Acoustic Bass Vs Electric Bass For Beginners: Which Is Better?
There are numerous differences between acoustic and electric bass guitars. Electric bass guitars are more typical than acoustic bass guitars. However, does that mean you ought to pick acoustic bass vs electric bass?
Acoustic or electric bass for beginners – which is better? I suggest beginners pick an electric bass guitar over an acoustic bass guitar. An electric bass is for the most part more straightforward to play and it permits you more prominent command over the sound. It likewise has more prominent adaptability permitting you to play with a more extensive assortment of music kinds.
Your determination would likewise rely upon a few factors, for example, the class of music you would need to play, the expense, the upkeep, and the upsides and downsides of every bass guitar.
To look at which choice is better, I’ll likewise assess and analyze the upsides and downsides of every guitar. Which between the two bass guitars suits your objectives the best?
To look further into whether an acoustic bass or electric bass guitar is better for beginners, read on!
Additionally, for a fantastic acoustic bass guitar, investigate our top pick, the Fender CB-60SCE Acoustic-Electric Beginner Bass Guitar:
What’s the Difference Between the Acoustic Bass and the Electric Bass Guitar?
There are various differences between the acoustic and electric bass, from the kind of strings to the sort of results. See the beneath table for the next to each other correlation of acoustic vs electric bass guitars for beginners.
Table of Comparison between Acoustic Bass Guitar and the Electric Bass Guitar:
FEATURES: | ACOUSTIC BASS GUITAR: | ELECTRIC BASS GUITAR: |
Cost: | Less expensive; from about $150 and up | More expensive; from about $250 and up |
Power: | No power needed | Requires power |
Sounds: | Can be made louder or softer only | Can be amplified, modified & enhanced |
Size of neck & body: | Wider body and thicker neck | Thinner body and slimmer neck |
Ease of playing: | More difficult to play as strings are harder to press | Easier to play as strings are easier to press, and they are also closer to the frets |
Production of sound: | Soundboard vibrations | Pickups and magnetic interactions |
Versatility of music: | Less versatile | More versatile |
What is an Acoustic Bass Guitar?
An acoustic bass guitar is a sort of bass guitar that produces sound through the vibration of its strings. These vibrations are then passed to a soundboard, which then, at that point, intensifies the sounds.
A few artists of nation, jazz, and comparable music classes favor utilizing acoustic bass guitars since they produce more extravagant tones, even without going with vocals or other instruments. When played close by different instruments, however, it may not be heard, without enhancement.
Acoustic Bass Guitar Features
Acoustic bass guitars have a few elements that you should know about. To begin with, it needn’t bother with electricity to deliver sound. You can just play the guitar and you’ll get a reasonable, rich sound. In any case, the sound blurs from a distance except if there’s an enhancer that is associated with it.
The strings are made of metal and are like the electric bass guitar’s strings, yet they are heavier and they make more vibrations than the electric bass. Additionally, you need to squeeze them harder, as they are tougher to press than electric strings. At the point when these strings are culled, they cause vibrations in the soundboard.
The soundboard then, at that point, amplifies the sound, so others can hear it. This is the motivation behind why the sounds are more fragile than an acoustic bass guitar. Under normal conditions, the soundboard can amplify up to a specific degree in particular, yet would not be just about as noisy as the sound created by the electric bass.
On the front portion or on the substance of the acoustic guitar, there’s an empty space for the enhancement of the sounds.
Acoustic Bass Pros
- Cheaper than electric bass guitars
- Energy saver – no need for electricity or power source to play
- Great for country, jazz and similar genres of music
- Can be used for practice because of weaker sound
- Can be played without additional equipment
Acoustic Bass Cons
- Discomfort in playing due to thicker neck and larger body
- Strings are more difficult to press
- Weaker sound
In the event that you truly do decide to get familiar with the acoustic bass guitar, I suggest picking the Fender CB-60SCE Acoustic-Electric Beginner Bass Guitar.
This acoustic bass has an excellent Mahogany back and sides, with a strong, normal tidy top. It is a lightweight and simple to-play neck with moved fingerboard edges. The play turned off or connect it for stronger sound with the adaptable Fishman hardware framework.
