Acoustic Bass Guitar Shopping

When choosing an acoustic bass guitar you have to determine what the most important features are going to be. I’ve reviewed many of these instruments so I’ve done quite a bit of the legwork already for you. For me it comes down to tonal quality while plugged in and unplugged, durability, looks, playability and quality.

An acoustic electric bass guitar is going to have 2 distinct tonal qualities: 1 while plugged in and the other while unplugged. It really depends on what you want from each situation. I personally like my guitars to sound the same plugged in or unplugged without any tone colouring. What this means is, sometimes the acoustic pickup will completely change the tone of the guitar once it’s plugged in and this can be undesirable for situations when you want the sound of the guitar to stay consistent at all times.

Many acoustic bass guitars play perfectly right out of the box but you still want to test the exact guitar you plan on taking home from the store. You need to consider what scale your hands and playing style are suited to. You may be fine with a 22 fret neck with a 30” short scale right up to 24 frets and a 36” extra long scale. Again, it really matters what the purpose of the guitar is for you and what style do you play.

The tonal quality will be determined by several characteristics including the wood used in the guitar instruments and the strings used as well. Acoustic bass guitar strings come in flat or round wound and have a great deal to do with the tone of the instrument. To lighten up bass guitars, basswood is used a lot as a choice for body wood on electric models. For acoustic models, you will find spruce, alder and mahogany used quite frequently as they all have great acoustic tonal qualities and are not overly heavy for the musician.

After sitting down with a guitar for a session of playing you will quickly see whether or not there is a durability about it. You definitely don’t want an instrument that jumps in and out of tone frequently and also one that starts to creak and crack and even chip after mild playing.

All bass guitar acoustic models should be a thing of beauty. I have always felt this way. The acoustic should have a quality finish and all the hardware and finishing’s should be of the highest eye appeal, in my opinion. Pay extra attention to the edges and to all the bindings. There should be nothing but smooth transitions and no sharp or jagged edges; all sure signs of poor craftsmanship.

Spend an afternoon at a guitar shop playing many different models of acoustic bass guitar before you choose one and take all of the above recommendations into consideration. As well, ask the techs in the store for any recommendations as well. It's also very important to get your bass set up with the correct acoustic guitar strings.