Boulder Creek EBR3-N4F Acoustic-Electric 4-String Fretless Bass

Having a 9-year background in playing acoustic guitar, I thought I'd take a jump into playing another stringed instrument. My choice? An acoustic fretless bass, of course. Who doesn't love the sound? I literally researched basses day & night for months, talking to bass players, reading reviews, and watching videos of different basses being played, I finally found the Boulder Creek fretless bass. Some of the selling points of this bass were that it was ranked one of the best bass guitars under $1000 by bestcovery.com, the location of the sound holes, the revolutionary bracing system, and the use of solid tonewoods. After finally getting my hands on this bass, I found that it looks way more gorgeous in person, it sounds phenomenal, and most important, it is super fun to play.I recommend this instrument to people looking to start playing fretless bass (there is inlay where the frets would be), people that want an acoustic bass, and someone who wants to expand their musical vocabulary by learning another instrument.

As an instrument, this is just what I was looking for - a higher-end fretless acoustic/electric bass. It sings, it slurs, it slaps, and getting the correct intonation is facilitated with fret marks. Having both the XLR and 1/4" output is a plus!The dorsal port is perfectly placed for the musician to hear what he/she is playing, but it also provides an odd feature which may be unique to the materials of the instrument: it smells like cilantro! Every time I sling this over my shoulder, it makes me hungry for my favorite cilantro-seasoned dishes!A negative to me: the neck strap pin is located on the bottom half of the neck near the body rather than being offset towards the top of the neck. This is a big instrument, and that pin position allows it to roll forward while donning or doffing with a strap attached - something to keep in mind to avoid a head bonk! The pictures of this bass on Boulder Creek's website do not reveal this location. Sure, I can move it and leave a small scar, but why didn't the Boulder Creek designers/luthiers think of that first?This bass was shipped to me by the retailer Morgan Hill Music in California, just a bit inland to the east from the manufacturer, Boulder Creek Guitars. Because I live in arid Colorado, I am sensitive to the humidity requirements of my instruments. I would not suspect that coastal California has too many issues with low humidity like we can in Colorado, but I cannot tell you how surprised I was to see how DRY the bass was when I received it. The fret board alone soaked up three coats of lemon oil. I guess that's just one of the risks of buying online...Finally, the one that bothers me the most... as I alluded to, I'm in Colorado, and the word "Boulder" has numerous associations to it out here. One to me is "Home-Grown". Also aforementioned: Boulder Creek Guitars is in California, USA. To my abashed surprise upon unpacking, a sticker affixed to the back of the instrument's neck indicated that it was made in China! Nowhere on Boulder Creek's website do they indicate that very important fact to me. What ever happened to full disclosure? I guess I should have asked first? Ah, the angst of assuming.I paid for two-day delivery for this bass, and received it four business days later, and have no idea why. Overall, I am happy with the instrument on its own merits, but the off-shoring manufacturing greatly cheapens it in my mind, and leaves me with a bitter taste - even with the scent of cilantro.

Acoustic fretless bass has great sound and is beautiful to look at. It was an excellent value through amazon.com.

I have searched far and wide for an acoustic bass that has good tone, volume, clarity and warmth. These basses have all four. I really just love these basses, the tone is just fantastic. The volume is way way better than other basses I have tried, largely due to the suspended bracing that lets the top move like a speaker cone. You can get a lot of volume if you really dig in, but it also has a great dynamic range you can get great tone playing soft and the harder you dig in the bigger the tone. These basses really sing and are a pleasure to play. They are by far the best I have found for less than $1000. Highly Highly recommended.