What is an Electric Bass Guitar?
An electric bass guitar works similarly as an acoustic bass guitar, in particular, it needs electricity to work well. It produces sounds with the utilization of attractive pickups, which are answerable for collaborating and enhancing the sound.
Then again, you can rehearse delicately with a turned off electric bass guitar, very much like your acoustic bass; or wear earphones connected to the amp.
The majority of artists incline toward the electric bass when playing in front of an audience or when performing. They utilize the electric bass guitar in front of an audience essentially on the grounds that it very well may be heard over different instruments.
Electric Bass Guitar Features
The electric bass guitar utilizes a power source, pickup, tuning stakes, and attractive parts to deliver the proper sound. Beginners will make some more straightforward memories figuring out how to play the bass on the off chance that they are more educated on the various parts and elements.
Most electric bass guitars include 3 bands EQs and 2 pickups. These intensify the sound a ton more clear and better than the acoustic bass guitars. To change the sound created by the electric bass; fret tension and tuning stakes are used.
The vibration created by the more slender strings of the bass is associated with 6 attractive fields wrapped in copper wire. This produces current that goes through a pre-enhancer. The pre-enhancer upgrades the sound, lessens clamor and limits different impedances. The sound is then intensified by advanced processors and communicated to the speakers.
Beginners might think that it is scary to find out with regards to these highlights on the grounds that the set-up of an electric bass guitar is more perplexing than that of the acoustic bass. By and by, to an energetic student, figuring out how to utilize the elements of the electric bass guitar would be generally simple.
Electric Bass Pros
- Convenient to play with because of its slimmer neck and smaller body
- Versatile in sound and tone
- Easier to strum due to thinner strings
- Louder sound, even from a distance; plus, can be heard easily when playing with other instruments
- Blends well with rock music, pop, funk, hip hop, and also with most music genres
Electric Bass Cons
- More expensive than the acoustic bass guitar
- Needs a power source to produce maximum results
Most beginners will pick an electric bass guitar to begin with, over an acoustic bass. I additionally began with an electric and suggest you do also assuming you are unsure between acoustic or electric.
With regards to suggesting beginner electric bass guitars, I love the Yamaha TRBX204 GLB 4-String Bass Guitar. Yamaha makes the absolute lightest bass guitars with flimsy neck that are simple and comfortable for beginners to begin on.
The Yamaha TRBX Series is ideally suited for beginning on. I suggest 4-strings for beginners as simpler than 5-string. Pick the 200 or 300 series. There are a few colors to browse. The 4-control circuit gives command over volume, balance, and a 2-band equalizer. It’s an inside and out magnificent beginner bass and will make learning more straightforward and more pleasant.
Pair the Yamaha TRBX bass guitar with an Orange Crush Bass Amp and you will have an amazing, excellent set-up at an affordable cost.
The Orange Crush Bass 25W Bass Guitar Combo Amp is one of my favorite bass guitar amps. It is just 25W yet the sound is clear and noisy. It is a little, reduced amp so fits well in more modest condos or studios. The underlying tuner is extremely handy and it weighs somewhere around 20 pounds making it simple to transport.
Acoustic and Electric Bass Guitar Maintenance
Both the electric and acoustic bass guitar needs legitimate upkeep. They ought to be set in guitar situations when not being used. Openness to outrageous temperatures (incredibly cold and warm temperatures) can make harm the bass guitar’s body and parts. The strings should be changed when they become dull and old. They additionally should be tuned routinely.
Similar consideration should be taken with the body, fretboard, and frets. Take additional consideration when cleaning these parts, as you can harm them with exorbitant tension, and by utilizing destructive cleaning arrangements. You can utilize two drops of linseed or mineral oil and a delicate cloth to clean your bass guitar. Make certain to clear out all the oil thereafter.
A few specialists suggest a delicate material hosed with refined vinegar or plain water. Try not to drench the material – you wouldn’t have any desire to harm the guitar by presenting it to too much water. Get dry all hints of water from your bass guitar.
For the acoustic bass, you could utilize a humidifier in between the strings to forestall evaporating. In the meantime, you can change the pickups and the preamp with outrageous consideration.
