The 5 Best Acoustic Bass Guitars: Tone and Value Compared
Unplugged Vibes...
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The 5 Best Acoustic Bass Guitars: Tone and Value Compared · Source: Colleen Michaels / Alamy Stock Photo
Discovering the best acoustic bass guitars for rich tones, great playability and even better value. Here to inspire your unplugged sessions.
5 Best Acoustic Bass Guitars
Why Choose an Acoustic Bass?
That is a very good question! Most bass players don’t really need an acoustic version. After all, the frequencies are already so low, surely you’d always want to be plugged into an amp?
Well, just look at some of the sensational MTV Unplugged performances from the likes of Nirvana, Alice In Chains, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. They’re all accompanied by an acoustic bass guitar.
From the deep, rich resonance to the visual beauty, here are 5 examples that consider value for money and overall quality. These instruments are the couch guitars for bass players.
Harley Benton Kahuna CLU Bass Ukulele
Okay, yes, I know, this isn’t a proper bass. However, it is acoustic, and it’s the most budget-friendly way to get into acoustic bass guitars. What are we working with then?
So, being a *bass ukulele, this is effectively a travel-size instrument. With a spruce top, mahogany neck, back and sides, you’ve got tried and tested materials for a comfortable playing experience.
The natural matte finish compliments the overal vibe of the instrument. We also get a pro pickup system with built-in tuner. The best part? Bass ukuleles are in standard tuning, EADG. Therefore, any bassist could pick one of these up.
Harley Benton GS-Travel E-Bass
Next up is another entry from Harley Benton. Likewise, this is an affordable way to get into acoustic bass guitars. Despite the price, this *Mini Travel Grand Symphony has a lot to offer.
Offered in either Spruce or Mahogany tops, both iterations get a bolt on Okoume C profile neck with a purple heart fingerboard. Here, we’ll find 20 frets, and a double action truss rod. Allowing for plenty of adjustments, especially as we enter the colder months.
I love the black pickguard, it makes it look a lot more sophisticated, and less like a children’s toy. Diecast tuners help to keep all four strings in tune, and a Harley Benton preamp helps when amplification is required.
- More from Harley Benton
Takamine GB30CE-N2
From humble beginnings, we’re up a few price points. However, with the extra cash comes extra length! Because more is more. This acoustic bass is a long-scale instrument, at an impressive 864mm.
On this Jumbo *Takamine, we’ve got a spruce top, with the rest of the materials being mahogany. Overall, giving us those warm midrange frequencies and smooth highs.
For those controlled low down frequencies, the factory strings are a tasty set of Daddarios, which are currently *reduced by 11%. So, if you’re looking to upgrade your strings too, don’t hang about!
- More from Takamine
Fender Kingman Bass SEB WN
Along with a family favourite next. Naturally, I must remain impartial in our quest for the best acoustic bass guitars, but this has to be one of my favourites. Even going on looks, this is in a class of its own.
Although it is primarily an acoustic instrument, the main highlight of these *Fender Kingman’s is their preamp system. For maximum tone and control, we get dials for bass, treble, mids, notch, brilliance and phase. You could get away with using this as an electric bass if you wanted to.
The modern Viking bridge houses some larger-than-life-looking string pegs, and joins a black pickguard with white bindings. Those white bindings also wrap around the body, coated in a lovely polyester lacquer. For versatility, control and a sub £500 price point, you can’t go far wrong here.
- More from Fender
Martin Guitar BC-16E
So, to conclude our look at the best acoustic bass guitars, we’re over with Martin. With regards to price, this is arguably the Rolls Royce of acoustic basses. Does it justify the four-figure price point?
As for the body, we’ve just got solid spruce. Unlike our other models, we get an ebony fingerboard that sits upon a selected hardwood neck. Therefore, straight away, we can see that more exclusive and expensive materials have been used.
A Fishman pickup system aids amplification, but isn’t as sophisticated as the Fender. The antique white binding is visible from the back, but is arguably lost on the top. At least *Martin throw in a soft shell case.
- More from Martin
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