Kala UBass Megathread, Part 5

[jdepriest]

Anyone here win one of the Ubasses in the give away?

I DID!!!!!

It arrived Monday. It's pretty awesome. My wife bought me a Cali 5 string solid body fretless for Christmas and I won a 4 string Spruce top also fretless. I've been using the 5 string on all my jazz gigs since I got it. It's been to cold to take the upright out for gig and the Ubass fills in great. I played a 5 hour New Years Eve gig and never touched my Carvin. The strings on the spruce top haven't stabilized yet, when they do I'll take it along too.

 

[Duce-hands]

Just heard the 4 string on my travels to sam ash. OMFG!! the short scale will take some getting use to but the tone is amazing. I want one really bad. Time to save some dough

 

[Gorn]

Just heard the 4 string on my travels to sam ash. OMFG!! the short scale will take some getting use to but the tone is amazing. I want one really bad. Time to save some dough

It'll take you all of about 5 minutes to get used to. The fret spacing is basically like your finger spacing. It's fantastic.

 

[olitoon]

Yes, lap steel guitars have no frets.

If you used Pyramid wound strings rather than the polys, you're correct, they have ball ends and normal diameters so would work fine with standard bass tuners and bridges.

BUT, I just tried playing some glass slide on my s-u-b with Silver Rumblers and my spruce acoustic with Pyramids.
The wound Pyramids were very noisy from the friction of the slide, almost as bad as that old trick of scraping a pick down a wound string.

no slide, more like this



Do you like the Pyramid strings? I think I'm leaning towards the rubber strings, but I only know the Pyramids from a few youtube videos. I like the sound of the Thunderguts.

 

[davewave]

^^^
I see, I had forgotten Healey's technique, never imagined applying it to bass.

Yeah, I'm quite happy with the Pyramids for what they are, conventional bass guitar strings that fit these instruments.
Check some of my recent posts.

Flat wound or tape wound would be even better.

 

[rulyongo]

I got a question, maybe it has been answered before, but here it goes: Can you use a classical guitar strap with the U-bass? The type of strap that you put in the sound hole of the guitar.

Thanx.

 

[imperialbari]

I got a question, maybe it has been answered before, but here it goes: Can you use a classical guitar strap with the U-bass? The type of strap that you put in the sound hole of the guitar.

I woud not recommend placing any sort of hook in the soundhole.

I have two types of straps: fat leather for bass guitars and slim nylon with slim leather fittings for my Martin Backpacker guitars.

The fat leather strap will not sit on the end button of the acoustic UBasses, whereas the Martin strap sits well there. As for strap support in the other end please see here:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/kala-ubass-megathread-part-5-a-933305/index2.html#post13476252

Klaus

 

[jburtonca]

I got a question, maybe it has been answered before, but here it goes: Can you use a classical guitar strap with the U-bass? The type of strap that you put in the sound hole of the guitar.

Thanx.

This is what I use with my mahogany.




Planet Waves Quick-Release Guitar Strap System

Less than $4.00.

 

[rulyongo]

Thanks guys!!!

 

[davewave]

On the butt end with the output jack, I use a lace knotted through the strap with a loop around the strap button.
Otherwise you need to punch a larger diameter hole in the leather end of a conventional guitar strap to make it fit.

 

[pauliebass]

Mandolin straps work great also.

 

[olitoon]

^^^
I see, I had forgotten Healey's technique, never imagined applying it to bass.

I had the idea just a couple of days ago. It will be an experiment . I guess it needs some practicing to get used to it, but it should be easier to play with the 21" strings than it is with standard long scale strings. The tension of the Pyramids is comparable to regular light guitar strings (0.010 ... 0.046).

 

[olitoon]

I think you should consider contacting Kala directly for the tuners. Their intention is to stock all parts eventually. Not sure where they are with that, ...

Good hint. Kala wrote me, that tuners should be available through their website soon . I couldn't find a source in Europe.

 

[SBassman]

As far as the straps, let me recommend a plain old acoustic guitar strap. Endpin on one side, lace around the neck/head on the other. Done.

[Don't do anything with the soundhole, cuz you might be taking some of the top of the body with you someday.]

 

[Gorn]

I use this

 

[MasterMonkeyMan]

This is what I use with my mahogany.


View attachment 317767

Planet Waves Quick-Release Guitar Strap System

Less than $4.00.

+1
I use that at the nut and this at the butt:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Works just fine.

 

[SBassman]

I use this

Great recommendation. Thanks. I'm getting one.

 

[SBassman]

Silver Rumblers are back in stock at the Kala store, for those of you who were waiting for them. I was, and I just ordered. They have a discount in place, so if you type TWENTY13 at checkout, you'll get discounted from 24.99 to 19.99. Get em while you can.

 

[Kuroth]

Silver Rumblers are back in stock at the Kala store, for those of you who were waiting for them. I was, and I just ordered. They have a discount in place, so if you type TWENTY13 at checkout, you'll get discounted from 24.99 to 19.99. Get em while you can.

So what is cool about them? I just ordered some..

 

[Gorn]

They're super stable and have higher tension. And if your fingers are chemically compatible with them, the stickyness isn't a problem, from what I hear. Unfortunately my fingertips are silverrumblerphobic.

There are tonal differences too.