Acoustic Bass Pickups

Any instrument can perform in virtually any space - all it takes is the right equipment to make it a reality. For acoustic bass guitars and upright bass, the biggest challenge is to overcome the simple fact that bass sounds just don't carry as well from an acoustic instrument, which means that if you're playing any venue larger than your own living room or garage, your bass is probably going to need a little boost to make itself heard by everyone in the audience. That's why so many acoustic basses have built-in electronics, but you're not out of options if yours is a strictly acoustic model: all you need is one of these acoustic bass pickups to get it ready for the stage.

To pick out the best acoustic bass pickup for your needs, you'll naturally want to start by narrowing down the options to pickups made for your instrument. If that's an acoustic bass guitar, check out the Lace USAB Ultra Slim Acoustic Bass Pickup or the Shadow 4 String Acoustic Bass Bridge Pickup with Saddle. Do you also play an upright bass and want a pickup that can work with that as well? In that case, maybe the Dtar Bass Soundspot Pickup is for you - it fits any style acoustic bass or cello.

If you're a double bassist looking for specialized pickup performance, there are purpose-built models designed especially for your instrument. A standard example would be the Shadow SH 951 Single Side Upright Bass Bridge Pickup, which has earned itself a great reputation among rockabilly bassists. And if you want something even higher-end, take a look at Shadow's SH 965 NFX-B Nanoflex Pickup with Preamp for Upright Bass: the built-in preamp makes this a complete package that's ready to go right out of the box.

Say goodbye to the days of struggling to be heard over your bandmates - with a great acoustic bass pickup paired to your favorite amp or a backend sound system, you won't have any trouble getting those sweet low-register sounds pushed out all the way to the nosebleed section. Plus, they're great for direct recording as well: just plug in and play, no mic required!