LeftyBassist.com

GC website sucks, can't link to specific item page, but see screen shot. I have this bass and it's pretty good as AE basses go (typically disappointing IMHO). For $249, there's little to lose if you're toying with the idea of an AE bass.

I have one and really like it too.

I just grabbed this one. I've been wondering about acoustic bass when playing in backyard hootenannies. I know it might not be as loud as the guitars, but I want to try it as summer is approaching so backyard playing will be on the rise!

You won't have any significant volume unless it's plugged up. These do t push enough air to be loud like that.

When do you use your acoustic vs. electric if you're plugging into an amp in either case?

I use the takamine when I do acoustic duo stuff (well some full acoustic band stuff too). I usually will be running into a PA. I have used it with a small combo amp as well. But I've never heard an ABG that can hang acoustically with guitars. An upright will take care of that.

Rdavison, congrats on the new bass. I have a Martin acoustic, it's enough to jam with someone in a living room type of deal, or out on the back porch with one guitar and a couple of people singing around. If you are talking about a big get together, I would think about the Roland battery power cube.

I sometimes will take my acoustic and plug it in at church (never done it at a bar gig) and the acoustic tonal character comes through loud and clear. I'll use it when it's just our guitar player on his acoustic and my wife on a djembe. Folks LOVE IT when we are doing a mello set and I get comments about its "rustic" sound (non musician's words, not mine).

Wonderful, and very, very different than my Jazz bass with a preamp. I'm looking forward to throwing some TI flats on it soon, but having too much fun with the bronze strings. Hope this helps.

Yeah I'm a born again bronze user as well. I used to hate them, but since I've had this bass I've been into using them.

I remember thinking that the preamp on the Takamine was pretty solid. Is it doing a good job with conveying the tonal differences between bronze and flats when plugged in?

I think the bronze sounds beautiful when playing with some harmonics, especially acoustically.

I used "hootenanny" too broadly. Most circumstances in the backyard will see me playing with 1-2 other guitars/ukuleles, so I'm hoping it'll be a fun alternative, either acoustic or plugged into a small amp. I also occasionally play acoustic shows in clubs/bars (all acoustic instruments plugged in) so again I'm hoping this will be a fun alternative to either playing acoustic guitar or plugging in an electric bass. Also helpful to see the unfolding discussion about strings. Thank you.

I haven't tried flats on this particular bass, but I did have a set of regular D'Addario nickel strings on it once. For what it's worth, I could absolutely hear the difference, so I'd imagine the tonal difference of flats would be similarly pronounced.

I ended up returning this bass. It needs some nut work, ideally a new one, but could repair existing. Tremendous fret buzz off first few frets. Plus I also realized that for me an AEB is a 'nice to have' but I don't really need it. My money is better spent on other things. It'll be at the Guitar Center in Seattle if interested (unless they ship it back).

The first one is a Taylor / Steve Klein AB-1. Hard to come by, no lefties, but they sound amazing and they're pretty damn loud!
The second is a Tacoma Thunderchief. Not as loud as the Taylor, but will keep up with an acoustic guitar and sounds great. I think they did some lefties too. It's a shame Fender bought the brand and pulled the plug on these shortly after, Tacoma was pretty cool and unconventional.

Cool! Love that Taylor

+1. Looks stunning.

I'm still dubious of acoustic basses though. While a lot of them sound great plugged in I've yet to encounter one that can project unplugged. And when I do, it's never really bassy enough. I've recently been reading elsewhere that some guys play a 1/2 size student double bass as an alternative, strapped in the typical electric bass position. Interesting, I might consider this:

http://www.christopher-bass.de/dbass_e.html

I had the king-daddy of all ABG's, the Guild B50, and from 5 feet away it was completely buried by a single decent solid-topped acoustic guitar. I could kind of feel/hear it as I was playing but nobody sitting in front if me was able to.

Add a second guitar and a tambourine or conga and forget about it... gone.

As far as "acoustic bass" goes, they got it right several hundred years ago with the URB. If you want to be heard and share the same sonic space as a violin, you have to make them really, REALLY big.