Boulder Creek Bass Review – EBR1-B5 5 String Acoustic/Electric Bass

Boulder Creek Bass Review – EBR1-B5 5 String Acoustic/Electric Bass…

Sheer elegance and unsurpassed tonal quality. The Boulder Creek EBR1-B5 5 String Acoustic/Electric Bass is a jumbo body style bass with a beautiful gloss black finish. The top is spruce and the sides and back are mahogany. The 22-fret fingerboard and bridge are rosewood. Pearl inlays on the fretboard and the outer portion of headstock and body bring highlights to the gloss black finish.

Chris Donahue  (Tom Jones) “The EBR3 is the most comfortable and sonically-even acoustic bass guitar I’ve ever played.  The mahogany back puts out a surprising amount of low-end punch that I can feel in my ribcage, and the sturdily-braced cedar top speaks freely with a unique growl that translates well both live and when miked in the studio.  When I plugged the EBR3 straight into my old Ampeg B-15, I was thrilled to discover a warm hollow-body electric tone that reminded me of the 1950s Kay Pro basses.  In lower-volume acoustic settings, I’ve been very grateful to have the top-side soundhole as a personal monitor.  Played live, I find that the bass sits quite easily against my body and is not at all awkward to get my arms and wrists around.  The instrument represents a huge step forward in acoustic bass guitar design – well done, Boulder Creek!”

The Boulder Creek EBR1-B5 5 String Acoustic/Electric Bass has something not found in other acoustic/electric basses that make it stand out from the rest. First off, there are two sound holes. One on the top of the body near the front, above the fretboard. The second sound hole is on the side and projects sound to the player. Secondly, Boulder Creek has not only envisioned a way to get a better sound, but they have accomplished it with the suspended bracing system. Where traditional style acoustic guitars and basses use X-bracing for the soundboard, (for those of you not familiar, the soundboard is the top of the instrument) Boulder Creek uses the suspended bracing system which incorporates aluminum bars a 1/2 inch below the top allowing it to resonate providing better tone, volume, and sustain.

Mick Mahan  (Pat Benatar) “A finely crafted instrument with its unique bracing construction that delivers unbeatable tone and a solid bass voice. Fantastic playability and sound and with no unwanted overtones and feedback issues.”

The electronics consist of a proprietary ABT-4 preamp, which has controls for bass, mids, treble, balance, volume, and phase. A chromatic tuner rounds out the built -in electronics. The Boulder Creek EBR1-B5 5 String Acoustic/Electric Bass can be connected to an amp/soundboard with the standard 1/4 inch guitar cable or a low impedance cable. The battery compartment is easily accessible and resides right next to the high/low impedance connections. I have gone through quite a few acoustic/electric basses to find the right one, and I was about to give up until this arrived on my doorstep. If you are familiar with the standard acoustic/electric bass, then you know that they typically do not project sound as well as their counterparts, being the standard acoustic guitar. To be honest, the Boulder Creek Acoustic/Electric Basses are going to be the closest and best you can get. It’s nice to be able to hear an acoustic bass at a decent volume without having to plug it in when jamming with other acoustic players.

Bob Lizik  (Brian Wilson) “I like to play 5 string basses. Love the extended bottom, so it was important for me to find an acoustic bass that could cover that. Other 5 string acoustics that I’ve had didn’t handle it. There was always a compromise with tone, or volume, or playability. I like Boulder Creek because the low B is tight, and it projects. The bass has great tone and volume. Plus it plays beautifully”

Showing others the bracing system brought the same comment, “does it sound ‘metallic’?  The answer is a resounding no, it does not sound metallic. As a matter of fact, the Boulder Creek EBR1-B5 5 String Acoustic/Electric Bass sounds more natural, has more volume and resonates much better than an acoustic bass with traditional bracing.  The Boulder Creek EBR1-B5 5 String Acoustic/Electric Bass is a breakthrough in not only eye appealing aesthetics, but also sound and tonal qualities that are going to be hard to beat. Check out the Boulder Creek Acoustic/Electric Basses at a retailer near you!

Visit Boulder Creek Guitars online at bouldercreekguitars.com