From construction to sound quality, this acoustic has it all. A well-built bass, at a great price.
Design
The Sigma BMC-15E has a solid mahogany top, with mahogany back and sides and a mahogany neck that’s topped with an Indian rosewood fingerboard. The body is neatly put together both inside and out, giving an immediate sense of solid build, and thanks to its on-board Fishman electronics it comes well equipped for the modern stage. The control panel has rotary controls for master volume, bass and treble, as well as a phase switch, which has been designed to ‘notch out’ any problematic frequencies should you get any feedback or interference between the on-board pickup and any outboard microphones. The on-board tuner is also a great help and has a corresponding note display to indicate your tuning. The endpin doubles as an input jack, but you will need to attach the other end of your strap to the headstock in some way if you want to play standing. A second strap button would certainly have been a welcome addition. The body is pretty comfortable to hold, and all but the smallest players will find it a reasonable fit.
Sounds
The strength of the acoustic sound makes for such a handy practice instrument it’s just great to have around should you fancy a quick play. There is less sustain than you might be used to, but the overall tonal character has a powerful, trebly and, above all, loud acoustic tone that’s very different to a solid-body electric bass. Thanks to the Fishman electronics the amplified sound is certainly good enough for playing live. The EQ controls don’t have a huge effect on your tone, but you really won’t have to do too much tweaking to get a very workable bass sound. The string slots in the nut seem to have been precisely cut, making for a great action in the lower playing positions, with no unwanted buzz from the strings. Acoustic bass guitars at this price point that are worth their salt unamplified are very rare, but this offering from Sigma really does the job, and thanks to its loud acoustic volume makes for an ideal practice instrument.
Spec Points
Built in: China
Scale length: 864 mm (34-inches)
Body: Solid mahogany top, mahogany back & sides
Neck: Mahogany
Fingerboard: Indian Rosewood
Nut: Bone
Pickup: Fishman Isys +
Controls: 1 x volume, 2-band EQ, phase switch & onboard tuner
Machine heads: Grover, chrome
