10 Best Acoustic Bass Guitar Brands In 2021 | Full Guide For all Levels

While many bass guitarists thrive on electric basses, acoustic bass guitars still hold quite a bit of charm. Unlike the electric bass guitar, which is a solid body, the acoustic bass guitar is hollow-bodied, similar to the acoustic guitar. Unlike acoustic guitar, however, the acoustic bass typically requires amplification since it is often too quiet to hear by itself. Below we have given you an overview of what we consider to be the best acoustic bass guitars available.

In addition to this round-up of the very best acoustic bass guitar you can buy right now, we have also split our expert recommendations down further by gears and accessories. So you can also choose to check out our recommendations below:

• Get a better recording with the best mic for acoustic guitar
• Choose your best acoustic guitar strings for beginner
• Boost the vibration and sounds with the best acoustic guitar preamp
• Do some blazing solos with the best guitar strings for metal and hard rock

An Acoustic Bass Guitar Primer

If you’re unfamiliar with acoustic basses, a fair way to think of them is just as a big, bulky acoustic guitar. They have a wide hollow body with a soundhole, just as an acoustic guitar might.

In order to get those nice low bass tones, acoustic basses tend to be pretty heavy. Not to mention bulky. This is one of the first big things to think about when purchasing an acoustic bass. Just how much bass do you want? And how “acoustic” are you hoping for?

The truth is, most of the sounds we associate with the bass guitar rely quite heavily on amplification. To actually get that thump, to have that commanding low end, you really need big speakers to move a lot of air.

So when it comes to acoustic bass, the only way to move enough air to even get into that register is by using huge thick strings and having a beefy body with a lot of room for it to resonate.

That means you’ll be holding quite a bit of wood as you play your acoustic bass! The larger models with thicker wood offer a lot more acoustic tone that can create a pretty pleasing low-end completely unplugged.

Despite their “acoustic” nature, the majority of acoustic bass guitars come equipped with some kind of pickup which allows them to be plugged in. Some of the smaller, more lightweight and portable acoustic bass guitars seem to have this in mind more than trying to be a true acoustic instrument.

Keep in mind when you’re looking at acoustic bass guitars that scaling them down for portability or easy handling comes at a real cost of the “acoustics” of the instrument.

The line up at a glance

We’ve done in depth loads of researches through many various products and chosen five different models to compare. Have a look through all our pros and cons for each one to find your best acoustic bass guitars.

Top 10 Best Acoustic Bass Guitar 2021

If you have a passion for playing guitar, do not underestimate your capability. You are neither too old nor too young to play guitar. Neither are your hands too small or too big. It would be best if you equipped yourself with the right instruments, and you will master the basic guitar playing techniques with time.

The Dean EAB Acoustic-Electric Bass Guitar is a perfect four-string starter guitar that suits beginner bass players. The guitar feels very comfortable, and it is loud enough for the jam session. You can play the guitar with or without an amp.

If you want to rock your listeners on stage, this baby will never let you down. It is designed with onboard electronics that allow you to take it right on stage. The guitar also works well for home recording, giving you a perfect sound you would always love to hear in the best acoustic bass guitar.

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The CB-60SCE is a mid-range bass guitar with excellent sound and electronics, and of course, it carries the iconic Fender name. Featuring a concert body and a slim-taper neck, this Fender is an easy-to-play electro-acoustic bass that seems to beat everything else in its class.

 The Fender CB-60SCE is one of few guitars that offers great features and sound at a decent price point. It’s my personal favorite, and I have no hesitation recommending it to anyone looking to buy an Electro-Acoustic Bass since it’s a strong contender for the best acoustic bass guitar title.

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Another Fender bass, you can find the FA-450CE in a variety of colors. The sunburst model looks best in my opinion and also has a more professional finish. I like the use of a two by two headstock as it provides better tuning retention and doesn’t mess too much with the string action or tension.

The Viking bridge is also a nice touch. The bass is made mostly of mahogany, with the exception of its Nato neck. Speaking of the neck, it has a 9.5” radius. This makes it just the right size to play in any genre without much trouble.

One of the better aspects of the FA-450CE is perhaps the Fishman preamp. Not only does this help create a clear tone but it also allows for customization. Along the volume control, the instrument features bass and treble controls for customized tone shaping.

The overall sound is rich and has great note articulation. The voice is warm but not too warm that it muddies the lower strings.

