Kala UBass Megathread, Part 5

[agfrag]

I'll agree to the bastard part

To answer some of the questions:

This one looks like a 1/2 or a 3/4 cello. How long is the oscillating part of the string?

It's a 1/2 scale cello. The vibrating length between bridge and nut is 23 inches. The Thundergut string set I got says they are for a 20 inch scale, but I ended up cutting off a couple inches from each of the strings as they stretched. This is why I think Pahoehoe's would work, they stretch like crazy.

In the video the E and A strings look like sitting quite close at the nut. Is that a problem when playing in the low positions?

True! They are all really close. Not impossible to play, but when you go from the E to the A string, say when playing a low F on the E string, and then playing C or D on the A string, you have to watch out the E string doesn't vibrate against your finger. You can hear this once in the vid. I plan to remove and replace the fingerboard with a wider one (and wider nut too).

Is it possible to buy two piezo elements that go to a stereo or even a mono jack?

Yup, piece of cake. I did this with my VSDB (post 285 of this part, pg15). I wired them in parallel, and it sounds just fine.

Thanks to jonadams for providing the idea!

[SBassman]

Originally Posted by 3234718

You magnificent bastard.

[SBassman]

Originally Posted by agfrag

I was so intrigued by jonadams post on the cello with thundergut conversion (#109 pg 6 of part 4) , that I got one for myself for Xmas, and converted it to the Thunderguts. Was amazingly easy, I just had to file the nut and bridge to accept the string width. I shot a video finally:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7B_M4b4oOY

One thing I forgot to mention in the video, was that the bridge and nut slots were burnished with graphite powder. Another thing I'd like to mention, is that the strings were not sticky at first, but became so after use.

So I used some silicone spray lubricant sprayed on a paper towel to rub the string where it was sticky... and it is no longer sticky, and I have not noticed any bad effects. Plays really well now.

Fantastic.

[BassBron]

agfrag well done. Are these Aquila strings available off the internet, or did you specify a specific length from Mimmo? The advice on using silicone is excellent. I'll use the stuff for the tracks of our garage doors, so I'll experiment with this.

[imperialbari]

Looks like the Aquila webstore temporarely is out of Thunderguts.

Klaus

[Tin Dog]

I'm a newbie to the U bass, I have an Exotic Mahogany accoustic, and was wondering when the rubber strings stop stretching. I keep tuneing up and up expecting a string to snap and I lose an eye.
Also the truss rod only seems to turn a 1/4 of a turn and no more. I was trying to give the neck some relief to stop the strings buzzing on the first and second frett. After seeing another U bass in a shop, I realised that my nut is too low (insert joke here) and so Kala are sending me another one.

Cheers Colin.

[BassBron]

Hi Tin Dog, I'm also a new owner with a fretless Mahogany U-Bass from Kala. My instrument came with the Pahoehoe Strings and the D-string's stringpost was completely covered with Stringturns, which from reading in this forum, is risky in that it can bend the machine head(post). So I decided to shorten that string to reduce the number of turns on the post with a Youtube Video from Dave for guidance. I had to ask my wife to hold the body of the bass whilst I tried to get some pre-stretch on the string before wrapping it on the post. It was like a slippery eel, to get this done. Got annoyed, changed my mind, and put the Aquila strings on. A lot easier in my opinion. Be carefull not to pre-stretch the E-String, as that string reaches its key pretty quick. The Aquilla Strings settled reasonably quick.

[imperialbari]

Originally Posted by Tin Dog

I'm a newbie to the U bass, I have an Exotic Mahogany accoustic, and was wondering when the rubber strings stop stretching. I keep tuneing up and up expecting a string to snap and I lose an eye.

Cheers Colin.

The stretching will slow down, but it will continue through the lifetime of the string. I scrapped my first set of Pahoehoe’s when the G string suddenly had stretched unevenly, so that the upper frets went terribly flat.

I still have Pahoehoe’s on my fretted sample, because there were reports of the Thundergut strings getting indented from the frets (which apparently does not happen with the Pahoehoe strings). And I only had the one set of Thunderguts that sits on my fretless sample anyway.

However I am considering a test of the Thunderguts on the fretted sample when my order with Aquila arrives.

Klaus

[SBassman]

I know it's a tall order, but I'd recommend new users to read or scan the megathread. Lots of useful info here.

