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Kala U bass vs. Shortbass One vs. any other suggestions

N

Nickthebass

May 22, 2010
277
65
Scotland, UK
#1
I'm playing with a country / folky / singer songwriter guy and he wants to start taking the full band to "acoustic" gigs so I need get my hands on some type of acoustic bass guitar type instrument. The line-up would be up to 2 guitars, mandolin, cajon & 3 vocals so I'll be expecting some sort of PA help and / or I'll take an amp and a little 1x12 cab.

I don't play DB (and have no plans to) but I do want something warm, woody and suggestive of an upright. Flats on an electric won't cut it as this is what I play 99% of the time and I want the acoustic version of the band to have a different sound and texture.

I'm looking at the Kala U bass and the Shortbass. Both are the right sort of price range and are easily available here in the UK (sub £450). I've also seen an Epiphany El Captain 5 string and a Takamine G series second hand in the same price area - so one of these with flats is also an option.

Does anyone have any thoughts, reviews, comparisons (or alternatives) that would help to make the choice?
 
#2
Well I tried the Takemine GB72CE once in a shop (with rounds) and I really really liked the sound and playability.
(EUR 469 in the Netherlands)
Mind you, saw a band play one night when at some point the bass-player changed from elec. bass to kala U bass.
Not only did it look extra special, it sounded different (a lot warmer) too!
So, once again, no real help there...
 
#3
In the synthetic string world, here's how I would net out the strengths of each:

- If you don't care about size, the Shortbass one is the Biggest body of them all, and along with that, the loudest acoustically. It has very nice plugged in tone.

- Next is the Goldtone MBass, also at a comfortable 23 inch scale, with a comfortable guitar-sized body and look.

- Finally is the smallest scale of the bunch, the UBass, at 21 inch scale, and it is also the smallest body of the bunch. It, too, conjures good plugged in tone, in a very small looking/feeling instrument.
 
#4
Also,

- If you really, really want DB-like tone, I Do think the synthetic string instruments do that better than the metal string instruments.

- If you like the fun of small instruments but want metal strings, I find the Michael Kelly Sojourner to be a great build for the price.

If you have shops that carry these, take them for a test drive. Each of these instruments Feels different, and everyone's mileage will vary.
 
#5
SBassman said:
Also,

- If you really, really want DB-like tone, I Do think the synthetic string instruments do that better than the metal string instruments.

- If you like the fun of small instruments but want metal strings, I find the Michael Kelly Sojourner to be a great build for the price.

If you have shops that carry these, take them for a test drive. Each of these instruments Feels different, and everyone's mileage will vary.
Click to expand...

I think I am in the world of synthetic strings as I'm trying to get into the same area as a DB. How does the Shortbass cope in terms of feedback? Some of the comments on a thread elsewhere suggested that it was a bit prone to it given the relatively large size and the construction method.
 
#7
SBassman said:
In the synthetic string world, here's how I would net out the strengths of each:

- If you don't care about size, the Shortbass one is the Biggest body of them all, and along with that, the loudest acoustically. It has very nice plugged in tone.

- Next is the Goldtone MBass, also at a comfortable 23 inch scale, with a comfortable guitar-sized body and look.

- Finally is the smallest scale of the bunch, the UBass, at 21 inch scale, and it is also the smallest body of the bunch. It, too, conjures good plugged in tone, in a very small looking/feeling instrument.
Click to expand...
I haven't tried the Shortbass but own a fretless Ubass and fretted Goldtone Microbass, but from my experience I prefer the smaller Ubass, probably simply because I like the fretless. If I had a fretless Microbass I would probably like it as well. They both do an acceptable rendition of a DB, although it's not the same. The low-end from these small basses is incredible and any one of them will serve you well. The fretless versions are easy to get used to usually just a matter of hours or a couple days at most. I think it really just boils down to which body size you like. I played the u bass live several times and never had any feedback issues with it. Never gigged the microbass though.
 
#8
Nickthebass said:
I'm playing with a country / folky / singer songwriter guy and he wants to start taking the full band to "acoustic" gigs so I need get my hands on some type of acoustic bass guitar type instrument. The line-up would be up to 2 guitars, mandolin, cajon & 3 vocals so I'll be expecting some sort of PA help and / or I'll take an amp and a little 1x12 cab.
Click to expand...

I play with a country/roots/bluegrass/swing/ragtime acoustic duo/trio and use a Kala Exotic Mahogany Ubass and a Fender Rumble 100 1x12.
 
#9
I have the Gold GT MicroBass and have played it with my ukulele group (about 30-40 people). I'm just learning to play bass and I find I have to be real careful not to buzz the low E string, but I'm sure it's lack of proper technique. It came with Aquila Thundergut strings, but after awhile I found them to be too sticky, so I'm about to replace the strings with Road Toad Pahoehoe 22-24" yellows, which are smoother, but I understand take much longer to stretch to proper tune.

I also had this custom u-bass made in Vietnam, fretless 21" scale, solid acacia koa, including custom gig bag and overseas shipping for $565 (corrected). I'm going to add a pickup and preamp (China $27) when the u-bass arrives in the next week or so. I'm also going to change the Aquila Thundergut strings to Aquila Thunder Reds for smoother sliding.

U-Bass finished side.jpg

u-bass pickup.jpg
 
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#13
I have 2 Kala U Basses (Accoustic Electric & California Series 5 string solid body) and one Shortbass One (Basic fretless). All 3 are completely different. All 3 are very nice. I use the Kala Accoustic Electric U Bass the most mainly because people are always amazed at the sound coming from it through my amp and always stopping and asking what it is that I am playing. They can't believe it is a ukulele. I get similar questions with the Kala California Series 5 string but not as frequently. I purchased the Shortbass One because my ukulele band is performing more and more acoustic gigs this year and it definitely has the sound acoustically! Neither of the Kala's are meant to be played acoustically at all. The Shortbass One also has a great sound when amplified but it is a little uneven as the mids and highs are far more pronounced than the low end. But I am going to have that worked on by Dusty Strings here in the Seattle area.
 

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