Kala UBass Megathread, Part 4

[dougness]

I played my first gig on my Hutchinson U-Bass today. (This is going to sound very familiar.)

I was backing several different guitarists playing Jazz standards at an outdoor gig. Everyone was blown away by the sound of the bass. Playing through my main rig (Little Mark II and Schroeder 212 cab) was very different from practicing at home. Wow, what huge, killer tone. I had an Ibanez bass EQ pedal from the '80s that I used some to fatten it up, but I didn't need it. At one point, I switched to a standard electric bass guitar and the leader asked me to switch back to the U-Bass. Crazy!

Needless to say, I'm very impressed and very happy.

 

[SBassman]

I played my first gig on my Hutchinson U-Bass today. (This is going to sound very familiar.)

I was backing several different guitarists playing Jazz standards at an outdoor gig. Everyone was blown away by the sound of the bass. Playing through my main rig (Little Mark II and Schroeder 212 cab) was very different from practicing at home. Wow, what huge, killer tone. I had an Ibanez bass EQ pedal from the '80s that I used some to fatten it up, but I didn't need it. At one point, I switched to a standard electric bass guitar and the leader asked me to switch back to the U-Bass. Crazy!

Needless to say, I'm very impressed and very happy.

Way to go. Outstanding.

Yeah - sometimes I even forget, when I don't have a gig for a while, how massive the tone can be. At home, I'm often practicing at very low volume. This past weekend, I had my little GK MB112 turned up a bit more than normal, while listening to these new UBass strings I am checking out. I was knocking the roof off my house with incredible, fat tone.

I told someone offline: once I get a Kala solidbody, I'm putting the steel string away, and I'm playing the UBass exclusively. I'll play the solidbody most of the time, and the acoustic will be the back up.

 

[spigmu]

I own 2 U-Basses, a mahogany and a spruce. Acoustically they maybe sound about 20% different. Plugged in, maybe 5%.

Scotch, thanks a bunch for the concise words. This is exactly what I was assuming, but only assuming.

I've been unable to find any lefty fretless in stock anywhere, so this is all I need to know to order up a spruce and then upgrade to a mahogany if so inspired down the road. But now I don't feel I need to go straight to the probably less available better wood for a L F. , since I will nearly always be amped, and then see how I feel down the road should I get my hands on a mahogany.

Thanks!

 

[scotch]

Scotch, thanks a bunch for the concise words. This is exactly what I was assuming, but only assuming.

I've been unable to find any lefty fretless in stock anywhere, so this is all I need to know to order up a spruce and then upgrade to a mahogany if so inspired down the road. But now I don't feel I need to go straight to the probably less available better wood for a L F. , since I will nearly always be amped, and then see how I feel down the road should I get my hands on a mahogany.

Thanks!

I like how the mahogany looks, but the spruce arguably sounds 'better'. The difference isn't huge, especially plugged in through amplification. The tuners and intonation on my mahagony are a little better, but again not a big deal!

I probably wouldn't have bought the 'hog, but it intonated the best of any fretted I've tried & I lucked out and got it at the cheaper spruce price. I'm still planning on defretting my spruce, so I have the option.

 

[Gorn]

Speaking of the spruce-top vs the hog, I wonder if the hog age better because it's all solid wood? I've always heard a laminate wood guitar of any kind will never improve with age. Will a hog ubass you pass down to your kids 20 years from now sound any better than it does today, but a sprucetop won't?

I like how the mahogany looks, but the spruce arguably sounds 'better'. The difference isn't huge, especially plugged in through amplification. The tuners and intonation on my mahagony are a little better, but again not a big deal!

I probably wouldn't have bought the 'hog, but it intonated the best of any fretted I've tried & I lucked out and got it at the cheaper spruce price. I'm still planning on defretting my spruce, so I have the option.

 

[scotch]

Speaking of the spruce-top vs the hog, I wonder if the hog age better because it's all solid wood? I've always heard a laminate wood guitar of any kind will never improve with age. Will a hog ubass you pass down to your kids 20 years from now sound any better than it does today, but a sprucetop won't?

Well, I believe all the spruce tops are solid as well.

Honestly, I suspect that the U-Basses tone will be less affected by wood seasoning. There's just not a lot of tension really 'driving' the top. That, and there is less tonal complexity than an acoustic guitar. Imo, naturally!

 

[caeman]

Gretsch guitars are laminate topped. I have never heard of a Gretsch from 1960 losing value.

 

[scotch]

Gretsch guitars are laminate topped. I have never heard of a Gretsch from 1960 losing value.

The solid vs. laminate top discussion has nothing to do with value, just that solid wood topped acoustic instruments generally have far better potential to sound better with age than a laminate topped acoustic instrument.

 

[spigmu]

The solid vs. laminate top discussion has nothing to do with value, just that solid wood topped acoustic instruments generally have far better potential to sound better with age than a laminate topped acoustic instrument.

Also laminate vs solid as far as electrics of any kind, like the Gretch's is a whole other world. Some of the most widely used quality archtop and/or hollow body electrics have been laminate. There are several reasons why many prefer it to solid tops.

