Kala UBass Megathread, Part 4

[etoncrow]

...I recall reading that two compressors in series was Roger McGuinn's secret to his killer twelve-string Rickenbacker sound on the early Byrds recordings (1965).

Being a Byrds fan from the beginning out of curiousity I did a search and found this...

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[WicklowI]

Er... perhaps you should first look if you play the U-Bass properly??

Especially the E string should be played with very little force, and I suspect you are plucking it too hard.

Second, if played acoustically without amplification it is totally normal that the E string is quieter than the other strings!

Do you have your problem also when you plug the bass in?

Best Wishes,
Christoph

Thanks Christoph, you could be right in that it's a different type of string when I play the upright or the squire (fender copy) without amplification I get the tones I expect - but not with the ubass - maybe it's just a characteristic of the String
example playing tenth's shapes on the squire sounds lovely - and dreadful on the ubass as the E is not ringing out so was not sure if the strings were at fault or if this is normal. things are better when I plug it in - but at home i rarely plug a bass in.

 

[dougness]

Thanks Christoph, you could be right in that it's a different type of string when I play the upright or the squire (fender copy) without amplification I get the tones I expect - but not with the ubass - maybe it's just a characteristic of the String
example playing tenth's shapes on the squire sounds lovely - and dreadful on the ubass as the E is not ringing out so was not sure if the strings were at fault or if this is normal. things are better when I plug it in - but at home i rarely plug a bass in.

I'll add my 2 cents. The U-Bass is different from the other basses you mentioned. I had the luxury of borrowing a friend's U-Bass for a couple of months before ordering one. It gave me time to play it and adjust without wrestling with that sinking feeling that this might not be for me. Given time with the instrument, however, I came to really like it a lot. But now I like it for what it is. It definitely has its own character. You probably won't get a lot of punch out of the E string acoustically, but as you said, plugged in it's there.

Also, I think someone mentioned that you might want to try Aquila Thundergut strings. The string tension is a little higher and might help that E string stand out when you're playing unplugged. The best price is at Elderly Instruments online.

 

[caeman]

 

[WicklowI]

I'll add my 2 cents. The U-Bass is different from the other basses you mentioned. I had the luxury of borrowing a friend's U-Bass for a couple of months before ordering one. It gave me time to play it and adjust without wrestling with that sinking feeling that this might not be for me. Given time with the instrument, however, I came to really like it a lot. But now I like it for what it is. It definitely has its own character. You probably won't get a lot of punch out of the E string acoustically, but as you said, plugged in it's there.

Also, I think someone mentioned that you might want to try Aquila Thundergut strings. The string tension is a little higher and might help that E string stand out when you're playing unplugged. The best price is at Elderly Instruments online.

Thanks Dougness, I have heard about these strings and will give them a try -I will check out Elderly Instruments,
I am enjoying the ubass - its will be great for rehearsals etc.

 

[caeman]

The U-Bass is not an upright. The U-Bass has a fantastic acoustic sound when amplified that it indeed its own character.

 

[Gorn]

I'm thinking of saying goodbye to mine. Question: I've scratched the hell out of the the tuning posts from restringing using plyers to hold on to the string. It's fully functional otherwise. Do you guys think that'll effect the value much? I'm going to put it up in the classifieds soon.

 

[dougness]

My Hutchinson U-Bass arrived yesterday. I'm used to the feel of the Pahoehoe strings and was hoping that this bass would play in tune with them. Just in case, I ordered a set of Thunderguts, and I'm glad I did. With the stock strings, the E string was perfectly intonated all the way up. Amazing. The G was about 20 cent flat at the 12th and got much worse up at the highest fret...not good for soloing. The A and D strings at the 12th fret were 50 cent flat - completely unusable. Also, the E string was weak and A and D were noticeably dead at the 10th and up.

I put the Thunderguts on and nearly everything cleared up. The E and A string sound great. The G string is still a little flat up high, but much better, and I think it'll be useable now. Not sure, but I might have to tune it slightly sharp to bring the high notes up. Hopefully this will work. I haven't had a chance to gig it yet.

I was surprised at the volume of the Hutchinson model since it has no sound hole. It's not quite as loud as the mahogany bass, but it's very usable for practice. The Thunderguts help with the volume. I like the cutaway more than expected. If you play up high, and are lucky enough to have a U-Bass that plays in tune up there, it gives you much better access to those frets.

The mahogany bass I've been using has the hard case and the Hutchinson model comes with the gig bag. I prefer the gig bag. The zipper is tight on the hard foam case and there are several screws holding it all together that I've had to tighten. I'd worry about stripping them over time.

I've played several U-Basses over the past several months. Like most here, I love this little thing. I have to mention, however, that the quality is not first rate. You really don't want to look to closely at the craftsmanship because you will find rough spots. I realize that these are mass produced instruments and accept the inconsistencies for the price. But like many others, I plan to play this bass a lot and would love to have an instrument that is dialed in.

