Guitar Scale Acoustic Basses

[steve_rolfeca]

Anybody using the LaBella CB40s on an Ibanez (I have an AVNB1E)? I'm wondering if there's enough difference between those and the stock D'Addarios to warrant replacing the perfectly good original set with the contrabass strings?

I love the CB40’s.

A good upgrade for the AVNB1E- just a little more tension than the D’Addarios, and less of that rolling feeling under your fingers.

Really very similar, just a little more of what I like about the stock strings, plus they’re significantly cheaper up here.

My Guild doesn’t like them as much though- intonation was pretty much perfect with the D’Addarios, and now it’s a bit off at the 12th fret.

 

[tymbrewolf]

I forget, is the wind all the way to the end on dadario? If not, what is the length of the wind?

 

[tymbrewolf]

I had an old set that I decided to go ahead put on this 6 string cheap laminate acoustic guitar. It is a Vangoa 3/4 electric acoustic that I bought to be a tenor guitar. The neck was little bit wide for me but thought that it looked very much like a bass neck. Plays just as well as any of the cheap or should I say inexpensive guitar scale acoustic basses. this is a 23" scale approximately.

 

[tymbrewolf]

 

[screefer]

I had an old set that I decided to go ahead put on this 6 string cheap laminate acoustic guitar. It is a Vangoa 3/4 electric acoustic that I bought to be a tenor guitar. The neck was little bit wide for me but thought that it looked very much like a bass neck. Plays just as well as any of the cheap or should I say inexpensive guitar scale acoustic basses. this is a 23" scale approximately.

How are the strings anchored in the bridge?
Not much of a slot in the saddle, eh?
The 40s fit the stock tuners?
Looks great!

 

[tymbrewolf]

90s fit stock tuners. Surprised that very little saddle slot needed to keep that angle from middle peg holes. Washer and strung from underneath. I will likely though go to a pico acoustic bass as in just bottom four of a medium regular guitar set. I have one of my mini squier strats set up that way. I really think any cheap laminate acoustic electric guitar just about will work this way. Cheap laminate guitars seem to have heavier tops and are over braced anyway

 

[Protagonist]

I just ordered a Traveler Redlands Mini Bass spruce top from Sweetwater for $274 shipped, to replace my Gold Tone 23" GT MicroBass acoustic that I'm finding a little too big for me (12.75" wide, 35.25 long). I was thinking of getting the mahogany top, but because I have an acoustic walnut that's very close in color, I decided to get the spruce, also if I want Pat Wilkins to change the color, it might be easier on the natural spruce. The Traveler is 22.1" scale, 12" wide, 33.5" long. I'm going to use Galli 23" scale flat wound steel with nylon core. Will also add a preamp/tuner and pickup I already have.

View attachment 4192368

I was going to do something similar with the Harley Benton 'uke bass' that is built more like a shorter GSAB. Scale is only millimeters longer than a Kala but the overall length is almost 3 inches more and it's all in the neck based on the bridge location. I was also going to go with Galli strings. Only thing holding me back is that it will be very difficult to restring with no access panel in the back. The strings go through the bridge and are tied off inside the body. You basically have to fish new strings through.
https://www.thomannmusic.com/harley_benton_kahuna_clu_bass_mahogany_uke.htm

I really wish Traveller had made the Redlands with a pickup and preamp.

 

[KohanMike]

...I was also going to go with Galli strings. Only thing holding me back is that it will be very difficult to restring with no access panel in the back. The strings go through the bridge and are tied off inside the body. You basically have to fish new strings through. I really wish Traveller had made the Redlands with a pickup and preamp.

I send a thin string down each string hole and grab it through the sound hole and pull it up, then tape that to the end of the new string and pull it up through the bridge.

My guess is since Traveler markets it as a traveler, they decided to save the cost of adding a preamp/pickup. They should provide a preamp/pickup version as well at an additional cost.

I actually have the same preamp of the Harley Benton, but I don't like that it's sideways when I'm playing, so I'm going to install this one I have.

 

[Protagonist]

I was going to do something similar with the Harley Benton 'uke bass' that is built more like a shorter GSAB. Scale is only millimeters longer than a Kala but the overall length is almost 3 inches more and it's all in the neck based on the bridge location. I was also going to go with Galli strings. Only thing holding me back is that it will be very difficult to restring with no access panel in the back. The strings go through the bridge and are tied off inside the body. You basically have to fish new strings through.
https://www.thomannmusic.com/harley_benton_kahuna_clu_bass_mahogany_uke.htm

I really wish Traveller had made the Redlands with a pickup and preamp.

