So what do you want and what do you get for your money? For starters, an instrument that will turn heads and draw eyes in any company. With its Advanced Jumbo body shape, select Spruce top, Mahogany body and Natural finish, the El Segundo-IV has a classic appearance and a superbly balanced raw tone. Then there’s the sheer comfort. With its medium-length 32 in. scale hard Maple neck and accommodating fretboard, both delicate and thumping basslines can be coaxed out with equal conviction.

We know what you’re thinking. Acoustic basses have always been expensive -- and one that looks this good must be the reserve of the rock aristocracy. The truth is, while the stellar features of the El Segundo-IV mean it can deliver the goods on any stage from a front room to a festival, Epiphone have fought hard to keep the price at a point that doesn’t exclude anyone.

The new El Segundo-IV isn’t exactly shy when you play it unplugged. But perhaps the most important factor of this bass is that it combines a convenient undersaddle piezo pickup with Epiphone’s passive preamp, allowing you to take your basslines to the stage and tailor the tone to perfection with the EQ and volume controls. You don’t even need a battery to power this baby.