Motion ABGs – are they any good?
Question:
> I now practice on the front steps, back steps, front porch, swing in the > back yard, garage, deck and the list goes on.
The ability to noodle around on an ABG anywhere in the house, garden, street, environment is by far the biggest advantage of the instrument. Of course, now I have a Phil Jones Briefcase I can noodle around in all those same places with any of my solid bodied instruments! Bwahahahahahahahahahhaaaaaaaahh — Derek — Many Hands – Trans Cultural Music from Aotearoa/New Zealand http://www.manyhands.co.nz/
Response:
| > Hello, | > | > ,SNIP> … I think without the hassle of setting up my gear, I’ll | find myself practicing more. I may have to adapt my style for it; | those fast | 16th note lines may not come out right, but a good groove should be | possible.the other… | > | > | > Thanks a million! | > | > Theodoor van Heugten | > The Netherlands | > www.shotgunshadow.nl | | Yes, I think you will practice more. I bought an ABG especially for | this reason. I can just grab it and dig in, and I do. Often. No fuss. | And it’s fun. | | What you miss is nailing down your tone on electric, but, well, have | an electric around too. I wouldn’t want to have only an ABG, but I | wouldn’t want to be without one. | | John I now practice on the front steps, back steps, front porch, swing in the back yard, garage, deck and the list goes on.
Response:
> Hello, > ,SNIP> … I think without the hassle of setting up my gear, I’ll
find myself practicing more. I may have to adapt my style for it; those fast 16th note lines may not come out right, but a good groove should be possible.the other… > Thanks a million! > Theodoor van Heugten > The Netherlands > www.shotgunshadow.nl
Yes, I think you will practice more. I bought an ABG especially for this reason. I can just grab it and dig in, and I do. Often. No fuss. And it’s fun. What you miss is nailing down your tone on electric, but, well, have an electric around too. I wouldn’t want to have only an ABG, but I wouldn’t want to be without one. John
Response:
Some stuff deleted… > This will work if, and only if, you leave the bass out and in easy > reach. You’ll also discover that most ABG’s have really large bodies > (especially the loud ones) and are uncomfortable to play for long > periods – which can reduce the desire to practice. > After many years of saying "I’d do more practice if [I had a dedicated > practise room/a heater in my practice room/a second bass that's always > set up/etc.]" I’ve come to the conclusion that the only way to increase > the amount of practice one does is to DO MORE PRACTICE. Everything else > is merely an excuse, and if there’s one excuse there always seems to be > another excuse just ready to take its place. > You’ve got to actually want to do the practice in the first place.
That’s a really interesting point!! Got my electric basses in a study room upstairs, a 50 watt combo and a Korg PXR4, and I do practice regularly there. Got a classical guitar on the wall in the living room that I play for a couple of minutes whenever an idea comes along. I’d like to do the same with an ABG… Thanks! Theodoor
Response:
> Hello, > Last week, I walked into the shop with the idea of trying some acoustic bass > guitars. My main criterium is ACOUSTIC LOUDNESS, I want an axe that I can > grab from a wall hook and play right away without having to set up an amp or > headphone amp, and be heard with an acoustic guitar next to it.
Almost any of them will do the ‘grab from a wall hook and play right away’ thing, few, if any, will compete with a reasonably loud acoustic guitar. You should try the Tacoma thunderchief, it is certainly one of the loudest acoustic bass guitars on the market today. More importantly, with the sound hole nearer you ear you can hear yourself. If they’d been available when I bought my Epiphone I’d probably have bought one instead. > But in loudness, it could not beat the Motions. So I’m really interested in > buying one of these. I think without the hassle of setting up my gear, I’ll > find myself practicing more.
This will work if, and only if, you leave the bass out and in easy reach. You’ll also discover that most ABG’s have really large bodies (especially the loud ones) and are uncomfortable to play for long periods – which can reduce the desire to practice. After many years of saying "I’d do more practice if [I had a dedicated practise room/a heater in my practice room/a second bass that's always set up/etc.]" I’ve come to the conclusion that the only way to increase the amount of practice one does is to DO MORE PRACTICE. Everything else is merely an excuse, and if there’s one excuse there always seems to be another excuse just ready to take its place. You’ve got to actually want to do the practice in the first place. Unless the desire and commitment to practice is already there, even having the bass physically attached to your body probably won’t noticeably increase the number of hours you practice. If the hassle of setting up your gear is because you have a massive stack which takes up most of the living room and takes 15 minutes to connect all the cables up then a better solution is to buy a *small* practise amp and leave that set up all the time. It will probably cost less than the ABG in the long run. Get one of those leads with the ‘non pop’ plugs (proco/planet waves etc.) so you don’t even have to turn it off if you don’t want to. — Derek — Many Hands – Trans Cultural Music from Aotearoa/New Zealand http://www.manyhands.co.nz/
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Well, i have also been looking for a loud ABG, but that doesn’t just exist… That’s why i bought this buddy http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3740199901 I’m considering something like a roland microcube to bring it up to usable levels… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hello, > Last week, I walked into the shop with the idea of trying some acoustic > bass > guitars. My main criterium is ACOUSTIC LOUDNESS, I want an axe that I can > grab from a wall hook and play right away without having to set up an amp > or > headphone amp, and be heard with an acoustic guitar next to it. > I know that’s a common problem with ABGs. But in the shop, they had a few > Motion ABGs that were a) cheap (300 Euro) and b) pretty loud. > There was also a Crafter ABG costing more (450 Euro), sounding amplified > more consistent, better woods and electronics, and probably constructed > better. > I didn’t notice a big difference in acoustic tone. > But in loudness, it could not beat the Motions. So I’m really interested > in > buying one of these. I think without the hassle of setting up my gear, > I’ll > find myself practicing more. I may have to adapt my style for it; those > fast > 16th note lines may not come out right, but a good groove should be > possible. > The natural colored Motion B-05 seemed a good choice. Anybody out there > with some experience on these basses, like reliability and durability? > Since they’re cheap, I know one may not be like the other… > Thanks a million! > Theodoor van Heugten > The Netherlands > www.shotgunshadow.nl
Response:
Hello, Last week, I walked into the shop with the idea of trying some acoustic bass guitars. My main criterium is ACOUSTIC LOUDNESS, I want an axe that I can grab from a wall hook and play right away without having to set up an amp or headphone amp, and be heard with an acoustic guitar next to it. I know that’s a common problem with ABGs. But in the shop, they had a few Motion ABGs that were a) cheap (300 Euro) and b) pretty loud. There was also a Crafter ABG costing more (450 Euro), sounding amplified more consistent, better woods and electronics, and probably constructed better. I didn’t notice a big difference in acoustic tone. But in loudness, it could not beat the Motions. So I’m really interested in buying one of these. I think without the hassle of setting up my gear, I’ll find myself practicing more. I may have to adapt my style for it; those fast 16th note lines may not come out right, but a good groove should be possible. The natural colored Motion B-05 seemed a good choice. Anybody out there with some experience on these basses, like reliability and durability? Since they’re cheap, I know one may not be like the other… Thanks a million! Theodoor van Heugten The Netherlands www.shotgunshadow.nl
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