bluespresence Posted November 24, 2004 Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 Has anyone here played a Kelly? I couldn't find a dealer within a reasonable distance so I bought one sight unseen after listening to several sound clips. Dragonfly 4 I'm hoping it sounds as good in real life as it does on the web. It sure is purdy (I got the trans amber) no matter what it sounds like...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primal Posted November 24, 2004 Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 I have been playing around with them at my local guitar shop and I must say I LOVE THEM!!! My local shop has Takamine and Taylor acoustic basses and IMO the Micheal Kelly's blow them all away. As soon as I get some cash I will be buying one because they are soooo nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted November 24, 2004 Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 I haven't played one, but every other flat-top acoustic bass I've tried has sounded pretty weak (acoustically). I've not tried one amplified; does it have a piezo, or a microphone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primal Posted November 24, 2004 Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 (edited) These basses do not sound weak at all when unplugged, and sound simply amazing when plugged up to an amp. It has Fishman peizo pickups and a Fishman preamp. Its sound coupled with the amazingly figured wood and excellent inlays make this bass an extordinary deal... Wow, that sounded like an ad. Edited November 24, 2004 by Primal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluespresence Posted November 24, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 Thanks for the info....... I have played/owned 2 Takamine's (weak but had a tuner onboard - I like that), Ovation (OK), Tacoma (Very Nice!), Olympia (Surprisingly Nice!!), Epi El Capitan (Nice - didn't like the neck though)..... Unfortunately my Tacoma met with a hard object and split the top. I have it on my "to fix someday" list but I have a feeling I will never get around to replacing the top. The Olympia is still here and gets played often but lacks "sex appeal"....it's a very drab looking guitar. It's also my sittin' outside bass and sees everything from sunshine to rain. Yes, I sit outside and play in the rain - it inspires great blues licks. I won't be playing the Dragonfly in the rain I can't get over the quilt on that Kelly either.....sweet! It just seems real hard to find a decent acoustic bass that has good volume unplugged and great sound. I play my acoustics unplugged 90% of the time and need the volume. What surprised me about the Tak's is their guitars are loud and clear but the basses seem to lack that volume. The tones are clear and they sound dynamite plugged in but unplugged they just don't give me that thrill..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluespresence Posted November 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 OK....so she arrived today! Overall it's really nice as far as initial quality goes. The fit is good, the finish has some minor issues and I have a buzzy fret on my "D" string at the 5th....... There is a few sanding marks around the soundhole and one is all the way through the finish. On the edge there is a gap between the binding and the wood about an inch long and 1/16" or so that was filled with clear and polished smooth. I can live with that. I like the Fishman 4 so the sound plugged in is good. Unplugged she is nice and loud and when picked by the bridge she has a real nice bark!! I'll let it acclimate another 2 days before I address the buzzy fret. It's in the 30's here and the neck may just need to settle in. I'm not sure how long it was outside before I got home. I let it sit for 2 hours before I tuned and played it so I'll be patient........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 BP let us know how it sounds plugged-in. Can you post a sound clip? I think part of the problem with acoustic basses sounding weak (acoustically) is that the sound box isn't large enough. If you take the dimensions of a typical acoustic guitar body, and scale them up to a 34" scale (or take upright bass dimensions and scale them down) you end up with a body that is like 5" or 6" thick, like 22" across and around 38" long. No one could play such a thing! (standing up at least) So the body size is reduced to make it playable and you lose volume. I wonder why no one puts those little mics in acoustic basses? Would be a nice option with the piezo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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