Electric vs. acoustic bass for acoustic trio?

[thisnameistaken]

The main reason I bought a double bass was for playing with acoustic guitars. It also makes audiences pay attention, which is a plus. It's also nice to be able to go out busking without amplification and keep up with a couple of guitars / voices volume-wise. It does take quite a commitment though; time to learn to play it and build up stamina, and of course a fair bit of grunting and sweating to lug the bloody thing from A to B.

[casapete]

I would agree - try it with your electric first and see how it fits in.

However,for acoustic type gigs I always use my Washburn AB20. Fitted with bronzewound strings,
it has a great tone for complementing the other instruments, and yet is very controllable. I think it
sounds fine (I plug it directly into the PA) , and it gets favourable comments from musos/punters too.
They can be had for around £200 s/h, and well worth the dosh IMO. Also worth a look in the same
price bracket is the Takamine EG512C, which again is a nice bass for the money.