For the time being, this bass will do what I want it to.

 

[scotch]

You know, I've experienced many of the little issues that some of you have: intonation, little finish gripes, loose jack, etc.- but I still think these things are ridiculously good values for the money! Sure, it would be great to have spotless finishes and dead-on intonation (although thats pretty tough with scale lengths this short & giant strings!), but I'm still shocked at how little money such a useful instrument is.

I think if you want a detailed & spotless collectors quality piece, you need to go custom- not production.

 

[Timmy-Watts]

You know, I've experienced many of the little issues that some of you have: intonation, little finish gripes, loose jack, etc.- but I still think these things are ridiculously good values for the money! Sure, it would be great to have spotless finishes and dead-on intonation (although thats pretty tough with scale lengths this short & giant strings!), but I'm still shocked at how little money such a useful instrument is.

I think if you want a detailed & spotless collectors quality piece, you need to go custom- not production.

I have been very fortunate to have gotten a first production run hog fretless. The pickup went bad and they replaced it. But everything else is way worth the price paid. I am closing in on 5 figures with this instrument alone during my ownership of it. And I don't even play music full time anymore.

Both my Cali solids were very nice, including finish and intonation. But still had quirks that were just matters of personal preference. I sold both, and am now having a custom built that will address every issue I had with te solids. Some things you just gotta have the way you want them.

 

[dougness]

You know, I've experienced many of the little issues that some of you have: intonation, little finish gripes, loose jack, etc.- but I still think these things are ridiculously good values for the money! Sure, it would be great to have spotless finishes and dead-on intonation (although thats pretty tough with scale lengths this short & giant strings!), but I'm still shocked at how little money such a useful instrument is.

I think if you want a detailed & spotless collectors quality piece, you need to go custom- not production.

Yes. I hope I didn't sound like I was complaining. I knew what to expect when I ordered my Ubass. I'm very happy with it. If I get to the point that I need to have a custom, spot-on, version, I'll have one built. In the meantime, I'm having a good time with this one and am very happy to have it.

Having said that, I can't wait to see what Tim's got in the works.

 

[SBassman]

More SUB talk.

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[imperialbari]

I am new to the UBass and even newer to this board, but I have been involved with musical instruments since 1958.

It is with the outmost interest I read the UBass megathreads. Starting from the beginning of the first part, but that would take me long time to get to the newest information, so I started reading part 4 backwards.

I noted the problems with slipping of the Pahoehoe strings, and when tuning up last night I had such experience myself. As soon as the pitch stability gets dubious I look for double-layered windings on the tuning posts. I had corrected that successfully with the E, A and D strings. And thought I had succeeded with the G string also. At any rate I trimmed the surplus from all 4 strings, when the G string slipped. I haven’t come to buy spare strings like with my other plucked string instruments, so I had to find a solution as the string wasn’t long enough to make a knotted loop like suggested by Kala.

Fortunately I have learned about knots many decades ago even if I don’t know their English names. A single knot like this one would slip:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/l80agh6be5cvjom/2012-08-12%2003.23.45.jpg

So I made the first loop of a surgical knot, that is about taking the end through the loop once more:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/eiur39lbfwgqeey/2012-08-12%2003.24.11.jpg

That knot will not slip when tightened, and it will not slip through the slot of the tuning post.

I am going to experiment with Thundergut strings also, even if I find Aquila strings for ukuleles and guitar a bit stiff on my fingers. There I prefer Worth. But from Worth’s own description they are not radically different from the Pahoehoe’s. And their colour doesn’t invite me either.

It has been mentioned that the Thundergut’s tend to slip when knotted below the bridge. I hope the extra winding on the knot will solve that problem.

I used an electrical cord for the illustrations. Against my expectations I couldn’t make the photos show up directly from Dropbox.

Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre in Denmark

 

[Akami]

Nice post and though I tried to get the pics to show, I think they need to come from Photubucket or another site like it.

 

[dougness]

Nice post and though I tried to get the pics to show, I think they need to come from Photubucket or another site like it.

The pics show up fine for me.

Also, I just put Thunderguts on my U-Bass and they have string terminators on the bridge end. No knot is needed there.

 

[SBassman]

SUBage:

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peT7fByJUU0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os6zzBxUHYI&feature=related

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[pauliebass]

Y'all are making me want a fretless ubass. Just sayin.

 

[SBassman]

Y'all are making me want a fretless ubass. Just sayin.

Resistance is futile.

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[caeman]

Fretless is the way, the truth, and the tone.

As the Lord commanded, "Fret not."

 

[SBassman]

Fretless is the way, the truth, and the tone.

As the Lord commanded, "Fret not."

Niiiiice.