Most important thing to consider with Acoustic basses is the tone. 90% of Tone in the fingers. It is essential to have a good bass player when reviewing these. (Many many TH-cam reviews fail here!). These guys have good bass technique and hence the bass sounds decent. Without a side-by-side comparison though, it’s difficult to determine how decent the bass is really! However l have a couple of similarly priced acoustic basses that l’ve been using for many years, and this Alvarez seems like it’ll be worth trying first hand.
Just a tip: these sound OK unplugged but the magic happens once it’s used with something like a Fishman Loudbox Mini. Amazing clarity along with seemingly endless sustain. I thought I made a mistake when I first strummed my ABT610E. But with amplification and lighter gauge strings there’s nothing purer and more connected at this price point.
6:43 because of tension Nathan, nickel strings pull a hell of a lot harder than bronze strings, if you string an acoustic bass with nickels the bridge is gonna pull right off the top
I recently bought a set of the Tomastik-Infeld Acousticore bronze nylon core strings and they are phenomenal!! Before purchasing I read a lot of reviews and the only complaint people had was the low tension, but not being too heavy handed I really enjoy them! I recommend to any ABG players to at least try them once.
That is not necessarily quite true. You might be talking about stainless steel strings, which tend to have higher tension but if you actually check the tension chart, you will discover that similar gauge phosphor brozne strings tend to be comparable or even higher tension than the same gauge nickel strings. You can definitelly string an acoustic bass with nickel strings, I do it all the time, as I prefer the sound way more than bronze strings. You can even try lighter gauge flatwound (stainless steel), the difference in tension is not that big and I would argue that most acoustic basses can handle that. Mine definitelly can and it sound wonderful! If you are about the flatwound sound but don't want risk it, you can try the tapewound strings as they tend to be ligher tension (but not necessarily ultra light) and can sound very flatwoundish, too.
There is a tradition for acoustic bass guitars in andinas/inka music, I tried to find more traditional music, and ended here - not a bad place to get an idea of the possibilities of an acoustic guitar-bass or baryton.
Any strings work. The bronze strings are supposed to be a little louder but truth be told, the difference is tiny and for some reason bronze strings seem to die real quick. I'm using DR Hi Beams on mine. Had it fitted with a really shallow humbucker to get rid of (or at least limit) feedback on a large stage and it's great. It also gives me more versatility. Haven't tried flat wounds or tape wounds yet but I'm thinking about it now. BTW I play with a folk band that plays medieval and old music so I couldn't just go out and play my electric.
I would recommend washing your hands before you play. Seriously. I love the chime of new bronze strings and I have dulled them super fast playing while working g on cars and in the yard. So now I try to always wash my hands before I play
Nice. I would guess that for recordings, you'd want to mic it up and plug it into a DI and blend the 2 tracks to really get the most out of it. Thanks for the demo.
Are we going to see the new Squier Classic Vibe basses at some point? I'm interested in buying one as I'm not a serious bass player but don't know if I should go a little more expensive and grab a Sire.
@@mrbungle7586 Nonono, the problem with the upright acoustic bass is that you can hear them, a “fretless acoustic bass guitar” would solve that problem
Not as loud as a typical strummed dreadnaught guitar. You need some sort of small amp to add a bit of a volume boost and low end reinforcement. If you are literally playing out in the woods, there are battery-powered amp options. you can also use an inverter and a car battery with a conventional bass amp.
terrytickler the important thing is to calibrate them properly whether its an x bracing or a classical fan bracing. A badly calibrated fan bracing will sound just as bad as a badly calibrated x bracing
Not loud enough to play with a group acoustically but you can get a Roland Bass Cube that runs on batteries. There are others but the Roland is best from what I've tried so far.
From the acoustic basses I've played, they're alright for just jamming alone on your own, but they're alot harder to hear over an acostic guitar. But if you're both going through some kind of amp, it's still going to sound nice and acoustic
What is it? Cockney hour on Anderton's? When I bought my Alvarez I compared it to everything in the shop and, for the money, it was no comparison. No Wasburn, Epiphone or Gibson came close. When I got to the Taylors and Martins it got tougher, but the Alvarez was preferrable, to me, until you got to the $2k and up guitars.. I bought a $400 Alvarez that felt better than the others and sounded better than most of the others, again, until you hit that $2k mark on the premium brands.
