James Nada Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 (edited) Hi I'd be interested to know opinions on the loudness of semi-acoustic/hollow bodied basses compared with acoustic basses. Are they a lot quieter, not much difference,...? I have an acoustic bass, which is usefull and loud enough for grabbing to quickly practice on, but pretty useless when playing with other musicians unles it's amplified. So I was thinking, I may as well replace it with a more versatile semi-acoustic, so long as they are loud enough for solo practice. (I hope that makes sense) EDIT: I'd be looking for a short scale semi. Edited January 1, 2015 by James Nada Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazed Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 I had a jack casady hollow body for a while. It's acoustic volume was little to no improvement over a solid body. You could use it to practice unplugged in a quiet room room but I doubt it would be particularly satisfying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Not all semis are constructed the same; some sre more hollow than others but they are all quiet. But if you are looking for volume theres a reason the double bass is the size it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len_derby Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 I'd agree with the previous post. I have a Yamaha Bex semi and it's only slightly louder when unplugged than a solid. Someone is selling a Vox headphone amp on the miscellaneous page. This might be a good solution if you're not able to practise unplugged. I'm lucky to live in a very quiet house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Nada Posted January 1, 2015 Author Share Posted January 1, 2015 [quote name='Len_derby' timestamp='1420131644' post='2645944'] I'd agree with the previous post. I have a Yamaha Bex semi and it's only slightly louder when unplugged than a solid. Someone is selling a Vox headphone amp on the miscellaneous page. This might be a good solution if you're not able to practise unplugged. I'm lucky to live in a very quiet house. [/quote] The problem for me is more about the convenience of just picking up a bass and it being loud enough to play without plugging anything in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero9 Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Acoustic bass guitars are fine for solo practice, but can't keep up with a guitar in the volume stakes. The loudest ones are the resonator types, but you do need the right strings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetaFunk Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 [quote name='zero9' timestamp='1420147991' post='2646183'] Acoustic bass guitars are fine for solo practice, but can't keep up with a guitar in the volume stakes. The loudest ones are the resonator types, but you do need the right strings. [/quote] I had an Ozark metal bodied resonator bass and it was no louder than my Washburn AB20 acoustic bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nodd Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 I find the real problem with using an ABG versus other for practice is that of the differences in size and then therefore arm position etc. Don't get me wrong, it's still helpful, but playing it for prolonged periods has given me arm problems - tennis elbow.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlungerModerno Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 For the low end, just like picking a suitable kick drum . . . Go large acoustic, or amplified, if you want to have lots of lows at medium/high volume. From my limited experience the ABG's I've heard can't compete with the ergonomics, volume and tone of other acoustic instruments (esp. banjos, mandolins, and guitars - those can get crazy loud! with excellent tones). As has been said, If you want the semi-hollow - try it . Don't expect to compete with an upright bass though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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