rockin' my new Kala U-Bass !

quadrogong · #1 05-11-2010, 08:10 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV7ija0apNw
..from The Living Room,NYC

This is the second gig I've played with the new U-bass,
The guys from Kala suggested I try it and I'm getting VERY used to it,
the scale is 20" and the tension a bit loose,but well worth adjusting to.
it sounds best thumbstyle IMO, you can do fingerstyle,picks tend to stick to the strings a bit,which feel rubber-like in texture..but for very fast lines,I use a pick sometimes.

there are four piezos,no preamp and I was going through an Aguilar 4x10 & head,it wasn't as loud as my active bass,of course,but it was sounding quite well.

Yesterday I also played a few songs at the Albany tulip Festival with her,
I used an Ashdown 8x10 & an Ampeg Pro 4 on a huge stage, it was pumped so loud through the mains, it felt so cool strutting around on this huge stage,blasting uke bass..The sound company gave me a choice of the Pro4 or an Ashdown tube head, when I heard the next band from across the field,I couldn't believe how loud it was,that uke must've been pumpin!
here's a pic of the stage..

I'm actually doing a Uke workshop for Kala at The International Ukukele Festival in NYC tomorrow & headlining there Fri & Sat w Deni, a great artist..I'll be doing two whole sets using only the U-bass.
I gotta say, it's so small and light, I wish I could play every gig with something so small and light..It's just..fun!
I don't have any pics,so I included this stock photo

metallicafan18 · #2 05-11-2010, 08:22 PM

Nice!!

I wish I couldve heard/felt that thing with the Ashdown.

A-Step-Towards · #3 05-11-2010, 08:28 PM

That lead solo was sweet

llamalor2112 · #4 05-11-2010, 09:09 PM

Great job! To all of you guys, great sounding group. Definitely better than most! Really, major props.

Glad to see that other players are discovering this great little bass. They're so much fun to play and really do just have a good sound.

Also, not to get away from the Ubass, but I just have to know what the "lead Uke" (I can't believe I just used that term

) player did to get that great guitar tone during that solo, if you know that is.

The Ubass has got me interested in adding regular uke to my repetoir but I really want to achieve a similar tone to what he had or at least be able to get my guitarist to play uke so that I can enjoy playing micro guitar band with someone!

rllefebv · #5 05-11-2010, 09:35 PM

Outstanding! Great tone, and the whole vibe was fun!

-robert

Showdown · #6 05-11-2010, 09:56 PM

I got one (with the spruce top) a couple of weeks ago. Very nice. I played it on one song on a gig Friday night. It sounded great. Good luck with yours!

quadrogong · #7 05-11-2010, 09:56 PM

thanks,people.

you're from Hawaii,too..wow,now THAT'S where a man should play a U-bass.

Austin basically put his uke through a Vox multi fx unit,the one with the tube in it I think,
he used a reverb sound,it may have had compression or eq added, it's one of those preset sounds..
He had a fairly large,"Electric" type amp,like a Twin or a Marshall,whichever he chose to use,those were the two amps on the backline.
There was a PA,outboard gear..I used an Aguilar head and 4x10,so the approach wasn't as "unplugged" as many uke players like to be.

I really liked his solo too, that whole section has a little
Ventures-y surf vibe to it.
I can definitely respect the uke as a lead instrument,it's bright and clear,the notes are well intonated,and the effects seem to work well with it..
WE only ususally do two uke songs,but this weekend we're doing two sets with 'em.

Showdown · #8 05-11-2010, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by quadrogong

thanks,people.

Austin basically put his uke through a Vox multi fx unit,the one with the tube in it I think,
he used a reverb sound,it may have had compression or eq added, it's one of those preset sounds..

I really liked his solo too, that whole section has a little
Ventures-y surf vibe to it.
I can definitely respect the uke as a lead instrument,it's bright and clear,the notes are well intonated,and the effects seem to work well with it..
WE only ususally do two uke songs,but this weekend we're doing two sets with 'em.

As a long time resident of Hawaii, it is good to see the uke getting some respect on the mainland these days.

Mike19 · #9 05-11-2010, 10:22 PM

Kevin, great clip of Deni Bonet. Thank you. Loved the sound - very original. The U-Bass fit in perfectly.

Bassamatic · #10 05-11-2010, 10:31 PM

That was great! I saw these at NAMM and put them on my GAS list for sure. The sound was GREAT.

