The big problem with acoustic bass guitars is just that you need a certain minimum body size to get the full "bottom" tone. Otherwise you're not getting the fundamental; just the overtones. I had an "Applause" (baby "Ovation" line) that sounded pretty good when plugged in, but was rather thin in sound without amplification.

        The Martin is pretty good in that respect. I've had the opportunity to play 2 different Taylor basses. The 1st was nice, but didn't impress enough to make me think it was worth the entry fee. The 2nd one had such a nice tightly focused tone that I wished I was really rich and could take it home.

        Guild makes 2 models: the B30E which is a small body bass and needs to be amplified, and the B40 (Ralph Schipper, Fred Eaglesmith's former bass player used one) which has an impressive amount of punch on its own.

        There are a couple of possibilities if you want to stay down around $1000 (Can.) and under. I was quite surprised by the volume and tone of the Fender (B29, I think) acoustic bass. I didn't like the wide flat neck, however, as my weird hands are far more comfortable with an  arched fretboard. Whatever you decide on, don't do anything without trying Tacoma's acoustic bass guitar: I was able to play it side-by-side with Takamine's entry into the field. The Tak was nice, but I think the Tacoma is easily the best thing in its price range.

        Believe it or not, having a custom built bass can be a viable option. My pride & joy is a Glen Reid Acoustic Bass and is about as fine an instrument as I could ever hope to own.
        Glen's bass was (if I have the story straight) the result of a 3-way conversation between Glen, Rick Fielding and Grit Laskin. I think Rick's design idea was the major part, and Glen went and built it. The body resembles that of a 'A-style' mandolin (I've described it to people as a 'bass lute'; others have called it "Ruebenesque").
        Rick has one, as does Gene Wilburn (who uses on the banner of his Northern Journey Online website). I believe his current asking price is about $1500 sans pickup, and I'd say that's a bargain for custom made.


photo from Glen Reid's website

        One trick for getting more volume out of any of these beasties in an acoustic setting is to use a pick. I usually resort to a thumb and finger pick myself, but a flatpick would work just fine. And if you hate the "clicky" sound of a flatpick as I do, seek out a hard felt pick - it's what the old time jazz guys used to get volume out of their archtop guitars before amplifiers were developed.

        Last thought: speaking of portable amplification - Gallien-Kreuger makes a 150 watt bass amp that weighs 26 lbs -expensive, but the quality is superb. Clarus makes a powerhouse small amp - 300 watts! - and kinda pricey; both it and the G-K are above the $1000 mark. Also worth looking at, and much less expensive, is Fender's 25 watt Bassman amp (a modern solid state tiltback design; not one of the vintage jobs).

        Herewith endeth the ramble!