I have a big island solid bodied bass ukulele (discontinued) and I need a new set of strings which will work on a magnetic pick-up. I am struggling to source any. Can anyone give me some suggestions.
I have tried cut down full size bass strings at the suggestion of the shop which supplied the instrument, with disastrous effect. The E and A strings were completely unstable.
Any suggestions which allow me to play it again would be most welcome.
Thank you
The Big Island electric ukulele basses use(d) strings designed for them by Italian string company Dogal, the
UBS162:
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Dogal UBS162 UKUBASS Nickel wound String SET Ukulele Bass ukulele
The crucial aspect is that they're rope-core, which makes them flexible enough to work at that scale even if they're all-metal. Basically, a supershort-scale version of their own Jonas Hellborg signature strings.
Alternatively, if you're interested in flats, you could try the
Kala KA-BASS-4FW (a.k.a.
Galli UXB910C), specifically the
20.5" scale version (there is a longer, 23" scale one):
Tiny Boy Basses
Galli KA-BASS-4FW Ukulele Bass 060/130, 63,90 €
The latter suggestion is somewhat counterintuitive: they're
nylon-core, chrome-steel flatwounds.
However, at least two TB posters have reported having the longer 23" version, and its alternative the Pyramid 235* set,
Tiny Boy Basses
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work on mag-pickupped minibasses - with results ranging from meh to satisfactory - as reported in this thread, from this post on:
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This, by virtue of them having enough magnetically-active mass in their wrap to be 'legible' by the pickups, even though their core isn't.
In short, if you try them do so at your own risk;
* [BTW,
Pyramid does custom work - you could order a shorter, ukubass-appropriate version of that set directly from them, if you were so inclined]
otherwise stick to the stock Dogal roundwounds.
[I guess you could also try getting the
Dogal Hellborgs -
JH171 - and cutting them to length
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HELLBORG BASS STRINGS - JH171 - Set 4 strings 035-102 - Andbadguitars
but 1), they're just as expensive as the UBS162, and 2), same caveat applies: I decline any and all responsibility!]
