LeftyBassist.com

http://www.buycheapr.com/us/result.jsp? ... ustic+bass - three pages worth...

you know whats funny one of the links take you to silverSpring music on ebay and I have bought a lot of stuff from that lady.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/silverspringmusic/m.html?_nkw=

I wanted to revive this post because the singer/songwriter/guitarist in one of my bands wants to do "unplugged" gigs with me. I've never owned an acoustic/electric, so I'm sufficiently clueless. Whatever I get, it'll surely have to be ordered sight unseen.

The brands that seem to readily offer lefty versions are Takamine, Morgan Monroe and Oscar Schmidt. The Oscar Schmidt line appears to be half the cost of Takamine. Are they a relatively good deal or half the quality? Any recommendations would be appreciated. I'm happy buying a used one as well.

I love my Dean Exotica bass.

pete

Goldtone makes one too, as well as the dobro acoustic bass. (Which looks very cool). If you're going for maximum volume unplugged, the dobro bass might be the best option. Personally, none of the acoustic basses I've ever tried put out enough volume or bass tone, and once you're plugging it in to compensate, well, is it really an acoustic bass anymore? They either sound close to an electric or have that piezo-like quack I personally hate. Might as well get a little Kala bass instead, or just go with an electric bass. (A Kala or Rob Allen do a more convincing acoustic tone to my ears). That's been my biggest gripe about these instruments, though I won't fault anyone who digs them since they do offer a different playing vibe.

Hi:

I have been following acoustics because I am eager to get one. I've played the Takamine and the Oscar Schmidt. I do not think highly of the Oscar Schmidt, and others that I have spoken to about it have spoken poorly of it. The Takmine was a nice bass for the money. The unplugged in sound was ok, the plugged in sound was great, it maintained its acoustic character really well.

Southpaw Guitars in Houston has a Martin Acoustic Bass Big Body which is simply beautiful and respectably loud and $$$, and a Martin Thinline which has surprising volume. They also had a Thinline Aluminum Top Martin Acoustic that is very, very, nice. The only reason I have not bought one is because I am considering getting a five string bass.

There is a lefty Kala UBass for sale at Bill's Music house in Baltimore, MD. I loved the tone, surprisingly close to an uprate, but the ergonomics were not good for me personally.

I would add to your list the Boulder Creek Acoustic Bass and Michael Kelly Basses. They are going to make them lefty for this fall. I believe someone on this forum is reviewing the Boulder Creek, and it got an editor's choice award from Bass Player Magazine, they stated that the volume was pretty close to the Tacoma Thunderchief. I got my hands on a righty one and it was very nice, produced good volume, and I was impressed by the onboard electronics. They are going to be about $800. The last one I would note is the Michael Kelly. They just have released the cherryburst Dragonfly which has a beautiful inlay. I was on the fence about its acoustic volume, but the preamp was respectable. Apparently, the electronics were upgraded with Fishman.

I may have one of these basses myself soon. If I do, I'll PM you next time I am in Boston, as I go there a couple of times a year for various things. Hope this helps.

Thank you Pete, pjmuck and velalv. Much appreciated. It's nice to see more left-handed options than originally thought.

Pete -- I'll be sure to investigate Dean.

pjmuck -- I guess I've subscribed to your perspective all along, hence the reason why I've always been an electric dude. Yet, in this case, the full band versions of our tunes will shrink down to either a duet or duet + very light percussion. It's a look and vibe kind of issue, too...not to mention altered bass lines.

velalv -- Thank you for your detailed synopsis. Very helpful. I'll be interested to see what you end up with.