Note that the bass has a 32” scale. It’s a bit bigger than most, hence the better resonance and wider melodic range. But, it’s also one of the reasons why I don’t recommend it to beginners. It’s a bit more physically demanding to use at its full potential.

You should also change its strings right away as the stock strings have the smallest gauge. And they’re not particularly great on the fingers either.

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A few steps up from the Fender Beginner bass we looked at above, the Kingman is something aimed at the more seasoned player.

The Fender Kingman is a very unusual looking instrument. That’s because it features a Stratocaster-style neck and headstock attached to a massive Dreadnought-style acoustic guitar body. Just to distinguish it even further, Fender finished off the Kingman with beefy chrome fret markers.

Even more unique is the Kingman’s tone. For the price tag, it’s almost like buying a high-end bass for a mid-range value. The Kingman sounds great unplugged and has enough heft to really get some volume and projection. It’s a great instrument to put to work in a purely acoustic jam, as it can muster enough volume to find its place in the mix.

Should you prefer to plug it in, the Kingman is decked out with Fishman pickups and electronics. The preamp includes the equalization features you’d expect like bass, middle, and treble, but also features some interesting additions: Notch, Brilliance, and Phase, to give you even more tone sculpting options right from the side of the bass.

If you’re looking for a quality acoustic bass but don’t want to go too crazy on the price, the Kingman is a must-see.

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In the GS Mini-e, Taylor has done something quite remarkable. Although the GS Mini-e is a short scale bass and quite a small instrument compared to some of its competition, it manages to have a remarkably warm bass tone and a decent lower register.

At first, the size of this acoustic bass guitar is quite deceptive. It looks like one of the little acoustic bass guitars which have been made only with their pickup in mind and unplugged sound like little more than your electric bass unplugged might.

Instead, the Mini-e brings a satisfying low-end even completely unplugged. Plugged in, the built-in pickup offers a whole new palette of sounds to experiment with.

Plus, this acoustic bass is rocking the classic Taylor acoustic guitar look. It features a beautiful Sitka Spruce top, a dark ebony wood fretboard atop a Sapele neck, with the back and sides also composed of layered Sapele.

Should you decide to go electric with it, the built-in ES-B electronics provide a pickup, tuner, as well as volume and tone controls, right on the side of the bass.

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Ibanez PCBE12MHOP is the definition of a low-budget high-quality design. If you are a beginner and want to stick with bass for an extended period, this bass is for you. This is probably one of the best low-budget yet very durable bass on the market.

It features a comfortable grand concert body crafted from mahogany. The body, top, back even the neck, is built out of mahogany. It gives the instrument a warm tone, and obviously, it makes the bass highly durable. The design takes after some of the most expensive pieces of an acoustic bass.

The bridge system follows a B10 bridge system, and it is made out of rosewood. It gives the bass a pure and powerful low tone. 

Though the guitar itself is a high-quality product, the nut and saddle are made out of plastic. The on-board pickups are not that good either. There can be tuning problems with the bass. It was reported that the bass did not stay in tune for an extended period. You do not want to adjust the tune every 30 minutes when you are already on the stage. So yeah, the bass is outstanding when it comes to the practice session. It is durable, and the sound is perfect. But as there is a considerable lack of tuning stability, you should avoid stage performance with this guitar.

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Ibanez Acoustic-Electric Bass Guitar Dark Violin Sunburst gives you a full and warm tone. The bass is massive on its own. The neck is 34-inch, and the fretboard comes with pearl dot inlays. The neck has a dual-action truss rod; it gives the bass extra stability adjustment.

The bass is made of mahogany, so it is safe to say you can expect rich low frequencies. The bass should be lightweight but highly durable.

 The bass comes with an onboard tuner. It gives you a quick yet perfect tuning. The tune stays put even after a long hour of price. We can say it is a very reliable machine.

The tuners are sturdy and chrome die-cast, but the difficulty level is low. The body itself does not have a cutaway. It might result in difficulties in reaching higher notes.

The sound quality is vibrant and rich. The sound is loud and perfectly clear. But playing with an amp might result in the underpowered high and mid-end.

Because of the considerably big neck, this bass can be hard to master. But the guitar is very portable and comfortable to play. You can play for a long time without feeling tired. A high level of difficulty mastering is a small price to pay for such a fantastic bass to play.

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Takamine GB30CE Acoustic-Electric Bass Guitar is a high-end acoustic bass. It looks basic, but you should not get the wrong idea. The closer you get to the instrument; the more details are revealed. It looks beautiful and strong at first sight.

