Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Kala UBass Megathread, Part 4
- Thread starter smperry
- Start date
- Status
SBassman said:
I can only speak to the ghs set which is tapped over rounds, so yes, they are less stiff.
Yeah, mine's still on original pahoehoe strings. I've seen a few threads on custom builds but they gloss over tuners. It looks like Tim is getting custom Hipshots from Kala.
If you are looking for their tuners, contact Kala.
I think their intention is to offer the parts eventually.
I think their intention is to offer the parts eventually.
Downunderwonder said:
Correct, I bought the Hipshots for full retail price from Kala, along with bridges, pickups, etc. Mark was good enough to fill my order before the web store is operational with those items. There are 3 different sizes and each is either lefty or righty.
Update: Paehoehoes are back on the hog.
Roadtoad has them listed at 90 bucks. Not bad for hipshots but kinda more than I want to chuck at a retirement present for my Mum.
She plays in a old folks uke group and got hold of my fretless, struggled with her arthritic fingers to do any better than a 5 year old might, but loved the sound. I'm sure she will be walking the mad thing on a fretted in no time as she reads and plays piano and uke. Hell, she sings too, she might get more gigs than me!
600Nz for a spruce ain't happening
She plays in a old folks uke group and got hold of my fretless, struggled with her arthritic fingers to do any better than a 5 year old might, but loved the sound. I'm sure she will be walking the mad thing on a fretted in no time as she reads and plays piano and uke. Hell, she sings too, she might get more gigs than me!
600Nz for a spruce ain't happening
Give or take AUD$450 delivered from the US on e-bay to Australia, couldn't be much more than that to NZ?
Nz dollars aren't worth near as much as Aussie plus we get stung GST on the instrument + freight value. And Customs Ag. inspection fees.
I have occasional flare ups of having to experiment with Stuff.
Usually these experiments ends up in - failure, and, loss of money.
You've got that right.
No, you really don't need to.
I'm really digging my pahoeoes on mine again (of course the Silver Rumblers are on order).
Yup.
I speak from experience, because I'm crazier than you, maybe.
I had an old set of Rotosound 88s with a B string laying around, tried them on the U-Bass.
FAIL. Don't wrap around the posts worth a damn, tension is wrong.
I broke a LaBella wrapped Beatle Bass nylon trying it on a 28.5 scale.
They warn you never to put the wrapped portion around a peg, but did I listen?
Try some Pyramids and live with the roundwound feel and string noise.
And join me in petitioning Pyramid to wrap those rascals in some black nylon for u-bass, and do a set the proper length for S-U-Bs.
Try some Pyramids and live with the roundwound feel and string noise.
And join me in petitioning Pyramid to wrap those rascals in some black nylon for u-bass, and do a set the proper length for S-U-Bs.
You're right.
Is there a way to put the Pyramids on a SUB?
Tried it.
Used an old Fender bridge that I gutted for a stop tailpiece.
FAIL. Got the wound portion of the string to align properly, but never could get the buzz out of the E string.
Consequence- extra holes in my s-u-b.
No big deal.
Gave it up as an experiment that wasn't worth pursuing further, decided to learn to love poly strings on my s-u-b and keep the Pyramids on the u-bass.
For now.
Link Removed
The link will take you to my Yahoo-based project of free music downloads.
The introduction says:
Johann Sebastian Bach
Cello Suite in G Minor BWV 1007
(transposed to B Major)
Prélude Allemande Courante Sarabande Menuet I & II Gique
Setting for the Kala UBass (or potentially for any bass tuned to EADG) by Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre (2012)
As told in other contexts a tiny contrabass instrument in form of the Kala UBass entered my home in late July of 2012. It is shaped and sized close to a baritone ukulele. It is its special strings and its electrical amplification that make it sound astonishingly similar to a plucked upright bass. Its 21 scale is much kinder on my hands than is my upright bass, so I started toying around on the UBass. Melody playing is quite easy and it is hard to avoid testing its chord capabilities because the frets are so short. You may have seen my simple arrangements of a few hymns, a kids tune, and a spiritual. (Plus some dances from some of the other cello suites by Bach).
I never played Bach on any string instruments, but I have been woodshedding several movements from his cello suites a few decades ago. On the trombone! That took the faking of the multiple stops that come so naturally to the cello. The UBass is tuned to fourths as opposed to the fifths of the cello, which allows for a much gentler editing of the multiple stops than with the trombone. Bach uses the highest and the lowest notes very expressively, so I didnt want to change their relative positions. Hence these dances from the G Major suite have been transposed to B Major allowing this suite to match the range of the acoustic UBass exactly: low E to high B.
This transposition implies one not very desirable notational element, the double sharp, which is anything but friendly towards the reading musician. However it has been kept rather than resorting to rewrites not reflecting the tonal progression.
The appoggiaturas and trills have been written out according to baroque performance practices. However you may easily find recordings of cello interpretations done in each their own and very different fashion. Which is part of the liberal baroque practice. This edition is rather kept on the simple side. Another part of baroque practice is the liberal attitude towards omitting or adding movements, as long as some unity of tonality is kept. Pick the movements you can play. Match them with other relevant movements. One suggestion might be movements from my transcription from the C Minor Suite, which are transposed to E Minor.
If the double through quadruple stops are awkward, one or more of the lower notes may be omitted, yet they are important in defining the tonality and as sound effects. The four-note chords may be strummed rather than plucked thereby reflecting the cellos bowing.
