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Kala Ubass Megathread, Part 1

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#802
Well they are more stable (except for the inevitable 'settling in').

Not buzzy.

The first 2 sets would stretch and form these weird sort of warps at the stretch points on the strings. And this was just from tuning up, you are not supposed to stretch these strings out manually at first. No problem this time.

Playability overall feels better- not sure I could say what the problem there was the first time. These just feel better.

I'd be curious to know what the manufacturing issue was on their first run.

And let me stress the fact that customer service was exemplary. Polite and prompt, and the ship time for the new strings- These arrived via UPS in 3 days from Italy. Couldn't have been cheap I guess, so that says a lot about them caring about customer satisfaction to me. I think I'll be ok with these new strings.
 
#803
Matt R, what I'd like to know is whether or not you consider the new, improved Aquilas to be better in any way than the original Pahoehoe black strings, i.e., was it worth the bother?

I know I could also ask for a replacement set, but I can't be bothered because I hated the look of the things and so I'm no longer interested in having them on my mahogany U-Bass anyway.
 
#804
Yeah, the tone was great to begin with, so I thought it would be worth pursuing. Day two and the strings are settling in better.

They are louder and more defined while keeping that killer woody acoustic sound and they feel less sticky. They also seem to be more durable than the stock strings.

I do agree that the black ones look better though, but these are cool to me as well.
 
#806
Matt R. said:
Yeah, the tone was great to begin with, so I thought it would be worth pursuing. Day two and the strings are settling in better.

They are louder and more defined while keeping that killer woody acoustic sound and they feel less sticky. They also seem to be more durable than the stock strings.

I do agree that the black ones look better though, but these are cool to me as well.
Click to expand...

Could you post a picture?

I Do think the game is not yet over when it comes to making the Best strings for this amazing bass. The stock strings are Good, but every time I play I think some wise company with good materials engineers can make them better.

If they could alter the elasticity in the material used for the strings, they Should be able to increase the mass for the D and G strings. I think achieving that could be Big.

Any difference in the thickness of these other strings?
 
#807
Hi UBass friends!

I've been playing my fretless UBass (spruce) since late July 2010. I can honestly say that I really enjoy it! I have a blog about my UBass playing and links to some lessons I've done. There are also live videos from some of the different projects I've been doing and general tips and trix.

Please check it out at:
http://playubass.wordpress.com

Happy UBass playing to ya all!
/Magnus
 
#811
SBassman said:
Could you post a picture?

I Do think the game is not yet over when it comes to making the Best strings for this amazing bass. The stock strings are Good, but every time I play I think some wise company with good materials engineers can make them better.

If they could alter the elasticity in the material used for the strings, they Should be able to increase the mass for the D and G strings. I think achieving that could be Big.

Any difference in the thickness of these other strings?
Click to expand...

Yes these are heavier and the G feels way better. You can dig into them a little more as well. Here's yer pic:

img0013fh.jpg
 
#814
I'm tempted. But I'm poor. :)

Who else wants to try them out and report on them?

Matt - what's your final word?

1. They're an interesting change but not Better
or
2. Definitely better and recommended

or something else. ?

Would you gig with those strings?
 
#817
FatAndy said:
I have been thinking of buying a fretted acoustic/electric UBass, but somebody warned me that the strings are so 'floppy' that they tend to slide up and down, and you have to take care to get consistent intonation by precisely holding them straight down. Any truth to this?
Click to expand...

Not an issue for me. The strings are made from a rubber material so they have a rubbery feel and do squirm a bit under your freting hand but not to the degree it impacts intonation.
Not sure of others experiences on the U-bass but I've found that string bending for note changes is relatively ineffective. I can bend a string for what would easily be a whole note change on a normal bass and on this thing it makes very little difference in the note at all. I can get vibrato and slides but bends are eluding me at this point. I don't really consider it a problem, I just adjust my playing techinque.
The only intonation problem I've had is notes beyond the 12th fret start to get a little off but not by much and not really noticable in a mix.
Going on my 3rd month with the U-bass and I can't put it down, this thing is addictive. I have yet to see a jaw not hit the floor when I start playing this thing. It's like some steroid demon child offspring of a cross breed between a DB and a P bass. I got the Mahogany fretted acoustic electric and it's the best $320 of bass money I've ever spent.
 
#819
Wow. I read the whole thread. Also, picked one of these little guys up over the weekend. It's great for keeping next to me on the couch while watching football on a Sunday! Sounds huge despite the size (thru an amp). I tried the solid body (both the import and US made versions) but they were so quiet without an amp that I decided to go with the acoustic one. Still have to tune it every time I play it, though.
 
#820
- I don't really experience the slide/squirm

- It Does require a different touch, though, and those fingers shouldn't touch down near the fret wire. Otherwise, it farts.

- It is completely addictive. I am playing Much more since I got this bass. I keep it out, in the living room, and I'm picking it up all the time.

- Probably the most fun bass dollars I ever spent.
 
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