Acoustic BASS Amp
Jazz bassists are an even more interesting bunch! Call the large instruments what you will: acoustic bass, double bass, contrabass, string bass, upright bass, big fiddle: they are all difficult to amplify in an accurate and natural way. Then add pizzicato and arco playing techniques. Small wonder that so many Jazz bassists turn to engineering amplifiers!
Capturing the acoustic envelope of so much spruce and maple vibrating through a single point pickup is difficult to say the least. Still, as a practical performance set-up that's where it begins. The Schertler STAT-B is among the most respected but there are other fine pickup systems available. We recommend that you consult with fellow players and determine which best fits your instrument and playing style.
Understanding the sonic scope of your acoustic bass, your technique, set-up and the music you chose to play is integral to defining the correct amplifier for your needs. Your bass already knows what it wants…listen to it…unplugged. Go find a corner or small room where the sound bouncing back will allow you to hear what your audience hears. That's your starting point.
In one sense, the acoustic bass with its broad frequency spectrum in many ways lends itself to full-range amps and speaker systems. The problem facing amp manufacturers is how to deal with this issue? There are different camps.
A traditional approach is to couple a tweeter to extend the higher frequencies. However there are only a select few musical sounding tweeters available for the purpose. When a "good one" is wired with a well designed crossover, it can lend clarity and "air" to a darker sounding instrument or pickup while imparting nuances otherwise lost. The Acoustic Image Coda or Contra combos and the Schertler Pub 280 powered speaker are examples of this design.
Other manufacturers have averted tweeters and complex crossovers by incorporating alternatives such as "double cone" speakers, multiple small full-range drivers or specific cabinet tuning to reproduce a wide frequency spectrum. In this camp are amp models from Phil Jones Pure Sound, AER, Raezer's Edge speakers and Henriksen.
The proverbial "bottom line" is that there is no clear cut simple answer to what's "best" in portraying the natural acoustic voice for acoustic bass aka double bass. Rather, achieving that goal tends to be more of an art in mixing and matching components...starting with the instrument itself...and your fingers.
So, in terms of amps, where do you start? A logical place may want to begin with products developed by fellow double bassists: Acoustic Image, Phil Jones Pure Sound, and Schertler. However, Jazz guitarists can also have good ears for acoustic bass (credit please!) meaning that AER, Henriksen and Raezer's Edge also produce exceptional products for acoustic bass and you should also consider these offerings.
Remember, this list is just a beginning and by no means exclusionary. Improvising is okay, after all, this is JAZZ!