Do you have any problems with the strings being "sticky" ?

Showdown · #11 05-11-2010, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by quadrogong

you're from Hawaii,too..wow,now THAT'S where a man should play a U-bass.

I played it Friday night when my band played at a wedding rehearsal party on the beach on the North Shore. It seemed fitting.

We played the Richard Cheese version of "She Hates Me", which I usually play on electric upright, but the UBass sounded just as good (better even) and was a lot easier to carry. Plus it looks cool and people can't believe that so much sound comes out of something that small.

On another note, besides the great sound it is also a great bass to travel with. I travel a lot for work, and am leaving Saturday for a month in Korea. I'm taking it with me so I have something to play while I'm there.

quadrogong · #12 05-11-2010, 11:18 PM

yeah,so many acoustic-y basses claim that, this does have an uprite feel,I can imagine the fretless version,even more. but with such small fret spaces, I can imagine fretless intervals are so hair thin up high,it may be challenging.
The strings have a rubbery texture,like nylon strings that are just super thick,
remember color-forms? it has that texture..soft plastic.
I feel that when I use a guitar pick,the texture of the pick meeting string can slow me down a little more than usual.It's kind of like,"sticky' but i wouldn't use that term,more like rubber hitting rubber,it's got friction,so it slows you a bit.

The little bits before each chorus,when i play that little descending major scale?..
I switched to my pick every time I played that, I had it nestled in my palm for the rest of the song.

My timing wasn't awful on those bits,it was okay, I guess..but perhaps there is a slight hesitation of nylon pick meeting nylon string..
Not enough to dissuade me from using a pick,but enough to keep me from using it on an entire song,perhaps.

IMO this bass is best when played with the soft,fleshy part of the thumb or finger. It helps coax some sustain and warmth from it..
but i'm sure folks will find it has many facets..punk,country,funk,whatever..it can sound huge,fill arenas..you boost the low end and it's shaking bootys.

4Mal · #13 05-12-2010, 09:00 AM

I've been rocking this one since last week. Sat in for a 4 song set Monday night and got the best set of strange looks from the guys ... like dude, where's your old P Bass ? and what the hell is that ? then they heard it ... the look from bass to cable to amp to cable to bass ... was priceless ...

The string tackiness thing hasn't bothered me playing. I use a real light touch. It does make tuning a bit of a chore though... You definately want this in tune before stepping up to play...

Showdown · #14 05-12-2010, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4Mal

I've been rocking this one since last week. Sat in for a 4 song set Monday night and got the best set of strange looks from the guys ... like dude, where's your old P Bass ? and what the hell is that ? then they heard it ... the look from bass to cable to amp to cable to bass ... was priceless ...

The string tackiness thing hasn't bothered me playing. I use a real light touch. It does make tuning a bit of a chore though... You definately want this in tune before stepping up to play...

Those strings do seem to take a long time to stretch out. But then so do "weedwhacker" strings on an upright, so I wasn't surprised. Once fully stretched they stay in tune fine.

quadrogong · #15 05-12-2010, 11:50 AM

thanks, i figured so,lwhen i first got it, i'd have to turn the peg 10-15 times sometimes,
but the slipping tapered off,now I tune before gigs and rehearsals like any other bass.
If I get aggressive and bend strings,It still slips a bit.

I think experimenting with different shaped nut slots,different nut materials..may be worth investigating.
The strings have a tackiness,yes ..like colorforms,exactly that texture.

cb56 · #16 05-12-2010, 04:43 PM

Sounds great! I want one.

KUNGfuSHERIFF · #17 05-12-2010, 09:00 PM

Wish I had known you were playing Pinksterfest. I live a hop and a skip south of Albany, but stopped going to that show because none of the bands interested me!

quadrogong · #18 05-12-2010, 10:26 PM

Albany was okay,it was beautiful up there,but way too cold,it's hard to look cool when your nose is running.my first time blasting the yoo bass through a large, outdoor PA..

4Mal · #19 05-13-2010, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Showdown

Those strings do seem to take a long time to stretch out. But then so do "weedwhacker" strings on an upright, so I wasn't surprised. Once fully stretched they stay in tune fine.

ah, good to know. I'll be rockin the little devil again in my duo gig today!

Queg · #20 05-13-2010, 09:18 AM

Wow, GAS attack!
I have absolutely no use for it but I want one anyway.