If I'm being honest, acoustic basses are only good for firewood. Trust me. Y'all are better off using at least a Fender Jazz through a battery powered amp.
Most important thing to consider with Acoustic basses is the tone.
90% of Tone in the fingers.
It is essential to have a good bass player when reviewing these. (Many many TH-cam reviews fail here!).
These guys have good bass technique and hence the bass sounds decent.
Without a side-by-side comparison though, it’s difficult to determine how decent the bass is really!
However l have a couple of similarly priced acoustic basses that l’ve been using for many years, and this Alvarez seems like it’ll be worth trying first hand.
Just a tip: these sound OK unplugged but the magic happens once it’s used with something like a Fishman Loudbox Mini. Amazing clarity along with seemingly endless sustain.
I thought I made a mistake when I first strummed my ABT610E. But with amplification and lighter gauge strings there’s nothing purer and more connected at this price point.
6:43 because of tension Nathan, nickel strings pull a hell of a lot harder than bronze strings, if you string an acoustic bass with nickels the bridge is gonna pull right off the top
I recently bought a set of the Tomastik-Infeld Acousticore bronze nylon core strings and they are phenomenal!! Before purchasing I read a lot of reviews and the only complaint people had was the low tension, but not being too heavy handed I really enjoy them! I recommend to any ABG players to at least try them once.
That is not necessarily quite true. You might be talking about stainless steel strings, which tend to have higher tension but if you actually check the tension chart, you will discover that similar gauge phosphor brozne strings tend to be comparable or even higher tension than the same gauge nickel strings. You can definitelly string an acoustic bass with nickel strings, I do it all the time, as I prefer the sound way more than bronze strings. You can even try lighter gauge flatwound (stainless steel), the difference in tension is not that big and I would argue that most acoustic basses can handle that. Mine definitelly can and it sound wonderful! If you are about the flatwound sound but don't want risk it, you can try the tapewound strings as they tend to be ligher tension (but not necessarily ultra light) and can sound very flatwoundish, too.
Nice opening jam, good guitar playing Nathan!
Tape wound strings sound nice on these...
Just got myself a set for mine. Sounds fantastic!
not a musician, but that bass sounded soo smooth and, had a depth to the sounds!
I love the sound of that bass
There is a tradition for acoustic bass guitars in andinas/inka music, I tried to find more traditional music, and ended here - not a bad place to get an idea of the possibilities of an acoustic guitar-bass or baryton.
Any strings work. The bronze strings are supposed to be a little louder but truth be told, the difference is tiny and for some reason bronze strings seem to die real quick. I'm using DR Hi Beams on mine. Had it fitted with a really shallow humbucker to get rid of (or at least limit) feedback on a large stage and it's great. It also gives me more versatility. Haven't tried flat wounds or tape wounds yet but I'm thinking about it now.
BTW I play with a folk band that plays medieval and old music so I couldn't just go out and play my electric.
I would recommend washing your hands before you play. Seriously. I love the chime of new bronze strings and I have dulled them super fast playing while working g on cars and in the yard.
So now I try to always wash my hands before I play
I have always wanted an acoustic bass, but now.... I need one of those baritone acoustics!!!!! I want one!
I love the intro jam. I want to make music like that on my acoustic bass
Good jam at the end. Nice sounding bass.
I’ve got Thomastik Jazz Flats on my Warwick Alien and it plays and sounds amazing. Very DB like!
great video guys, and honestly, it's nice to see a bit of a change, and not just Lee/Pete/Chappers blah-blah-blahing for 45 minutes.
cool bass too!
Digging the acoustic jam.
Finally, acoustic bass review. :)
"Whats Goin On?"...bass sounds excellent here.
Nice. I would guess that for recordings, you'd want to mic it up and plug it into a DI and blend the 2 tracks to really get the most out of it. Thanks for the demo.
