I've been toying with the idea of an ABG for some years now.  Not really for playing in a group setting, as I know they simply don't project enough on their own but more for when Im kicking back on the sofa or sitting outside and want to play.  Also, these days grabbing the electric bass just seems to be more of a chore anymore than anything so that really only comes out of it's case when I have a gig I need to prep for.

Finally got past the "thinking of getting one" phase and went and ordered this online.



I played one in GC maybe a year or so ago, and out of all the ABG's I've played thats really the only one that stuck out in my mind as having anything approaching a decent tone.  Breedlove was recommended to me as well, but having never played one I didn't want to take the chance..

I always wanted one of those to play around the house and not drag out the amp and all.

Breedloves  are nice.  Great tone and well constructed.

Surprisingly, I found the Fender T-Bucket bass to have nice playability and acoustic tone, especially for the price.


That Martin is kinda pimp though...nice choice.

Looks good.  Will be good for a lot of settings.  When I practice I don't amp up with an electric bass.  It's late at night when everyone is in bed and it's quiet.  I don't have a problem hearing it.  Well, some of the lower notes I do.  But I can usually hear something.  

Now, help me out and figure out how to play this bass riff in the verses......  I haven't tried to tackle it yet.  It's more moving than what I usually play.  

float


Might be fun.  I love that song.

Very nice. Out of the few I've played/owned (Tacoma Thunderchief,  Ibanez AEB10, and that Martin), the Martin was my favorite. Good tone and good volume for an acoustic bass. Neck felt good, tuners were good and was very playable.  I don't have them anymore, just wasn't my thing. I do however keep holding out hope that RainSong will make an acoustic bass one of these days. I think that would be one for me.

So mine finally arrived earlier this week.  Struggling with guilt over spending so much money but I'll get over that.

Acoustic sound is decent.  Plenty enough volume for me, not sure how it will keep up with six strings though.

Electric sound is interesting.  Not really acoustic sounding when amplified, but not really EBG sounding either if that makes any sense.

In any case, I didn't buy it use plugged in.  I wanted something I can just pick up and play and not deal with the hassle of cables or having an amp in my living room and have to admit this fits the bill nicely.  These days, I seldom have large blocks of time to be able to devote to practicing, it's more like 10 min here, 10 min there...so the ability to just have something I can grab and play is really good for me.  The built in tuner is a nice bonus also.

Whats really irking me though is that there is a pretty bad fret buzz on the A string when I finger the 7th fret.  That string seems to end up hitting the 8th fret causing the buzz.  Not sure how it left the factory like that, and not sure how Sweetwater missed it on it's "55 point inspection".

I'm not really interested in the hassle of sending it back and getting another one, so Im just going to take it to the Martin factory which is about 45 min away.  Not pleased about that as it means more time off work but it is what it is I guess.

I was listening to a recording the other day on youtube and it was like acoustic live set.  And the bass player was playing an acoustic bass.  It didn't really sound acoustic because he was also using an amp.  So I totally get what you're saying.  Although I have heard other bands to acoustic sets where the bass sounded more acoustic.  Maybe they were mic'd or just knew how to do the amp sound.  Or used an amp for an acoustic.

You will wait for many months at Martin to do something a local luthier can do in a few minutes. Martin will cover the cost if you are the original owner under warranty.

Neck needs tweaked or a fret might need a little attention, its a minor adjustment.

actually Martin provides an onsite luthier whom you can make an appointment with..When I had a D28 I used this service...made an appt, dropped it off than went on the factory tour.  Came back and it was done.

In any case, I forgot there is a local guitar builder in the area here...he was able to take care of this for me...