I went and double checked my memory about the HB Kahuna and I was pretty close. Based on scale it should be in the Uke bass thread, but based on style I think it crosses over here.
overall length 33.465"/85cm
Scale 21.024"
A Kala is 29.625 overall length and 20.85" scale. So the Kahuna will use Uke bass strings since it's scale is only 4.42mm longer scale than a Kala, but it is 3.84 inched bigger overall, mostly in the neck. The neck is also narrower at the nut than a Kala. It really seems more like it is a Uke Bass scale parlor bass? It's unique as far as I've found.

Mostly just posting here because it seems to bridge from GSAB to Uke bass and because this might be something someone's interested in and it seems like the research is wasted if it's not shared.

 

[steve_rolfeca]

I went and double checked my memory about the HB Kahuna and I was pretty close. Based on scale it should be in the Uke bass thread, but based on style I think it crosses over here.
overall length 33.465"/85cm
Scale 21.024"
A Kala is 29.625 overall length and 20.85" scale. So the Kahuna will use Uke bass strings since it's scale is only 4.42mm longer scale than a Kala, but it is 3.84 inched bigger overall, mostly in the neck. The neck is also narrower at the nut than a Kala. It really seems more like it is a Uke Bass scale parlor bass? It's unique as far as I've found.

Mostly just posting here because it seems to bridge from GSAB to Uke bass and because this might be something someone's interested in and it seems like the research is wasted if it's not shared.

Nice find!

Based on the audio samples at Thomann, it seems like the larger form factor helps the tone a bit compared to the smaller Kala's.

However, I'm personally not hearing anything that makes me see it as direct competition to a GSAB.

To my ear, it's still got the same general tone signature as other basses in the Uke family.

 

[tymbrewolf]

View attachment 4200748

Here's an open box full acoustic scale for cheap if someone wanted another gasb for cheap modded like i did.

Vangoa VG-41CEN Acoustic Cutaway 41" 6 String Guitar w/Case #NO4753 | eBay

 

[HaphAsSard]

To my ear, it's still got the same general tone signature as other basses in the Uke family.

In fairness, the same can be said about the Gold Tone M-Bass 25, even though it is a guitar-scale affair:
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The reason is both it and the Kahuna come with Aquila Thunderguts stock; those samples on the Thomann website simply aren't very useful to evaluate the Harley Benton or the GT MB as platforms for nyloncore roundwounds.

 

[tymbrewolf]

Silverbacks. 115 E vs 90 for dadarrio

 

[steve_rolfeca]

Silverbacks. 115 E vs 90 for dadarrio

I remember when Goldtone released that video.

IIRC, they released the Silverbacks before Taylor launched the GS Mini Bass. Pretty sure that the Taylor debut was in 2017.

If that's the case, I think that Goldtone could legitimately lay claim to having been the originators of this class.

 

[HaphAsSard]

Yet, those Thomann samples remain useless as far as knowing how the M-Bass sounds when equipped with roundwounds, which was my point. Same as the Harley Benton Kahuna basslet.

 

[tymbrewolf]

Hap, the vid above is with the gt round wounds called silverbacks.

 

[Protagonist]

Nice find!

Based on the audio samples at Thomann, it seems like the larger form factor helps the tone a bit compared to the smaller Kala's.

However, I'm personally not hearing anything that makes me see it as direct competition to a GSAB.

To my ear, it's still got the same general tone signature as other basses in the Uke family.

I wrote the following last night but saw something shiny and never hit the post button, couple of folks have since beat me to mentioning the Thundergut strings.

Yeah those rubber strings will always sound like what they are, won't they. If I were to buy one, the strings would likely be swapped to Galli tapes or flats or another string before I even fretted a note. The reason for my interest is just how Jumbo the body on my Guild feels compared to my electrics. It's a practice tool for me, not a performance one and I don't use it that much anymore because of comfort reasons. That Traveller Redlands mini looks pretty perfect but I'd prefer it came as an electric. They have one that does but it's a different, larger model with a different scale. Heck, the HB actually has a longer overall length than the Traveller Mini even though it's scale is an inch shorter.

 

[HaphAsSard]

Hap, the vid above is with the gt round wounds called silverbacks.

Wolf, sorry, today I suck at explaining myself: what I meant is, if the specific sample clips on the Thomann website were the sole thing to go by, one could never get an idea how the Gold Tone sounds when it has the La Bella Silverbacks on instead of Aquila Thunderguts. Thankfully, we do have YouTube videos for that.

Unfortunately, we don't have comparable...sound proof for that little Harley Benton bass. So I was just saying, let's not write the latter off, as far as that potential config (=having rounds on) is concerned, just because for the moment we can only hear how it sounds with conventional uke-bass, polymeric strings.
(At this point I've way overstayed my welcome on this point, and I'll bow out.)

 

[tymbrewolf]

I wish i had two gt basses. One with flats and the one i have with browns. Maybe if dadario came with a new string with nickel bronze

 

[carbonfold]

I recently bought an Orangewood Oliver Jr Bass. It’s not too shabby and sounds pretty good. Impressed with overall QC as well.

Clip over the weekend: