1. Ashton SPACB100CEQ (£259)
Here, our team of experts puts together the top ten acoustic bass guitars money can buy, starting with the Ashton SPACB100CEQ.
Ashton has a solid reputation for producing affordable instruments that are still decent little performers. If you want an acoustic bass guitar for a pub open-mic night or odd gig, then the catchily named SPACB100CEQ should do the trick.
The nut is a chunky 1.8”, and with 21 jumbo frets this is a perfect workhorse for thudding out root-fifths and simple walking lines under an acoustic guitar. With a preamp and tuner built in, it’ll work well on gigs and it comes in natural or, if you fancy going MTV Unplugged circa 1989, a beautiful black.
MusicRadar's verdict:
"Zippy to play, easy to transport, won’t break the bank."
4.5 out of 5
2. Sigma BME Acoustic (£315)
This bass is put together remarkably well for the pricetag. The big stuff is taken care of - neck join, bridge, frets - exactly as you’d hope, and the details are satisfactory too.
The Grover machine heads do their job smoothly, the battery compartment operates as you want it to, and the action is a testament to the simple, solid bridge design.
You’ll find it tricky to avoid fret squeals if you’re unplugged: hook up to an amp and roll off the top end if that’s a problem. Indeed, the Sigma is strong at the treble end, so funk players will be in their element.
MusicRadar's verdict:
"Excellent tone range and spec."
4.5 out of 5
3. Fender T-Bucket (£330 - approx)
You’d expect an acoustic bass from Fender to be pretty darned sexy, and the T-Bucket is just that.
Its three-tone sunburst finish, holographic rosette and twelfth-fret F inlay makes the T-Bucket a stunning bass. With its small body, slim neck and short 32” scale, it really is a player’s dream: you’ll be scooting all over the neck, adding in melodic fills and perhaps gracing people with the odd solo at jam nights.
The size does mean you lose a little bit of low end and overall unplugged volume, but with the addition of the superb Fishman Isys III, you’ll find that the T-Bucket really excels in the studio.
MusicRadar's verdict:
"It’s a Fender. What’s not to like?"
5 out of 5
4. Crafter BA-400EQ Electro Fretless (£400)
If you fancy something a little bit different for your acoustic bass, look no further than this fretless beauty from Crafter.
With a solid spruce top there’s plenty of resonance, giving a powerful presence to the long glissandos that the instrument is crying out for.
A comfortable and slender neck profile makes for an easy play, and the inclusion of an LR Baggs Element pickup means that the Cort’s plugged-in sound is excellent. If you’re looking for an upright sound without the pricetag and bulk, this could well be the bass for you.
MusicRadar's verdict:
"A gift for upright players with bad backs."
4.5 out of 5
5. Cort SJB6FX (£459)
With its pleasingly meaty Super Jumbo body, the SJB6FX comes fitted with Hipshot Ultralight tuners to aid in the annoying neck dive from which so many acoustic basses suffer.
You also get a solid sitka spruce top, which means the resonance and tone are a cut above many other models at this price point, with the rosewood back and sides adding some warmth to the spruce’s bright, trebly cutting power.
If you want to plug in, the Fishman Prefix Plus T Sonicore pickup and preamp offers exemplary tone with plenty of controls to fiddle with.
MusicRadar's verdict:
“Easy to tune, reliable acoustic low-ender.”
4 out of 5
6. Tanglewood TW155 (£499)
Tanglewood are one of Britain’s oldest names in the guitar world, and their range of acoustic guitars has dominated sales in the domestic beginner and mid-range worlds for some time.
This acoustic bass gives you a booming super jumbo body with a solid sitka spruce top at a very competitive price. You’ll find the Tanglewood neck offers a good trade-off between comfort and chunkiness, making it good for riffing and supportive lines.
The B-Band A3T gives you a four-band EQ, with the presence control offering extra high-end kick to help you cut through the guitars.
MusicRadar's verdict:
“Hell of a tone for the pricetag - and bags of volume too.”
4.5 out of 5
7. Boulder Creek EBR1-TB5 (£799)
This five-string has some interesting innovations, such as dual soundholes for improved resonance and projection, and the Suspended Bracing System (SBS) in the construction.
The dimensions and body depth make this bass a bit of a lapful, so wherever possible, play it sitting down as opposed to standing up with a strap - but after a little playing time, the bass has a familiar, if sizeable, feel to it.
The comfortably full neck profile coaxes the player to dig in, and although you couldn’t use this bass in a gigging situation to convey the full range of bass frequencies without plugging in, its overall performance is of a very high standard.
MusicRadar's verdict:
“Up the Creek with a paddle…”
4.5 out of 5
8. Taylor GS Mini Bass (£827)
Pick up and pluck the GS before you plug in and you’ll be gratified by this instrument’s enjoyable playability.
The string tension is fairly low, allowing you to bend the D and G strings at the top of those scale runs to your heart’s content. As per acoustic tradition, you have 14 accessible frets of a total of 20, permitting a decent set of note choices in the midrange as well as low down.
The low string tension permits a comfortable slap-bass style that full-size acoustic basses tend not to allow - although be careful with those pops, or said low tension may lead to you breaking a string, or worse.
MusicRadar's verdict:
“A fun-sized bass with tons of appeal.”
4 out of 5
9. Breedlove Solo Acoustic (£859)
You’ll have your own opinion about the looks of the Solo, but we love it right out of the box.
Although that neck looks fearsomely long on first examination, leading the dread words ‘neck dive’ to rise to the surface of your mind, you can’t help but admire its swan-like elegance. The 23-fret neck - yes, 23, for some arcane reason - offers you 16 accessible frets and seven more that are sort-of-playable, thanks to the cutaway.
There’s a soundhole on the top side, next to the electronics panel, with a removable rubber buffer that is a slight pain to remove and replace but which actually comes in very handy.
MusicRadar's verdict:
"Splendid build quality: acoustic players should definitely investigate."
4.5 out of 5
10. Warwick Alien Deluxe (£1,300 - approx)
Looking for an acoustic bass that will really get people talking? Look no further than the Alien Deluxe by Warwick.
The German company’s usual high-quality craftsmanship is present and correct, and the sharp lines of the Alien’s soundhole and bridge are both unusual and striking. Bubinga as a tonewood for the back and sides is a perfect choice, as it looks stunning and also gives a satisfyingly ballsy tone.
The Alien also comes in five- and six-string versions, fretless and left-handed models. Celebrated Alien players include Alberto Rigoni and Dmitry Lisenko, incredible bassists from Italy and Latvia respectively.
MusicRadar's verdict:
“Extraterrestrial levels of acoustic goodness.”
5 out of 5