Kala UBass Megathread, Part 6

[1stnamebassist]

Thanks slaerts, thats a pretty sweet bass! I'm not sure how mine would work out with a skinny strat size neck, but i'm not in a hurry either. Nut to bridge length is 25" so I guess strings won't be a problem. First thing i'm going to do is strip the bass. It is a cheap 50.00 Wmart special, so i'm not too worried about messing up. I need to build a nut and figure out what kind of bridge and pickup,preamp combo to use. P robably use the same tuners as the ones on the U-bass. Thanks for the input, I enjoyed reading your thread and hearing the bass!

 

[1stnamebassist]

Since this would be my first attempt at a build I was wondering if somebody could help me find where to purchase a wooden bridge with the pickup installed and perhaps the preamp that would work on a solid body? I saw some bass bridges made from brass with individual saddles that each had a piezo on each saddle, and they were fully adjustable. Would one of those work with the paehoehoe strings or would they only work with metal strings? Even the bridge and shadow pups used on the kala sub would be fine, but i'm not sure where to find them. I didn;t see them available on kalas website. I suppose I could just build a bridge and install the pickup, but I know nothing about piezos or any pickups and electronics for that matter! Please help!

 

[dougness]

Hi, I usually just lurk on this site and got account to ask this question specifically: what does the Hutch Hutchinson model sound like acoustic?
Living in Aus, I can't afford to ship a Ubass here. I have a relative going to the US and I will be shipping the Ubass to their hotel. I want to know how loud do the (cool looking) slits make the Ubass play unplugged?

Hey J_Mo, I have a Hutchinson U-Bass. I was able to compare it to a friend's hog and found that although the hog is louder acoustically, it's not much louder. The Hutchinson bass is plenty loud for practicing around the the house. So, if you like the access to the upper frets and the look of the Hutchinson bass, go for it. I really like mine and have no regrets.

I'm playing Pyramids on my bass now and they sound great, but there are no shims in my bridge so the action is higher than I'd like, and I can't lower it without routing it out. Since I don't want to do that, I'm anxiously waiting for Mimmo to get those blasted Red Thunder strings out to us. I think they're going to be the shiz.

 

[jburtonca]

I'm anxiously waiting for Mimmo to get those blasted Red Thunder strings out to us. I think they're going to be the shiz.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I've been waiting for those too. They were supposed to be available in May. No sign of them yet. Sbrigati, Mimmo!

The Thunder Reds are, from what I've heard, a little bit thinner guage but with more mass than the TGs, Rumblers and Pahoehoes. This should translate to more sustain and, hopefully, better intonation. I'm also hoping they will be less sticky than what's available now.

Jeff

 

[olitoon]

The Thunder Reds are, from what I've heard, a little bit thinner guage but with more mass than the TGs, Rumblers and Pahoehoes.

Yes, they look much thinner on the pictures. I think you mean they have a higher density. If the mass is higher or lower I don't know, but it should be more or less the same (higher mass = higher tension, lower mass = lower tension).

 

[soong]

 

[Gorn]

Nice. Pictures of the sides and back?

 

[Gorn]

Awesome ubass funk.

 

[howardcano]

I saw some bass bridges made from brass with individual saddles that each had a piezo on each saddle, and they were fully adjustable. Would one of those work with the paehoehoe strings or would they only work with metal strings?

Im interested to hear about this, also. I've got a solid body, and while the intonation seems quite good, it would still be nice to adjust each string individually for intonation and (especially) volume.

Would anyone be interested in having me design a simple preamp for the UBass, either mono or with individually adjustable volume for one-pickup-per-string? It could be quite simple and cost-effective.

 

[soong]

Nice. Pictures of the sides and back?

Will post some. In the meantime:

I just plugged it in for the first time and the output is EXTREMELY low. Received it tonight and it literally has less than an hour play time.

I had bumped it as I plugged it in at first and it was producing a good volume for around 5 seconds. Now however I am unable to get the output to a normal level. I need to turn my 500watt bass amp up to max just to barely hear it. There seems to be a problem with either the input jack or Piezo strip. Is this a known issue? What should I do?

 

[jerry]

My Kala for duo gigs:

 

[Gorn]

There was apparently a ubass competition in the Philippines.

 

[jburtonca]

Im interested to hear about this, also. I've got a solid body, and while the intonation seems quite good, it would still be nice to adjust each string individually for intonation and (especially) volume.

Would anyone be interested in having me design a simple preamp for the UBass, either mono or with individually adjustable volume for one-pickup-per-string? It could be quite simple and cost-effective.

I was considering this also. Graph Tech makes these for ABM bridges. It's their Ghost system and they sell a preamp/buffer for them as well. You would need to add trim controls for each piezo to adjust string to string volume. The existing through the body holes for the Kala could also be used. I'm not sure about exactly how everything would fit together, but it could probably be done.

Jeff

 

[jburtonca]

Yes, they look much thinner on the pictures. I think you mean they have a higher density. If the mass is higher or lower I don't know, but it should be more or less the same (higher mass = higher tension, lower mass = lower tension).

The Thunder Reds are infused with copper. That should make them heavier than the current strings, but they will still have the elasticity that is so crucial to the sound. The only way I'll be able to have my questions answered is to try them myself. Hopefully, they will be available soon.

Jeff

 

[Gorn]

The Thunder Reds are infused with copper. That should make them heavier than the current strings, but they will still have the elasticity that is so crucial to the sound. The only way I'll be able to have my questions answered is to try them myself. Hopefully, they will be available soon.

Jeff

I hope so too. But I wouldn't be surprised if they were just as disappointing as silver rumblers.

 

[pasmithy]

hi, guys...

I was interested in getting me an acoustic Ubass. After reading as many posts as I could read, I was getting the idea that some come with truss rods and some don't. It seemed that the newer acacia and mahogany models were coming with them. So I called Sweetwater to find out if the ones they had in stock had truss rods, and they told me that after checking with their tech, that they have never seen or heard of a Ubass with a truss rod...

So if anyone knows what the deal is, I'd really like to know. I would hate to buy one from somebody that didn't have a truss rod when one might be available somewhere else with.

I don't know if it's OK to ask, but if you guys that have the acoustic Ubass with the truss rod could tell me where you bought it that would be great. Thanks

 

[Gorn]

The earliest models had no truss rod, later models had a non adjustable truss rod, and everything after that has an adjustable truss rod. What the sweetwater guy said seems strange cuz I doubt they're selling the original models. Regardless, it's a short and stubby neck with super low tension strings, so it's not entirely necessary.

 

[pasmithy]

OK guys...

Broke down and called Kala. I know some have had some problems with cs. But they were very nice and helpful to me. They told me that mid 2012 models on, except HH models have them.

I guess the guys couldn't be bothered to check the ones in their warehouse...LOL

Figured I'd post an answer in case anyone else was wondering.

 

[pasmithy]

Thanks 3234718...

I was thinking the same thing and am leaning towards the HH model, anyway. I was just looking for clarity.

 

[Gorn]

I've always heard sweetwaters customer service was second to none. You may have gotten the one douche who works there. But then again, ubasses can be inconsistent in both stock features and build quality.