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Carryon by Blackstar Mini-bass
- Thread starter JakobT
- Start date
Thanks for this review. I am still very much A bass beginner and have found my UBass to be helpful in learning the notes and positions while I am road tripping and traveling. Wondering if this little guy might be a good addition (or UBass replacement) to have in my truck while I travel. Tone and sound are a bit less important for me at this point since I still am figuring out where all the notes are.
Seems like a no brainer for me if I can find one in the US (looks like the guitar is available but not the bass?), but still being a noobie, wonder if I am missing something important that this Carry-on would be a poor choice just to have around to noodle and learn.
Last edited:
This site has a US-Facing presence so you should be able to order:
Invalid Link Removed
Here's a demo that will simultaneously make me want it more and quit bass altogether (tnx Nate!)
- May 13, 2010
- 46
- 21
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Euphonic Audio & Thomastik-Infeld Strings
Sorry for the late reply. I didn't see the notification. Anyway, this bass is definitely a good alternative to a u-bass for travel. You can actually practice some technique on the Blackstar, which isn't really possible on a u-bass. It's definitely cool.
So, I ordered one of these guys. Feels and sounds like a real bass, moreso than the UBass.
Wrote it up here:
NBD: BlackStar CarryOn Sub-scale
Wrote it up here:
NBD: BlackStar CarryOn Sub-scale
This may be a potential substitute for me, assuming it's light... no info on weight anywhere I can find
Solid Body 4-String Candy Apple Red Fretted U•BASS® - Kala Brand Music Co.™
Solid Body 4-String Candy Apple Red Fretted U•BASS® - Kala Brand Music Co.™
Another one at the same scale. Perhaps this might allow for some more 23.5" scale strings to be available. Interesting.
Found this pre-release video where she has talked with Mike Upton. She said it is fairly heavy (but did not give a weight). She also said that Upton indicated working with La Bella to make flat wounds for it. That might be fun.
She brought up the Blackstar her longer review of the Kala. Perhaps she will do a side-by-side of the two.
OK, I kept digging through this channel. She weighs the new solid body Kala bass at 2.85kg (6.4lbs), which is a tad higher than my Blackstar CarryOn.
It's a tad lower than my Blackstar CarryOnwhich is about 3kg
so interesting but I'm looking for something 2.5 or less (when traveling every 100g counts!)
However, I'm very interested in the strings, but as with the Blackstar, I can't find any info or any evidence of support for this scale length....
bizarre really, at some point in time we are going to need to replace the strings....
Let's hope that with more instrument options in this scale there will be string options to come.
Kala really knows how to make ugly solid body basses. There’s zero reason for that huge pickguard.
Don’t be surprised that companies make instruments without considering the market of available strings. Been going on for years. Especially Blackstar, an amplifier company, that randomly released a series of travel instruments.
Newtone in the UK with custom wind whatever length and gauge strings you want.
Don’t be surprised that companies make instruments without considering the market of available strings. Been going on for years. Especially Blackstar, an amplifier company, that randomly released a series of travel instruments.
Newtone in the UK with custom wind whatever length and gauge strings you want.
I am digging these mini basses that have space behind the bridge, I could route that out a little convert it to headless to make it even lighter and shorter.
Hi all,
I've just joined this forum after prevaricating for a few years (!)
I found this thread while I was looking for a gig bag for the Blackstar Carry on bass.
You see, I bought one a few days ago! I had no idea these things even existed until I went to the annual Guitar Show in Shirley, England last Sunday. One stall had lots of these, for a show-special price of £159 (normally £199). I tried one out and found it was very playable. Not what I expected after experience with various similarly-sized "toy" guitars that I bought for my young son. So I bought one there and then.
My new, boxed instrument was not as playable as the one they had out at the show. Tunability and intonation were not good. But after spending a few minutes with the supplied allen key and a screwdriver, I had the action down and the intonation more or less sorted. Unamplified, the bass has a nice tone (surprise!) apart from the E string. This sounded off compared to the other three, with some unpleasant overtones. Through an amp it sounded better though. I've often read reviews of basses where the owner said they had to throw away the supplied strings straight away and fit a decent set, so perhaps that's all I need to do. The only issue with that is that it may be hard to find the right strings that taper off at the right distance between the nut and the machine.
The neck is chunky, but doesn't feel too thick to me (I'm used to Ricks and P-basses). It seems to be made from two sections of wood, with a diagonal joint between them near the nut. I'm not sure if this is by design or just a way of using up stock of otherwise unsuitable wood. The two pieces have quite different grain and texture.