The tablature transcription goes for as few position shifts as possible, yet the performer should modify his/hers fingerings as needed for personal comfort. The tempo indications are guidelines only. The layout has given high priority to the absence of page turns rather than paper economy. Place up to 3 pages next to each other on your stand.
Korsør - September 22nd - 2012
Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre Bassbone Music
The link will take you to my Yahoo-based project of free music downloads.
The introduction says:
Johann Sebastian Bach
Cello Suite in G Minor BWV 1007
(transposed to B Major)
Prélude Allemande Courante Sarabande Menuet I & II Gique
Setting for the Kala UBass (or potentially for any bass tuned to EADG) by Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre (2012)
As told in other contexts a tiny contrabass instrument in form of the Kala UBass entered my home in late July of 2012. It is shaped and sized close to a baritone ukulele. It is its special strings and its electrical amplification that make it sound astonishingly similar to a plucked upright bass. Its 21 scale is much kinder on my hands than is my upright bass, so I started toying around on the UBass. Melody playing is quite easy and it is hard to avoid testing its chord capabilities because the frets are so short. You may have seen my simple arrangements of a few hymns, a kids tune, and a spiritual. (Plus some dances from some of the other cello suites by Bach).
I never played Bach on any string instruments, but I have been woodshedding several movements from his cello suites a few decades ago. On the trombone! That took the faking of the multiple stops that come so naturally to the cello. The UBass is tuned to fourths as opposed to the fifths of the cello, which allows for a much gentler editing of the multiple stops than with the trombone. Bach uses the highest and the lowest notes very expressively, so I didnt want to change their relative positions. Hence these dances from the G Major suite have been transposed to B Major allowing this suite to match the range of the acoustic UBass exactly: low E to high B.
This transposition implies one not very desirable notational element, the double sharp, which is anything but friendly towards the reading musician. However it has been kept rather than resorting to rewrites not reflecting the tonal progression.
The appoggiaturas and trills have been written out according to baroque performance practices. However you may easily find recordings of cello interpretations done in each their own and very different fashion. Which is part of the liberal baroque practice. This edition is rather kept on the simple side. Another part of baroque practice is the liberal attitude towards omitting or adding movements, as long as some unity of tonality is kept. Pick the movements you can play. Match them with other relevant movements. One suggestion might be movements from my transcription from the C Minor Suite, which are transposed to E Minor.
If the double through quadruple stops are awkward, one or more of the lower notes may be omitted, yet they are important in defining the tonality and as sound effects. The four-note chords may be strummed rather than plucked thereby reflecting the cellos bowing.
The tablature transcription goes for as few position shifts as possible, yet the performer should modify his/hers fingerings as needed for personal comfort. The tempo indications are guidelines only. The layout has given high priority to the absence of page turns rather than paper economy. Place up to 3 pages next to each other on your stand.
Korsør - September 22nd - 2012
Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre Bassbone Music
Folks - if you are a fan here and you have not yet subscribed to the Kala Insider Newsletter, you need to. Lots of great info flowing in that newsletter.
Check these announcements out:
Invalid Link Removed
Check these announcements out:
Invalid Link Removed
Thanks for the heads up, Frank.
I'm now a subscriber.
Didn't really need to see that hard tweed case for u-bass.
Already spent my wad on Rumblers and a u-bass t-shirt.
What a fantastic story how u-bass inspired and enabled you to play music impossible on standard scale upright.
Just printed these out.
Looks wonderful, Klaus.
A real challenge for me, but easy to navigate with the tabs under the standard notation.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the nice words!
I write stuff of the types I would have wanted being available when I taught music myself, and I am glad when some find it useful.
Many of the ensembles I directed were non-standard and I had to write and adapt the material for them. When I via web friends learned about the entity of the American church orchestra, which is anything but of a standard composition, then I was inspired to a form of arranging which I call modular.
Even if very few church orchestras have full sections of any instrument type, I set up first 9, since 15, different playing scores for various instruments, pitches, and clefs. None of the scores might be played by full sections, but point is that they are all compatible, so that a good director still can get a good balance and fulness by the right distribution of parts. Of course it it is obvious from my material, that I am Danish, but there are lots of stuff from America and from other European countries also.
If you are associated with school or church ensembles, it may be worth taking a look of the index of my project:
Link Removed
In general all titles are written in their original language, but there are English translations of everything, and the language of the whole project is English. My material is used on all continents but for Antarctis.
Klaus
I write stuff of the types I would have wanted being available when I taught music myself, and I am glad when some find it useful.
Many of the ensembles I directed were non-standard and I had to write and adapt the material for them. When I via web friends learned about the entity of the American church orchestra, which is anything but of a standard composition, then I was inspired to a form of arranging which I call modular.
Even if very few church orchestras have full sections of any instrument type, I set up first 9, since 15, different playing scores for various instruments, pitches, and clefs. None of the scores might be played by full sections, but point is that they are all compatible, so that a good director still can get a good balance and fulness by the right distribution of parts. Of course it it is obvious from my material, that I am Danish, but there are lots of stuff from America and from other European countries also.
If you are associated with school or church ensembles, it may be worth taking a look of the index of my project:
Link Removed
In general all titles are written in their original language, but there are English translations of everything, and the language of the whole project is English. My material is used on all continents but for Antarctis.
Klaus
- Status
