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Best Acoustic Bass Guitar Round-Up

Following up on The Best Bass Guitar Brands, we bring you the best Acoustic Bass guitar along with worthy runner-ups.

Acoustic bass guitars are easily drowned by other instruments when played unplugged because of its understandably weak projection. However, they shine when amplified or plugged in, giving off a unique “woody” tone that works really well in many musical genres.

Godin A5 Fretless

Other brands may claim that they are king, but the Godin A5 is the queen of acoustic basses. It is the best in terms of features, sporting a fretless neck, solid cedar top, LR Baggs electronics and a 13-pin output jack for MIDI and synth connectivity. Its wide range of tonal flavors, its unique look and its feedback suppression design helped the A5 outrank the competition.

Its small body, which is just slightly larger than a solidbody bass, gives out a very weak unplugged sound, but once you plug it in, you will be surprised as to how this relatively small acoustic bass can provide big bass sounds.

The unique chambered body design also suppresses feedback. Other features include rock maple neck, ebony fingerboard, 16″ fingerboard radius, 34″ scale and a maple body. Seeing and hearing singer and bassist Esperanza Spalding make music with the A5 further adds to its already impressive credentials. If you are looking for that raw, earthy and woody bass tone, then you can’t go wrong with the Godin A5.

The Godin A5 does not come cheap usually selling for over $1200, but as many reviews attest, you get more than what you pay for. Get the latest price & reviews at Amazon.com.

Breedlove Studio BJ350/SME4

The Breedlove Studio BJ350/SME4 is a great looking traditional jumbo acoustic bass guitar. It features a solid sitka spruce top with Breedlove’s JLD Bridge Truss system, ensuring good top resonance and its deep and big body provides a full sounding bottom end. You don’t even have to plug it in to appreciate its craftsmanship and tone as it has reasonable projection unplugged.

Breedlove Atlas Series Studio BJ350/SM4
Breedlove Studio BJ350/SME4

The plugged in sound is not too shabby as well, as it features LR Baggs electronics, specifically the LR-T CV tuner preamp which comes with essential controls like 3-band EQ, presence and phase. The BJ350/SME4 is a true workhorse bass guitar, with its extra deep mahogany body and improved Breedlove bracing, you can be sure that this lovely guitar will not let you down on the road. Other features include 34″ scale length, 5″ at heel and 4″ at tail block extra deep body, tortoise binding and a glossy finish that enhances the look of the wood.

If you are looking for a traditional option then your money is well spent with a Breedlove Studio BJ350/SME4.

Washburn AB40SH Stu Hamm

This signature acoustic bass guitar from Washburn is a true class act. Stu Hamm made Washburn do some interesting modifications to the conventional bass, which results in a bad ass bass axe. Even if you are not a fan of Stu Hamm, you will appreciate the AB40SH sound and notable features which include the Buzz Feiten tuning system built in.

Washburn AB40SH Stu Hamm
Washburn AB40SH Stu Hamm

The arched spruce top is a sure head turner, and when matched with its maple back and sides provides a full balanced tone. Your left hand will enjoy this 34″ acoustic bass as it sports full playability with a 24 fret mahogany neck topped by a rosewood fretboard. Other features include custom piezo electronics tuned to the specs of Stu Hamm, Grover tuners and intonatable monorail bridge. For its features, I would say the Washburn AB40SH Stu Hamm is reasonably priced and would make a great main acoustic bass for those into aggressive and technical music.

The Stu Hamm Signature AB40SH carries a price tag of $849 at many retailers.

Ibanez AEB10E

The Ibanez AEB10E is an affordable acoustic electric bass guitar that is currently enjoying huge success in sales. Many bass players have bought the AEB10E with consistently good results and reviews. The Ibanez AEB10E is a modest but efficient acoustic bass bearing essentials like mahogany body, rosewood fretboard, spruce top, Fishman electronics and a very handy onboard tuner.

Since it comes in full size, many have noted that it sounds nice even when unplugged specially in good acoustic rooms. Its mahogany neck, back and sides make for a bigger bottom end. The draw back with having a full sized body is its susceptibility to feedback, which can be resolved with a cheap sound hole cover. As expected from Ibanez, the quality and build is respectable and the sound is as good as you would expect. The 32” Scale AEB10E acoustic bass gives you the best boom per buck ratio, and will please bassists with a limited budget.

Get the latest price & reviews at Amazon.com.

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Portable Bass Amp Roundup

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