The truth about acoustic basses from a PhD in bass guitar
I recently had the opportunity to chat with Dr. Denson Angulo about acoustic bass. As a holder of a doctorate in bass performance, he’s not just another YouTuber hack (like someone I know), he’s the real deal! In this video, we discuss the merits of acoustic bass and compare it to upright bass.
Dr Denson Angulo’s channel: https://youtube.com/densonangulo
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 – Intro
1:30 – Upright and the invention of electric bass
6:50 – Acoustic bass vs upright bass
11:48 – When are acoustic basses good?
20:17 – Bowing on the upright
24:50 – Addressing some specific questions
31:52 – Acoustic bass in traditional Mexican music
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#truth #acoustic #basses #PhD #bass #guitar
Originally posted by UCe4luF47wncXwjjqshdDJKw at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiidbkgDiBc
So… IMO, he speaks from the perspective of a professional dude who has studied and dedicated his life to play bass. I get it and I envy him. On the other hand, I am a 42 years old dude who has been around computers for also 30 years, I make my living in IT and play the bass guitar as a hobby. Probably just a few hours a week. So…1) I won't be paying $ 10k for an upright bass, 2) playing upright basses require a COMPLETELY different skill level, and 3) my wife would kick me out of my home cause that thing is huge. My conclusion: acoustic basses do the job for people like me. 🙂
Acoustic basses are good if you're poor and want to record some organic sounding bass lines at home without pissing off the neighbours. You can pick them up for like £60
Okay but, what about a Hybrid Acoustic electric bass 🙂
Put your Hobbit foot next to the peg..
Have you heard the guitarron player on Linda Ronstadt's "Canciones de mi Padre?" What a player. And what an instrument. Wow. I gotta get a guitarron.
I use my acoustic bass for weekends with friends with guitars, cajones etc. or for "unplugged" type of gigs. Otherwise, mabe you check out Bart Soeters videos showcasing amazing sounds od acoustic bass guitars
That’s a big bass! I want one ???? so bad I just don’t know if my parents would let me ???? and I can’t even reach the top! But I really want one!
I really love the normal acoustic guitar bass, if I could only own 1 Bass it would be a normal acoustic for sure. And with normal I mean a cheap one with a small body. Now I completely understand the points in your video, but it's like… for me that's beside the point. So…yes you can not play it in concert without amplification. But the problem in this regard is the quality and constitution of these standard piezo pickups. They aren't even good on acoustic guitar most of the time. There are solutions… especially on less noisy stages.
But more importantly, if you play them … not exactly like an electric bass but already with a regard to go more thumpy and to play quite loud and very clean… you can have a sound for RECORDING that is like no other instrument, whilest being more agile then the upright, and blending better with the acoustic guitar, and far more natural and slimmer then electric bass if there are no drums in your song. Of course, one has to play it a bit different (there are several ways) and it has to be processed a bit, but you can have a result that fits better to certain folk styles f.e. then the extremely thumpy upright and the somewhat mid-heavy and "roomless" electric bass. Especially if one handles it like just as a subtle adddition to the bass of the guitar.
There are situations where neither of the 3 are optimal- these are especially live situations with acoustic instruments when the bassist is playing a relatively dense rock-ish style with many notes- the upright is too sluggish and the tone develops too slowly, the electric seems unrealistically fat and close-up, they both stick out like a sore thumb… the acoustic usually can not be picked up or miked up optimally… but even then I sometimes find it to be the least offending solution. Sometimes rivaled by electric with some extreme cuts and effects.
This is such a weird video. Who is actually comparing the sound output of an upright with an ABG?
I feel like that’s the entire argument here. “It’s not as loud as this more gigantic version that’s the size of a doghouse!”
Like, yeah, of course it’s not. Thanks captain obvious.
The real competitor is the EBG, and that’s of course going to come down to personal preference.
That, and the tone of the ABG is way cleaner than the Upright that you’re demoing, which you didn’t seem to comment on at all. Volume isn’t everything.
love seeing him rockin on that double bass with a "no loud music" sign behind him
Ever heard for Dunning–Kruger?!?
I dig the upright man. BUT: If you guys actually listened to the audio on the difference between the two basses at around 17 minutes and 45 seconds – I have to tell you – the acoustic bass sounded so much better. The stand up just sounded muddy as hell. But I guess, it might be the way you were playing the upright. I have an acoustic fretless bass, and I can dig the whole " It kills my elbow thing to play all night". Because I have – many times. But there are times, when it is the perfect instrument to play.
try a bass ukulele. they have rubber strings and are hilarious and amazing at the same time
I think I'd rather just use a headphone amp with my electric bass, lol.
