also really nice playing and sounding. It looks better in the flesh than in photos and is a serious contender. (Don't let the signature put you off if you're not a Crue fan.)

[robinc]

Thanks, everybody, for the help thus far!
 
I should add that this bass would primarily be used without amplification, so it would need to have a good presence and be able to run with the pack (acoustic guitars, violin, hand drums...).

[dfung60]

It's hard for an acoustic bass to move enough air to keep up with a guitar.  An acoustic upright/doghouse bass has a lot of surface area and resonating volume, but would still have a hard time keeping up with a loud acoustic guitar player, so a guitar-bodied bass isn't going to have much of a chance.
 
You only need a small amp to keep up with even a dreadnought, so don't count small-scale amplification if there's any chance of using it.  
 
I haven't tried most of the ones that have been mentioned here, but the Tacoma Thunderchief is relatively inexpensive and you actually can hear the low B string acoustically.  The Taylor/Klein acoustic (hasn't been made for years now) isn't that loud but fairly well balanced in tone down in the low zone as well as being eccentric and eye catching in design (but very expensive).  I have an old Kramer Ferrington 4-string bass which I really like a lot - the playing action is like an electric and it's very loud acoustically (because it's old school from the 80's, the built-in piezo really sounds bad with an external buffer box and even then not that great).  The Ferringtons are cheap as long as Kiss isn't doing any unplugged shows.
 
As soon as you are amplifying the thing, there are a lot more choices.  Foremost, you'd want to check out the Turner Renaissance RBL basses.  They have a spruce top and hollowed out body, but are not really acoustic.  Because of the odd nylon-core Thomastiks that were designed for it and special piezo system, you can get some very acoustic tones with it with a lot of authority.
 
David Fung

[robinc]

Thanks for the info, David.
 
I realize that an unamplified bass guitar will never match an unamplified guitar, but all I need is a fighting chance. The guys I play with have been harping on me for years to get an acoustic that can come with us to the beach, on camping trips, to music festivals, and other places where amplification is not an option, so they will keep it quiet enough to hear the bass if I show up with one to play.
 
This brings up the price factor. I don't want to shell out much more than $500 for an instrument that is bound to suffer a bit from my adventures, regardless of how well I protect it.
 
That being said, I fully intend on using this instrument in a normal band setup with amplification, so I want to find a bass with decent electronics.
 
(Message edited by robinc on August 11, 2008)

[57basstra]

When in doubt, look in the pawn shops.

[tomhug]

Being the first to admit that I haven't spent tons of time with all that many acoustic basses though I have played a few, based on what experience I do have, I am in doubt that the low B really can do much in a purely acoustic setting. The only acoustic bass I've been impressed with was a Takamine, this one I think.
 
Doesn't get you to 24 frets, but the Jumbo body moves a lot of air, and to my ears, the Takamine sits nicely in the tone continuum between bass and dreadnought guitar.
 
I don't own one of these though, so take my recommendation with a grain of salt. If an acoustic bass came up on my GAS list (and there are a few items ahead of that particular beast, though I sure wouldn't mind owning one), it would be the Taylor/Klein mentioned above, this Takamine or this one

[robinc]

is this the taylor/klein that people are referring to:
 
http://www.epinions.com/review/Taylor_AB1/inst-review-53AC-B0A9D4A-3A375843-prod1

[funkyjazzjunky]

For the price you want to spend, I would try a Samick if you need a true acoustic bass guitar.