The stock strings take a long time to get stable. Multiple weeks.
While this is happening, you definitely want to watch the winds on the posts and not let them overlap. When you run out of room on the post, redo the string, pulling it further along. Yes, for some of us, it's not easy. I, too, needed my wife to hold the bass while I did it.

The Aquila strings, on the other hand, reach stability in a matter of days. Far less hassle, IMHO.

[imperialbari]

As for holding the UBass while pulling strings:

I sit in a chair with a soft front placing the rear of the UBass against the chair. I then place my softshoed legs in front of the UBass so that I have free access to the area from the bridge through the headstock. I have made sure the slot in the tuner lines up with the neck, so that I can lower the pulled string into the slot.

The floor has a thick carpet, so there is no scratching against the floor.

Klaus

[agfrag]

BassBron,

Are these Aquila strings available off the internet, or did you specify a specific length from Mimmo?

I got a stock set from Elderly Instruments, they have them for $16.50 right now (and two sets for $30.60!). Here's the link:

http://elderly.com/accessories/names...set--ABU68.htm

They also sell the Pahoehoe's for $21.99:

http://elderly.com/accessories/items/RT-UBASS.htm

[3234718]

As far as stringing for the new owners, I've found my method to work pretty awesomely. First, the strings that came with the bass are done. They're cut too short already to restring. Once you have a new set, I find this meathod to be the best for the D and G
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHLqHIwWEnc
The E and A go in fairly simply. That's no problem. For the D and G, stretch the strings as much as you can and use the videos meathod. If you've stretched it well and tied it around the post, you should already be at tuning or past it. So your d may be at a d#. Then leave it for a day. It'll stretch down to c or even b. just repeat the process for about a week, and don't cut the strings till they're stable. Once its restrung for a 5th or sixth time, then they should hold their tuning fairly well. Then you cut the strings. For me, my d and g strings reached stability after 5 days with minimal wraps around the post. This is what worked for me anyway.
And to minimize wraps for the e and a, you pretty much do the same thing. You stretch them, (no where near as much as the thin strings) and put them through the posts. They're not gonna be higher that e or a, but if you repeat the process anyway, by the end they'll be sufficiently stretched and in tune with minimal wraps.

This is only with the black poly strings. Stretching the thundguts or rumblers will cause undesirable sausaging and ruin the string.

This has all been in my experience and my opinion may be wrong. I think it works well though.

[BassBron]

@agfrag: The TG stock strings for the U-Bass yes. But did you get TG stock strings for your Cello as well ? I would think the scale is larger????
@3234718: Quote: "Stretching the thundguts or rumblers will cause undesirable sausaging and ruin the string" I agree .

[SBassman]

Folks - there is no need to do any stretching of Thunderguts or Silver Rumblers. Put them on, and let nature take its course.
No other stretching required or desired. They are a completely different material than the rubber Pahoehoes.

[SBassman]

Beyond the Kala store, here are some additional sources of Aquila Thunderguts strings:

Elderly Instruments www.elderly.com

Dr. Cluck on eBay http://stores.ebay.com/DrClucks-Music-Emporium

JustStrings http://www.juststrings.com/

[agfrag]

@agfrag: The TG stock strings for the U-Bass yes. But did you get TG stock strings for your Cello as well ? I would think the scale is larger????
@3234718: Quote: "Stretching the thundguts or rumblers will cause undesirable sausaging and ruin the string" I agree .

The Thunderguts I bought were stock. They even have a message on the package warning not to use them for over a 20 inch scale instrument. Which I ignored! I didn't prestretch them, they fit quite well the 23 inch scale of the cello. I even had to cut some off so they wouldn't overwrap and cause sausaging, though the G string did sausage a little bit, but it is still tunable.

[Mimmo]

Hello,
Maybe you guys are interested to see what happens next month

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CR3jVLHE04

Mimmo

[little george]

Mimmo:
Time to get rich, you are giving any guitarist the chance to become an instant bass player. I think these will sell by millions... Congratulations!

I love the deep end of the 60 cm scale the most, I undertand you are using the "unwound ukulele low G" tech there, am I right?

[SBassman]

Originally Posted by little george

... you are giving any guitarist the chance to become an instant bass player. ...

That's the essence of my thinking. I believe that market segment will be very large. Totally untapped today.

[scotch]

Mimmo let his cat out of the bag! Looking forward to this - lots of potential!