The infamous Dean Performer CE. These were one of the first price point acoustic basses and Dean has sold thousands of them.
When I got mine, I had not played a live gig in a couple of years and liked the idea of a low maintenance bass: no cables, no amp; I could take it from the campfire to Clearwater — basically anywhere my acoustic 6-string had ventured. I was hoping for a similar feel as my FT-135: lively, loud and lovely. Sadly, I realized that I was ignorant in my expectations, it was tone dead. I used it for a few jam and recording sessions and then it sat for the rest of its life until I swapped it for an Epiphone SG Special.
Dean Performer CE
Just a couple months ago I decided it was time to get another acoustic bass and picked up an Ibanez AEB5E. I am writing about it now instead of dedicating it its own post, because I only had it for a day. It was fun and much more tonal than the Dean, but I took it back and applied the balance towards an Eastman T184MX.
For anyone interested in an inexpensive acoustic bass – I highly recommend an AEB5E.
Photograph courtesy of TheStringShoppe.com
