The bridge lead goes to the preamp, and then from there to the end jack socket. I'd have to take the preamp out to get anywhere, but if you guys agree it's a shielding issue then that's all I need to know... I'll let the shop take it from there.
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Nah - don't think that way. Yes - make the shop aware, but, for actual support, you're going to get it from Kala, not the shop. Most UBass dealers these days are clueless. [almost rhymes with useless.] The people at Kala are great, and they will take care of you, one way or another.
[cue Blondie tune]
I had a mahogany for a couple of days in December and I didn't recognized any humming. I had a small amp and never played it very loud, maybe I missed it. It could be a problem with the internal cabeling / solder connections or a defective guitar cable. It's not a shielding problem:
http://handmademusicclubhouse.com/forum/topics/why-does-my-piezo-hum
If you remove the batteries, does it still hum?
Can you make an audio recording of your U-Bass?
I didn't think it would be a question of pickup shielding, but maybe cable shielding..?
On removing the batteries, it sounds like the lead isn't plugged into anything.... it picks up some hum but not as loud and nothing relating to how close my hands are to the pickup.
I'll see if I get a chance to record it... getting late here!
IIRC, the cable from the pickup to the preamp is shielded. More likely a cold solder joint or a bad cable. But it doesn't matter what causes the problem, I don't believe the humming is normal. There is a Shadow preamp / pickup, that looks exactly like the one in the U-Bass. Quote from the Shadow website: "Because of the active amplification directly at the pickup and a 100% shielding of the system as a whole, Nanoflex pickups are absolutely buzz- and noise-free."
Take it back to the shop![]()
Given the last three years, there's no good reason to expect otherwise, despite what the fanboys might say.These are probably gonna be just as inconsistent as the originals.
We need to applaud anything Kala is doing to raise the bar - right when there are about a half dozen Chinese clones with no innovation about to hit the market.
So, here is my new removable travel bass uke![]()
Some of these EUBs are thousands of dollars.
My thought would be literally to take the UBass design almost as is, with the exception of the rounded fingerboard and the f holes, and bring something like that to market less than $500.
Something that still fits - in a uke case.![]()
Given the last three years, there's no good reason to expect otherwise, despite what the fanboys might say.
So, here is my new removable travel bass uke![]()
... Not too crazy about the thunder guts white finish so how do the silver rumblers stack up? Anybody favor them over the others and why?
Just received my brand new hog fretless (the older, passive model) today after a long wait.
My first observation is that the E string has much less sustain than the other strings, especially when fretted.
Structurally, I see no problems with the bass, so the question is - what is it, a bad E string, poor stringing, or just an inevitable implication of the design itself? I'll try to record a video with the bass to show what I mean. (Unplugged at this time, since I currently don't have anything suitable to plug it in.)
Thunderguts and Silver Rumblers are similar. If you like the tone of the TGs, you'll like the tone of the SRs. Right now, my favorite string for the UBass is the SR. Versatile tone, easy to string, stable in days instead of many weeks.
Just received my brand new hog fretless (the older, passive model) today after a long wait.
My first observation is that the E string has much less sustain than the other strings, especially when fretted.
Structurally, I see no problems with the bass, so the question is - what is it, a bad E string, poor stringing, or just an inevitable implication of the design itself? I'll try to record a video with the bass to show what I mean. (Unplugged at this time, since I currently don't have anything suitable to plug it in.)