Acoustic bass is great for acoustic jams bro, even if it's electric acoustic it still sounds different than a solid body. I will die on this hill
I'm not a bass player but damn this thing sounds sick as hell with the bow, like some hans zimmer type shit.
Imagine when the strings is already dead old
The volume will be even more horror
I started 4 decades ago on both upright and electric. There’s another benefit to acoustic bass guitars: If you’re physically constrained in some way and standing up for an extended time is not an option, or having the weight around your shoulders and neck is not an option. The right strings and a good preamp make for a superb sound + size option, with a sound much closer to an upright. I opted for a fretless acoustic bass guitar. I love it.
17:33 holy lord
The double bass was designed to be played using a bow. Plucking is for occasional staccato effect. If greater volume is needed, electric amplification is needed. You don't see people playing violins, violas or cellos without a bow, except for occasional effect. Yeh, electric, as yet, is hard to get the same tone quality as an acoustic, even if mic is used. Acoustics were not made for much volume. Intended for small audiences. You want a gas powered car to go 0 – 60 in 4 seconds and get 50 miles per gallon, sorry. You have to pick which is more important and accept the compromise.
I was about to buy one for exactly the reasons you quoted. You saved me $400 thank you.
I have played the bass for 53 years. I finally have an electric bass that literally everyone says sounds like an upright bass. I modified a Wishbass Lobe bass with a new black metal bridge and I put a flat piece of rubber underneath the bridge when I installed it that is 1/16" thick to add the natural sustain fade; the flat rubber is self adhesive. I put on nylon wrapped strings and had a stacked pot installed for some tone control (the bass came with only a volume control). I EQ my amp to boost the high mids and low mids with a cut on the highs and the lows. It took a long time, but I pulled it off.
I discovered a nice acoustic bass model by european guitarmaker Furch. For what it's worth, they are the best acoustic basses i've ever played. They cost around 1600, but you can find them used (in Europe) for just under a 1000€. They are all solid woods, loud, playable and have an outstanding sound (specially the cedar top model). It has an excellent value for money. Unfortunately they are not in production anymore. I hope they start producing them again.
I don't know that I've ever heard anyone claiming that these smaller acoustic basses are better than upright basses or electric basses, so I'm not sure what the point of this video is. Also, I have never seen a Mariachi band with a large upright or electric bass. I play guitar, so I don't even really know why this video came up on my feed, but it seems to me that this video is an example of confirmation bias.
I have my ibanez semi acoustic bass plugged into an 30w acoustic guitar amp(bass knob high) !! And it sounds fantastic, and defenatly different from a regugular bass… the lows sounds nice and very low, the mids are just okey, but the G sounds so fresh/light, almost like a normal acoustic guitar…. so my conclusion is, it's a bit between a normal guitar and a bass… you can use it on it's own, just like a acoustic guitar, just sounding a bit heavier!! ????????????
Mariachi isn’t the only Mexican music
I clicked on this video to try and understand the "acoustic" bass and now I like them even less
You can play corridos on them lol
Stumbling across this now, as I'm looking at getting/ playing and upright.
I have a Fender Victor Bailey acoustic/ electric, and a variety of electric basses. The VB bass is plenty loud, and plays well. I've played a few unplugged acoustic gigs and it works well with a pair of acoustic guitars. It has also been fun for recording acoustically in my apartment.
I appreciate the interview, insights, and wisdom.
Thank you
Who is this person that identifies as a University degree and not a person with a University degree?
5:05 This is one of the reasons why the Bass Guitar replaced the Double Bass because Double Bassists were like "I'm not hauling that Big Double Bass on the Bass for weeks, I'll go w/ the Bass Guitar instead".
29:25 Brian Ritchie is the guy who plays the Acoustic Bass
I just watched this video after buying a dirt cheap acoustic bass ???? anyway the reason i bought it is to be able to practice while i'm traveling by train and plane, and in the hotel, hope it's gonna do the job!
Rick from pawn stars is crazy on bass
up till now I am thinking of buying an acoustic bass because an Upright one is a bit out of my reach. It's huge, expensive and not portable. I don't think I'll ever use an Acoustic Bass as a gigging instrument but more or less as a way to play "something" that sounds close to an upright, is portable, cheap-ish and easy to store
Apparently you misspoke. You meant acoustic bass guitar!
Thank you, very informative and teaching perfectly
I've never studied/played acoustic bass. For me, a transverse (love that) acoustic bass guitar would be a faster onramp to get into folk or trad groups in my local gig world. Acoustic bass studies will begin when I retire… not too long now! Thanks, as always, for your geek-level content. Great stuff!