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Best U-Bass for Intonation?
- Thread starter bassgirls
- Start date
I have a Kala solid body and chose Fretless after reading a lot here. It’s not too scary for intonation. Because it only takes small adjustments to get in tune with the short scale.
The strings are a trip to get used to. Like you have to crank the tuner 3 or 4 full rotations to bring it up a half step. Then you have to work the string over the nut to equalize the tension. Even gently stretching the string over the nut can vary the tuning a like a whole step. Also, if you do any slide, it’s easy to stretch the string and go way flat when sliding up or sharp when sliding down because of the stretch.
I’m no expert on the UBass, but if you treat it as it’s own thing, it has a very nice voice.
The strings are a trip to get used to. Like you have to crank the tuner 3 or 4 full rotations to bring it up a half step. Then you have to work the string over the nut to equalize the tension. Even gently stretching the string over the nut can vary the tuning a like a whole step. Also, if you do any slide, it’s easy to stretch the string and go way flat when sliding up or sharp when sliding down because of the stretch.
I’m no expert on the UBass, but if you treat it as it’s own thing, it has a very nice voice.
My new Luna Tat is tuned an octave higher than a standard bass (killedbydeath-is that the same freq as a guitar?) so it might not work for you. The intonation is merely ok, E, A, D being a bit flat and G a bit sharp.
I have yet to hear a U-type bass with the nearly perfect intonation you hear from a 'bolt-on' neck and it can't be adjusted. Makes you appreciate Leo Fender.
The flatwound metal strings on the Tat are the bomb though, easy to tune and stays in tune better than those rubber spaghetti strings.
It does give a slightly out of tune
old blues vibe when played up the neck though, like my man Mississippi John Hurt.
Going fretless seems the only solution but fingering would have to be precise, like a violin, with the super short scale.
I have yet to hear a U-type bass with the nearly perfect intonation you hear from a 'bolt-on' neck and it can't be adjusted. Makes you appreciate Leo Fender.
The flatwound metal strings on the Tat are the bomb though, easy to tune and stays in tune better than those rubber spaghetti strings.
It does give a slightly out of tune
Going fretless seems the only solution but fingering would have to be precise, like a violin, with the super short scale.
IME:
1. Get a Kala fretless.
2. Junk the strings and buy an Aqilla Thunder guts or Rumbler set and install. See you tube videos to figure that out. They have better intonation and less time to stretch out and stay in tune than other brands (again, ime).
3. Tune the bass a half to whole step up several times to stretch them out. You will need to actually lift the string up off the nut and set it back into the slot after tuning the keys.
4. When you begin playing you will discover in some settings where there are changes in temperature they can go flat or sharp in an instant. Check tuning every few songs and stay away from heating/air conditioning vents.
Now go play a big and have fun. Oh, by the way, they work with just about any kind of amp rig.
1. Get a Kala fretless.
2. Junk the strings and buy an Aqilla Thunder guts or Rumbler set and install. See you tube videos to figure that out. They have better intonation and less time to stretch out and stay in tune than other brands (again, ime).
3. Tune the bass a half to whole step up several times to stretch them out. You will need to actually lift the string up off the nut and set it back into the slot after tuning the keys.
4. When you begin playing you will discover in some settings where there are changes in temperature they can go flat or sharp in an instant. Check tuning every few songs and stay away from heating/air conditioning vents.
Now go play a big and have fun. Oh, by the way, they work with just about any kind of amp rig.
The intonation on my Ortega is ok after i changed to pyramid strings. The original rubberband type were so thick that a single note on sounded untrue by itself. Which is to be expected from physics. The rubber strings also made it impossible to slide fingers or playing with a pic. The action was also crazy high from factoy which i remdied by removing a block from under the bridge.
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For intonation? In my experience none of them. The E-string has been WAY off and pretty much useless on the ones I've tried. But I think my luck with U-basses must have been extremely poor:
-Purchased a Kala U-Bass from Thomann. Not sure what model, it was just called "Solid Spruce Mahogany". It did have the Shadows electronics but was really cheap so I think it may have been a discontinued model. It arrived with a faulty piezo, no sound from D+G strings. I returned it for a replacement.
-The replacement arrived with horrible fretwork, unacceptable amount of fret buzz (considerably more than what would be considered "normal" on these instruments). I had to return this one too. At this point it was out of stock and Thomann gave me a refund.
-Then I got a Rumbler from another dealer. It was great for a couple of weeks but then the neck started to develop a back bow and it's now buzzing so badly below 5th fret that it's practically useless. Adjusting the truss rod does nothing. The truss rod is loosened all the way and there's still a back bow. The rubber strings don't provide enough tension to keep the neck straight.
A fun toy for a couple of weeks but that was it for me. Maybe some of the more expensive models are better but I can't see myself ever parting with that much money for a u-bass.
-Purchased a Kala U-Bass from Thomann. Not sure what model, it was just called "Solid Spruce Mahogany". It did have the Shadows electronics but was really cheap so I think it may have been a discontinued model. It arrived with a faulty piezo, no sound from D+G strings. I returned it for a replacement.
-The replacement arrived with horrible fretwork, unacceptable amount of fret buzz (considerably more than what would be considered "normal" on these instruments). I had to return this one too. At this point it was out of stock and Thomann gave me a refund.
-Then I got a Rumbler from another dealer. It was great for a couple of weeks but then the neck started to develop a back bow and it's now buzzing so badly below 5th fret that it's practically useless. Adjusting the truss rod does nothing. The truss rod is loosened all the way and there's still a back bow. The rubber strings don't provide enough tension to keep the neck straight.
A fun toy for a couple of weeks but that was it for me. Maybe some of the more expensive models are better but I can't see myself ever parting with that much money for a u-bass.
I don't know what's best, but I've played a Kala acoustic-electric U-bass for 5 years now. Solid spruce and mahogany, fretted, Shadow electronics, stock Pahoehoe strings. The strings are weird, but I've grown to like them, and I think they sound better than the alternatives. The tone is great (very "upright-like"), and although intonation across all frets is not perfect (does any $500 bass have that?), it's quite acceptable to me. I gig with this bass regularly and have received compliments on the way it sounds from other musicians.
(I must say I've never played it at 118 degrees F, nor do I ever want to!)
(I must say I've never played it at 118 degrees F, nor do I ever want to!)
I only play 21-24" scale bass. I prefer the Road Toad Pahoehoe poly (not rubber) strings because they're very smooth and do sound like an upright, but they took take some effort to install and a few weeks to settle in. My fretless had lines for the frets to make it easier to get close, I found if I pressed right on the line rather then off it like fretted, the intonation was very good.
Here's one to consider; Aria Sonsinido. I have one & it satisfies my upright jones quite well. It's also ridiculously light, & will start more conversations than may be comfortable!
Anyway, my 2 cents
How serendipitous. I was intrigued by the "Autumn Leaves' video I saw last week. The U Bass is not a toy. It's legit. I ordered the Hadean fretless today and pulled up here to do an archive search and found this recent thread. I'm excited with anticipation.
More so than the originals. Their sound is more like the old gut strings bass fiddles had before the metal ones they use now. But....do not expect an exact copy of the upright bass fiddle sound. Put a sponge at the bridge and add some reverb and it sounds more like an upright. Have fun!
The upright players are now going back to gut and synthetic strings, if the "DB" threads on TB are any indication.
