Boulder Creek Travel Bass Review

Boulder Creek Travel Bass Review…

If you are familiar with Boulder Creek, then you are already familiar with the high quality acoustic basses that they produce. Then along comes the Travel Bass. The Boulder Creek Travel Bass is of the highest quality standards set forth by Boulder Creek in all of their instruments. The scale length is 21”, which is more than some of the competitors in this field and much easier to get acquainted with. Playability and sound are superb. I will admit, it took me a few minutes to get used to the shorter scale length, but within the norm when getting used to a new bass. Sound quality is unmatched, rich and full, both acoustically when plugged in compared to the other basses in this market. There are two sound holes, which Boulder Creek labels the, “Dual port system”, in the traditional method of placement that they use. The front sound hole is right above the 17th-20th frets and the second sound hole is on the topside, reflecting up towards the player.

The tone sits sonically between that of an acoustic bass and an upright bass, and I would contribute that mostly to the Aquila Thunder Gut strings, in combination with the tone woods and the patented Suspended Bracing System, which allows the front of the instrument to fully resonate. The Boulder Creek Travel bass is constructed of a solid spruce top with mahogany back and sides. When plugged into an amp or sound system, the electronics really make it shine. The bass is equipped with Boulder Creek’s UK-300T Preamp and built-in tuner. The controls consist of bass, treble, and volume. The preamp is powered by 2 cr2032 batteries.

The finish is a beautiful gloss vintage burst both over the body and back of the neck with a rosewood fingerboard.

I took the Boulder Creek Tavel bass on a gig, without another bass as backup, for certain reasons. I’ll admit, it got some looks and a quite a few questions of concern. Those were remedied as soon as I plugged it in and started playing. A lot of them could not believe the sound and tone that this little guy produces. Not only is it easier to carry around, doesn’t weigh down on your back and shoulders, it’s a total blast to play!

Check out our previous review of the Boulder Creek EBR1-TB4FE 4-String Fretless Acoustic Bass and EBR1-B5 5 String Acoustic/Electric Bass!!

“Chris Donahue Shares: “When I took the Boulder Creek Travel Bass out for a test run on some Iris Dement shows last year, I had a hard time putting it down!  My fingers moved easily around the fretboard thanks to the 21″ scale and taller frets.  The bass put out a focused and dark acoustic tone with a surprising amount of low-end resonance, and the amplified tone was warm with plenty of thump.  The BC Travel Bass definitely has its own unique voice among all its counterparts in the world of small-scale basses.” 

Visit online at bouldercreekguitars.com

Links to previous Boulder Creek Bass reviews:

bassmusicianmagazine.com/2015/04/boulder-creek-bass-review-ebr1-b5-5-string-acousticelectric-bass/

bassmusicianmagazine.com/2015/07/review-boulder-creek-ebr1-tb4fe-4-string-fretless-acoustic-bass/