Acoustic bass guitars might not be as widely used as their electric counterparts, but they are well-loved by people who appreciate them.
Whether you’re part of an acoustic ensemble or will be in the future, or you simply want one for your own enjoyment, here you will find fantastic choices that sound great and will be the acoustic bass you’ll ever need!
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Fender CB-60SCE
At under $500, Fender offers one of the best acoustic bass guitars for the money!
Sharing many of the same features as standard acoustic guitars, this acoustic-electric bass provides these specs:
- Concert body
- Spruce top
- Mahogany sides
- 32”-scale mahogany Fender “Easy-to-Play” neck
- 22-fret walnut fingerboard
- Walnut bridge
- Fishman Classic Design electronics
Spruce and mahogany work well together because they project a powerful sound and emphasize bassy undertones, and the pickups and preamp certainly assist with this and will help shape your volume and tone.
Since it’s affordable and has a lot of the features you want, this is possibly the best acoustic bass guitar for under $500 for most people, but if you’re looking for something different or willing to invest a bit more in an acoustic bass, keep reading ahead!
Fender Kingman V2
Fender brings another great addition to this acoustic bass lineup with its Kingman V2. At around $600, it’s pricier than the CB-60, but its style and features may be something you’ll find worthwhile.
Here’s what you can look forward to with the Fender Kingman V2:
- Newporter body
- Painted spruce top
- Painted mahogany sides
- 30.3”-scale mahogany Jazz-bass neck and headstock
- 20-fret walnut fingerboard
- Walnut bridge
- Fishman Presys electronics
As you can see, this acoustic bass shares many similarities to the previous one; aside from the aesthetic differences, the primary difference is the necks that these basses use and their scale lengths.
This one is based on the highly-popular Jazz bass that uses a C-shaped profile and features a shorter scale length. Although they feel different, they’re both very comfortable to play, but if you’re already familiar with Fender’s electric basses, you’ll seamlessly transition to the Kingman V2 for your acoustic needs.
Ibanez AEGB24E
Although Ibanez is super well-known for making great electric guitars and basses, especially for those who love to shred, they also make some really reliable, great-sounding, and attractive acoustic instruments too, including their basses.
The Ibanez AEGB24 is one of those and a very solid option you can get for under $500, and it has specs such as:
- AEG body
- Sapele top
- Sapele sides
- 32”-inch scale nato/walnut neck
- 21-fret walnut fingerboard
- Walnut bridge
- Ibanez AEQ-2T electronics
Sapele is a wood that is most frequently compared to mahogany, but it’s said to produce a brighter sound which is welcome if you want your notes to pop out a bit more, which is welcomed by a lot of bass players.
One feature I definitely like about the AEGB24 is the built-in finger rest, which is super convenient for giving yourself a place to anchor your thumb in different spots, similar to how many fingerstyle bassists anchor their thumbs on the pickups. This makes it easy to give your hand a stable position, especially when playing notes on the low-E string.
Takamine GB72CE
Getting into the more expensive yet still affordable acoustic basses, the Takamine GB720CE is one of the best acoustic-electric basses for under $1000.
Takamine is well-regarded for making some amazing acoustic instruments, which is why I’m recommending this bass that has features that people love, like:
- Jumbo body
- Spruce top
- Flamed maple back and sides
- 34”-scale maple neck
- 21-fret laurel fretboard with ABS binding
- Rosewood bridge
- Takamine electronics
Maple isn’t a tonewood we’ve gone over yet, and it’s a very nice alternative to mahogany. Maple produces a vibrant sound that’s also brighter than mahogany. While mahogany is also warm and lovely, maple will help the treble frequencies and make your bass really sing.
This acoustic-electric bass truly sounds as gorgeous as it looks, and this is supported by its preamp, pickups, and controls, which are a step up from the previous acoustic basses we’ve gone over so far.
Guild B-140E
Last up is the Guild B-140E, which is the priciest acoustic-electric bass here, but still an amazing option for those whose budget is under $1000.
Many of you might know Guild from their hollow body and semi-hollow body electric guitars like the Starfire model, but they also have a long history of making some of the best acoustic instruments around. The Guild B-140E is based a lot on the classic B-50 model and has specs such as:
- Jumbo body
- Sitka spruce top
- African mahogany back and sides
- 34”-scale African mahogany neck
- 22-fret rosewood fingerboard with ivory ABS binding
- Rosewood bridge
- Fishman Sonitone BT-1 Electronics
The Sitka spruce and African mahogany are variants of the spruce and mahogany wood that were used in the previous models, and although they have similar names, they do produce sonic and aesthetic differences because they have different densities.
So, if you’re a fan of Guild guitars and basses already, this will make a great addition to your life. It’s comfortable to play, sounds smooth yet powerful, and is incredibly well-constructed.
Conclusion
Even if you enjoy playing alone in your downtime, these acoustic basses are some of the best on the market for under $1000, and to recap them, we had:
Just like with acoustic guitars, an acoustic bass you can count on doesn’t need to cost a fortune, and hopefully, one of these will be perfect for you and complement your band if you play in a group.