Very Nice A Barítono 6Strings!!!
Are we going to see the new Squier Classic Vibe basses at some point? I'm interested in buying one as I'm not a serious bass player but don't know if I should go a little more expensive and grab a Sire.
The world needs more production Acoustic basses. Also a fretless acoustic bass would be super cool.
There are frettless acoustic basses and have been for awhile lol.
@@mrbungle7586 the difference is he wants an fretless acoustic bass that is too quiet to actually hear
@@goodinternetuser1943The difference is? you mean, you think they're to quiet to hear? As I said, fretless acoustics have been around for a while.
@@mrbungle7586 Nonono, the problem with the upright acoustic bass is that you can hear them, a “fretless acoustic bass guitar” would solve that problem
What series is this Alvarez bass. Sounds great
I love Nathan and Lee best from the Andertons crew, and I am a guitarist :D
man... that bass line!!
How are you going to get mics at the campfire?
The notch filters out a very narrow range of frequencies in order to combat feedback. That's why you were getting feedback messing with it.
If you're going to keep with acoustics, pls review the warwick alien bass
What's going on with the opening jam..?! ;-)
Nice. :)
Lee, are we going to get a video on the Fender American Performer series basses..?
Friggin sweeet
Finally some Gaye and Jamerson from you two :)
Groovin!
Did they ever mention the model number?
I love lee.
"YEAH"
Here's my vote for electric strings on acoustic bass
I’ve been wanting an acoustic bass. But a 5 string. Can’t find them though
bassican7 Ashton build one, not sure about the quality though
brendan hall cool I’ll check it out. Thanks!
I see you did a Gary Clark Jr without busting the bank, can you please do Gary Holt from slayer/exodus without my wife getting mad at me lol
how audible are they playing them without amp?
Only if you build them like a classical guitar
Not as loud as a typical strummed dreadnaught guitar. You need some sort of small amp to add a bit of a volume boost and low end reinforcement. If you are literally playing out in the woods, there are battery-powered amp options. you can also use an inverter and a car battery with a conventional bass amp.
terrytickler the important thing is to calibrate them properly whether its an x bracing or a classical fan bracing. A badly calibrated fan bracing will sound just as bad as a badly calibrated x bracing
Not loud enough to play with a group acoustically but you can get a Roland Bass Cube that runs on batteries. There are others but the Roland is best from what I've tried so far.
From the acoustic basses I've played, they're alright for just jamming alone on your own, but they're alot harder to hear over an acostic guitar. But if you're both going through some kind of amp, it's still going to sound nice and acoustic
Nice to see Arthur Shelby and Keir Starmer chatting about baritone guitars.
😂
A bass player going into the "twilight zone" on the neck? I must be dreaming :)
Adorei 👍
a campfire with outlets?
Don't miss my new video warning about the deadly consequences of Gear Addiction Syndrome.
It might just SAVE YOUR LIFE!!
Great Playing... Someone Should Think About Using The Microphones Correctly
The Love Boat called...
What is it? Cockney hour on Anderton's?
When I bought my Alvarez I compared it to everything in the shop and, for the money, it was no comparison. No Wasburn, Epiphone or Gibson came close. When I got to the Taylors and Martins it got tougher, but the Alvarez was preferrable, to me, until you got to the $2k and up guitars.. I bought a $400 Alvarez that felt better than the others and sounded better than most of the others, again, until you hit that $2k mark on the premium brands.
Bass volume is too low in the mix...come on...whats goin on???
i couldn`t ear the bass in the intro jingle
Plugged in don't mean acoustic I would rather hear the acoustic guitar and bass guitar with no mic or plugged in
can't hear the bas very well
Acoustic basses have no volume unless you build them like a classical guitar
that's the problem. What's the point of an acoustic bass when you have to plug in to be heard?
@@MrWarwickbass very true but if you build like a classical they can be loud
Fine for practicing though, l have two.
1st
Why do plugged in acoustic guitars (regular and bass) sound whiny and horrible?
If I'm being honest, acoustic basses are only good for firewood. Trust me. Y'all are better off using at least a Fender Jazz through a battery powered amp.