The Takamine GB30CE is a beast. The bass comes in a concert body shape with one perfect cutaway. You can reach the high notes with little to no effort. The top of the bass is made out of spruce and a solid mahogany back plus sides. The shape of the neck is slim nut width: 1.77”. The neck is also very smooth, so you can expect max comfort playing the bass. The fingerboard is made out of rosewood neck.

The headstock is full of a set of die-cast chrome tuners. Fine adjustment and easy control over the key is its specialty. The saddle is well adjusted, so you will not need any further work on it.

The bass comes with a TK40AB preamp and an EQ. The EQ consists of mid and bass boost control. The sound of the Takamine is the real deal. It exceeds the expectation when it comes to fantastic sound. Even when it is plugged in, you can work on the sound through the EQ.

The bass is an all-rounder. It is really great for practices and even live performances.

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The Gold Tone 4 String Bass(Mbass-25) is a complete package. It’s a guitar you would look at it and say, “Yeah, this is what I want.” It comes in a dreadnought body shape. You can already expect easy high note reach. The bass is loved by most, if not all, musicians because of its smoothness.

The shape of the neck of the bass is a C., So it should be very comfortable when going back and forth. The neck is made out of mahogany and comes in a set neck joint. Judging by the name, you can tell the scale length is 25″. It comes in a two-way truss rod.

Gold Tone comes with an active pickup. It is a piezo pickup that helps measure the instrument’s pressure and string vibration, thus creating an electric electrical current.

The body is made of mahogany with an ergo-gild top. The fingerboard and bridge are made of rosewood and dot inlay.

The bass requires little maintenance. One downside of the bass is the tuning machine is open-geared. So you might face rust issues (pun intended) with the tuning device. The bass comes in with both fretted and fretless form.

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Suppose you are a young bass player and trying to do shows here and there; this bass guitar is the perfect fit for you. The bass comes with four strings, which are made out of steel. The shape is mini II. The natural color gives the guitar a cheap and lightweight look, but the performance is overall fantastic.

The guitar neck is made out of mahogany, and the shape is C. The fingerboard is made out of composite with white dots inlay. There are 19 frets on the bass. But the lack of cutaway makes the high notes very inaccessible.

The bridge and saddle are made out of composite. The bass comes with a 3-band EQ system.

Why Buy An Acoustic Bass?

Okay, now you might ask, why would you need an acoustic bass. So here is the thing you are doing a lot of live shows. Some of them are unplugged. So yes, you will need an acoustic bass guitar.

Let’s talk about why to buy an acoustic bass. Firstly, it’s portable. You can easily take your acoustic bass to any live show any time you want. If you are using electric bass, you will need to carry an amp and an fx pedal. This is a hustle. With an acoustic bass guitar, all you need to bring is the guitar itself and nothing else. 

You do not need any electricity. So you can play it anywhere you want. An acoustic bass guitar goes well with some specific genres. The acoustic bass also goes with any unplugged shows where an electric guitar might sound odd.

Lastly, it’s the perfect tool for your practice. Imagine working 30 minutes on jacks and amps before you can begin your training. Too much work! With an acoustic guitar, you can start your practice right away. Like I said before, all you need is a place to sit down. You can practice in any area and whenever you want. You can play in the middle of the night without thinking about what the neighbor might think. It is a handy tool you will need in your life as a bassist.

What Is The Difference Between An Electric And An Acoustic Bass Guitar?

Bass guitars can be separated into two parts based on their mechanics and output, the acoustic bass guitar and their famous counterpart, the electric bass guitar. 

An acoustic guitar is not dependent on electricity. All you need is a guitar pick and a place to sit down, and you are good to go. The acoustic bass is portable and does not require any extra equipment to play. An acoustic bass guitar creates sound through their soundhole. The strings on an acoustic bass guitar are heavier, and initially, you might face trouble pressing the strings down.

The electric guitar is dependent on the amp. Like its acoustic counterpart, the electric bass does not have a soundhole and is easier to play. You can expect to have unlimited tones and sounds on electric bass.

Bottom line

The are many acoustic bass guitars to choose from and you will need to find one that fits your style and sound preference. While all of the acoustic basses above sound amazing, you may prefer playing one over the other. Some have a stronger, grungier sound, while others have a much more mellow tone. We recommend trying out as many bass guitars as possible to determine which one is right for you.

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