I found it very easy to play at home, although due to the extreme differences in the geometry (most of my basses are long-scale although, as I have a Kala U-bass, I've started to get used to smaller scales), I had to be careful and not rely on muscle-memory.
On Friday I took it along to a band rehearsal, just to hear how it would sound through the whopping great Ampeg in the rehearsal room. First impressions were not good: it sounded thin and yet muddy at the same time, and needed some EQ changes to make it more acceptable. But once the whole band were playing, I changed my mind. The bass's sound cut through the mix really well. It was probably the clearest bass I've heard in a rehearsal situation! I was reminded of how odd some famous basses sound when heard as isolated tracks, yet which sound fantastic when mixed in (I'm thinking about Chris Squire's isolated bass in particular). I could even conceive of doing a gig with this bass! On a strap it hangs nicely. The neck is heavy, but the way it sits against the body (the way I wear it) stops neck-dive. It's certainly light enough to make standing up for a couple of hours no problem.
I wished I'd remembered to buy a gig bag for it while I was at the show, as they were doing them for £25. Apparently they normally sell for £40.
As the unamplified sound was so nice, I could imagine adding a piezo to this bass for more tonal possibilities.
I've just joined this forum after prevaricating for a few years (!)
I found this thread while I was looking for a gig bag for the Blackstar Carry on bass.
You see, I bought one a few days ago! I had no idea these things even existed until I went to the annual Guitar Show in Shirley, England last Sunday. One stall had lots of these, for a show-special price of £159 (normally £199). I tried one out and found it was very playable. Not what I expected after experience with various similarly-sized "toy" guitars that I bought for my young son. So I bought one there and then.
My new, boxed instrument was not as playable as the one they had out at the show. Tunability and intonation were not good. But after spending a few minutes with the supplied allen key and a screwdriver, I had the action down and the intonation more or less sorted. Unamplified, the bass has a nice tone (surprise!) apart from the E string. This sounded off compared to the other three, with some unpleasant overtones. Through an amp it sounded better though. I've often read reviews of basses where the owner said they had to throw away the supplied strings straight away and fit a decent set, so perhaps that's all I need to do. The only issue with that is that it may be hard to find the right strings that taper off at the right distance between the nut and the machine.
The neck is chunky, but doesn't feel too thick to me (I'm used to Ricks and P-basses). It seems to be made from two sections of wood, with a diagonal joint between them near the nut. I'm not sure if this is by design or just a way of using up stock of otherwise unsuitable wood. The two pieces have quite different grain and texture.
I found it very easy to play at home, although due to the extreme differences in the geometry (most of my basses are long-scale although, as I have a Kala U-bass, I've started to get used to smaller scales), I had to be careful and not rely on muscle-memory.
On Friday I took it along to a band rehearsal, just to hear how it would sound through the whopping great Ampeg in the rehearsal room. First impressions were not good: it sounded thin and yet muddy at the same time, and needed some EQ changes to make it more acceptable. But once the whole band were playing, I changed my mind. The bass's sound cut through the mix really well. It was probably the clearest bass I've heard in a rehearsal situation! I was reminded of how odd some famous basses sound when heard as isolated tracks, yet which sound fantastic when mixed in (I'm thinking about Chris Squire's isolated bass in particular). I could even conceive of doing a gig with this bass! On a strap it hangs nicely. The neck is heavy, but the way it sits against the body (the way I wear it) stops neck-dive. It's certainly light enough to make standing up for a couple of hours no problem.
I wished I'd remembered to buy a gig bag for it while I was at the show, as they were doing them for £25. Apparently they normally sell for £40.
As the unamplified sound was so nice, I could imagine adding a piezo to this bass for more tonal possibilities.
I think this is the key for many of us. If you happen to find a source for strings, please let us know.
The new Kala Solid Body U·Bass has almost the same scale (23.5" vs. 23.46") as the Carryon and a one-piece toploading bridge just like the latter, so it stands to reason the new, La Bella made string sets Kala has put out, one roundwound (KA-BASS-4-SC)
Nickel with Steel Core Solid Body U•BASS® Round Wound 4-String Set - Kala Brand Music Co.™
one (currently out of stock) flatwound (KA-BASS-4FW-SC),
Stainless Steel Solid Body U•BASS® Flat Wound 4-String Set - Kala Brand Music Co.™
should fit on the Blackstar no problem. I would start there.
Ooo, flat wounds? Nice. Might just put my name on that list.