Acoustics are a different story. The U Bass is still another, since the pickup is internal. Likely not to change "perceptively" in sound over the years when used plugged in, even if the acoustic sound does. But that's just guessing.

 

[miiitch]

cheers

anyone in here who sometimes plays in D standard with these?
i play mine in Eb all the time, but D really is too floppy ... need it though.
do they sell strings suitable for that tuning?

response from Ryan at Kala:

The E string can play in D but I agree, it’s almost too floppy. The five string set actually has thicker strings all together, but if you were to use the intended “B” string I think tuning to D may be too tight for the diameter. The Aquilas may work since they seem to be a harder material so the E may withstand a good tension in D tuning. There is all the pyramids if you don’t mind the cost and the twangy metal sound.

Greetings Ryan,

if I understood correctly, the E strings of a 4er and 5er set are not the same?
In that case, I would try using its EADG without even touching the B string.

They are different but the 4 string set actually has a thicker E than the 5 string. The 5 comes in at 4.7mm and the 4 at 5mm. [...] just a smidge over 6mm for the B.

might contain useful information for some

 

[SBassman]

Interesting. I didn't know that the E of the 5 string set was different.

 

[miiitch]

neither did i

so who´s gonna try the B string set tuned to D?

 

[davewave]

stock pahoehoes.

i´d fear killing the TG in no time, because i use a (felt) pick .. maybe they stretch at the bridge when plucked too hard ?

In my opinion, you would have nothing to worry about.
I think you would wear out many felt picks before you damaged a TG.
A light touch is always best with these basses, however.

I think at some point every ubass owner would want to try a set of Aquilas.

And I'll put in another word here about the Pyramid wound strings. They continue to delight me on my fretted spruce.

Imagine picking up your bass after three days rest and not needing to tune it. Imagine being able to sustain a note...
There are trade-offs in tone and feel, but they are an option worthy of consideration.

I tuned my Pyramid E down to D to try it for you, it's as you might expect, a little floppier and a little less accurate in intonation. You would have to judge for yourself...

 

[davewave]

neither did i

so who´s gonna try the B string set tuned to D?

Sounds like you volunteered.

 

[Timmy-Watts]

Interesting. I didn't know that the E of the 5 string set was different.

They are all different.
Stock 4 string set:
E .200
A .187
D .156
G .125

Stock 5 string set (remember 23.5" scale on these):
B .236
E .187
A .162
D .139
G .118
The E-G strings in this set are a slightly different polyethylene formula and the low B is a different material altogether.

 

[miiitch]

In my opinion, you would have nothing to worry about.
I think you would wear out many felt picks before you damaged a TG.
A light touch is always best with these basses, however.

[...]

I tuned my Pyramid E down to D to try it for you, it's as you might expect, a little floppier and a little less accurate in intonation. You would have to judge for yourself...

well, I´m not able to play lightly with a pick ... not at "reasonable" speed. That´s why I was worrying about the TG.
if I could ... surely I would. Light touch means fingers only.


instead of using steel strings on the UBass, I´d simply play my big E, so these are out anyway.

Sounds like you volunteered.

uhm ... maybe next year.

 

[davewave]

They are all different.

Stock 5 string set (remember 23.5" scale on these):

I had forgotten that, thanks.

The E-G strings in this set are a slightly different polyethylene formula and the low B is a different material altogether.

That explains the diameter differences that had me wondering.

The physics and chemistry involved in producing non-wound strings is fascinating.

The owner of Aquila posts on a ukulele forum sometimes, he's constantly experimenting, as demonstrated by the video posted here of prototype ThunderGuts on a full-size bass.

He just released non-wound low strings for uke using a new concept-- copper powder incorporated in the plastic makes them more dense so they don't need to be as thick.

 

[Timmy-Watts]

Strung up the fretless Hog with the Silver Rumblers. Spent about an hour acoustically and preliminary indications are that they seem very promising. Things I did not like about the ThunderGuts are better in these so far. After logging more time and a gig on Saturday I'll post a very in-depth review, as well as some YouTube if I get some good footage.

 

[imperialbari]

As I cannot buy strings for my UBass in my own country, I want as much information as possible before I place orders. Planning is mandatory if shipping costs shall be kept reasonable.

The posting above here is the first place I saw about Silver Rumblers. One blog tells Kala sells them now, but I didn’t find them in the Kala web-store.

Please provide some references/info/links.

Klaus

 

[dougness]

Strung up the fretless Hog with the Silver Rumblers. Spent about an hour acoustically and preliminary indications are that they seem very promising. Things I did not like about the ThunderGuts are better in these so far. After logging more time and a gig on Saturday I'll post a very in-depth review, as well as some YouTube if I get some good footage.

Please give us the details, Tim. Who's making these strings? I don't see any info online. What are they made of? Is the intonation good? How do they feel? Are these strings in an experimental phase, or are they soon to be available? etc., etc., etc.

Thanks, man! Looking forward to your review.