Store your bass guitar in its own case, at room temperature 68 to 72 F (20 to 22 C), in a space where it can’t be perforated or squashed. Assuming you don’t involve it for quite a while, make sure to bring it out consistently to air and tune it.
Different Factors to Consider When Deciding Between Acoustic or Electric Bass
The acoustic bass guitar has a bigger body because of the way that it doesn’t have a preamp, so its body ought to be bigger to have the option to create adequate clamor. By and by, there are acoustic-electric bass guitars, wherein, you can interface your acoustic bass guitar to an electric amp to intensify the sound.
Strings
They are both stringed instruments that are culled by the fingers or by a guitar pick to create melodic sounds. The acoustic produces sound through the vibrations made by the playing of the strings a soundboard that enhances it.
The electric bass guitar utilizes attractive associations with the sound coming from the pickups. The sounds would then be able to be toned, liberated of outer obstructions, and then, at that point, amplified.
Reasons for Damage
Besides harm brought about by outside forces from the climate, the player’s outrageous strain because of their limit slapping, tapping, or playing can cause harm too. This kind of play would make more harm an acoustic bass guitar than an electric sort.
Slapping, tapping, or playing by a beginner player might be too forceful and this can unexpectedly harm the instrument. For beginner bass players, stay away from excessively forceful slapping or playing to try not to cause harm.
Simplicity of Set-Up
Since the acoustic need no other gear, for example, links, power source, and an enhancer; you can immediately set it up and play anyplace you need. Its straightforwardness is the thing that different players appreciate. Obviously, the sound would not be pretty much as noisy as your electric bass guitar. An acoustic bass guitar can be utilized when playing before a more modest crowd in a peaceful spot where there are no clearly clamor impedances.
This sort of personal performing enjoys a benefit as it creates real rapport between the crowd and the bass player. This can be credited to the comfortable air and nearness of the bass player to his crowd.
You would have to play with a band with mandolins, ukeleles, or calm acoustic guitars for your acoustic bass to be heard. Except if you utilize an electric acoustic bass where the acoustic is connected. However at that point, assuming you will connect an acoustic bass guitar, then, at that point, you should simply utilize a standard electric bass guitar (except if you truly need the electric acoustic bass).
Delicacy
The acoustic bass is more delicate than the electric bass. The electric bass guitar is ordinarily made of strong wood and is less helpless against actual harm than your acoustic.
Value Exceptions
Electric bass guitars will set you back more cash than an acoustic bass sort. There are a few cases however that the acoustic can be more costly than your electric. This is particularly evident with some old, customary sort of acoustic basses. These exceptionally old acoustic bass guitars are being marked as an extraordinariness or a gallery thing; in this manner, the excessive cost tag.
On Learning How to Play the Bass Guitar
Figure out how to play the bass gradually yet appropriately. There’s no utilization in animating your speed just to adapt incorrectly. Take as much time as necessary and spotlight more on the appropriate procedures rather than the speed of your learning cycle.
How would you cull the strings correctly? What’s the situation of your fingers on the neck? There are different sites/online applications that you could gain from. Gradually get familiar with the correct strategy and speed will come ultimately. It takes difficult work and tolerance to become familiar with the great procedures of playing a bass.
It took me quite a while to become completely familiar with the bass guitar. I’m actually figuring out how right up ’til today. In the long run, over the long run, your ability will likewise expand, regardless of whether it’s the acoustic bass guitar, electric bass guitar, or both!
End – Acoustic or Electric Bass for Beginners: Which is Better?
Which is better for beginners: acoustic or electric bass? The guitar you pick relies upon your motivation, the kind of music that you play, your abilities in playing, and on the spending plan that you have access to purchase your bass guitar.
In view of the experts, cons, and elements of the two guitars, you will have a superior thought of which one is best for you. I truly do suggest an electric bass guitar. Numerous electric bass guitars are truly affordable at this point.
To help choose, you can likewise observe your inclinations. You might need to set up an agenda of the rules that you’re searching for in a bass guitar. With an agenda, you can tick them individually while evaluating the bass guitars that you intend to buy.
In view of the current realities above, you would now be able to conclude whether the acoustic or electric bass guitar is best for you.