Kala UBass Megathread, Part 6

[vHarmonic]

Davewave's ears are gonna be burning now.

I followed his lead and modified the bridge on my SUB to properly accommodate the Pryramid strings.

Jeff

Just curious about what modifications you did? It looks in the photo like you lowered the bridge and maybe shaved the saddles down a bit?

 

[jburtonca]

Just curious about what modifications you did? It looks in the photo like you lowered the bridge and maybe shaved the saddles down a bit?

I didn't do anything to the saddles, I filed down the underside of the bridge at both ends where the adjustment thumbscrews are located. I also filed down the top of the thumbscrew post that fits into the underside of the bridge so that it sits lower.

See Davewave's post here:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/kala-ubass-megathread-part-6-a-964655/index20.html#post14374923

Jeff

 

[vHarmonic]

I didn't do anything to the saddles, I filed down the underside of the bridge at both ends where the adjustment thumbscrews are located. I also filed down the top of the thumbscrew post that fits into the underside of the bridge so that it sits lower.

See Davewave's post here:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/kala-ubass-megathread-part-6-a-964655/index20.html#post14374923

Jeff

Hey thanks, I missed that post somehow.

 

[Double E]

My lovely wife bought me an early Christmas present. A wonderful S-U-B in cherryburst!

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[1stnamebassist]

How is the intonation on that wonderful looking SUB you have there? I'm thinking of getting one to go along with my fretless hog.

 

[bluebird28]

Linn, before you pull the trigger Gold Tone is also coming out with a solid body bass with the ThunderGut strings. Check out this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvr7nOgvpfw

Watch till the end and he shows the new solid body version. These guys are here:

Cadon Technical Sales Company
Manufacturers Representatives
Serving your needs in Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska,
Kansas and Southern Illinois
for over 36 years.

 

[mongo2]

Linn, before you pull the trigger Gold Tone is also coming out with a solid body bass with the ThunderGut strings. Check out this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvr7nOgvpfw

I like the longer scale on those.

 

[tymbrewolf]

Gold tone does not call them thunder guts. Still loving the micro bass. G string is under more tension or so it seems. Good volume too. I used to have a solid cedar top acoustic jumbo body bass. Just about as much volume. I

 

[bluebird28]

Where have you guys purchased your Thunder Gut strings?

 

[mongo2]

Where have you guys purchased your Thunder Gut strings?

I bought them online. Amazon has them.

 

[bluebird28]

Thank you Mongo2 I appreciate the prompt reply.

 

[1stnamebassist]

Hi Bluebird! The name is Glenn by the way, and yes I saw the video and spoke to the folks at Goldtone last week and was told their solid body would hopefully be available in January. My concern is if I can use the Paehoehoes on it. I'm not a fan of Thunderguts or Silver Rumblers, they are too sticky and squeaky for me. They did not say either way if you could use different strings than what they offer so thats my concern at this time. I'm hoping someone who owns a Goldtone and has used Thunderguts on a u-bass can tell me if they are pretty much the same string or if they are somehow different.

 

[jburtonca]

Hi Bluebird! The name is Glenn by the way, and yes I saw the video and spoke to the folks at Goldtone last week and was told their solid body would hopefully be available in January. My concern is if I can use the Paehoehoes on it. I'm not a fan of Thunderguts or Silver Rumblers, they are too sticky and squeaky for me. They did not say either way if you could use different strings than what they offer so thats my concern at this time. I'm hoping someone who owns a Goldtone and has used Thunderguts on a u-bass can tell me if they are pretty much the same string or if they are somehow different.

Road Toad Music makes the Pahoehoe strings. They have a set for 22.5" to 24" instruments.

http://www.bassuke.com/string_store.html

Jeff

 

[Gorn]

I have a acoustic fretted microbass on order from Sam ash. I plan on putting pahoehoe's on it. I'm sure the microbass strings are the same as aquila thunderguts, which are a squeaky and sticky mess for most people.

 

[Double E]

How is the intonation on that wonderful looking SUB you have there? I'm thinking of getting one to go along with my fretless hog.

The intonation is good, not dead-nuts perfect but very playable. I am going to have tons of fun with this baby, I will post some vids using it in a full band situation.

 

[SBassman]

I'm also exploring the Gold Tone MicroBass, so I'll be able to say more soon, too.

Here are my guesses at this point:

1. The MicroBass strings are probably made in a similar way to the Thunderguts, but they are also probably tweaked for the different scale, making them not identical to Thunderguts.

2. As someone pointed out, there are Pahoehoes for scales longer than the 21 inch UBass, so, in all likelihood, Pahoehoes will work on the MicroBass.

And now my editorial two cents:

Don't give up on the MicroBass/Thundergut strings so quickly. I truly believe they are far superior to the Pahoehoes. Honestly, if the Pahoehoes were the only game in town, I wouldn't have remained in the UBass world. They are the biggest pain to put on and get to stability. They are only marginally better than Ashbory strings, in my book. [which were a disaster]

The Aquilas are stable in 1/10th the time, and I think they they have tone that can be used for many more situations than the Pahoehoes. If you are one of the few who experiences the tackiness, get a tiny billiards talc bag, and this won't be a big deal.

Life is too short to hassle with Pahoehoes.

 

[howardcano]

Where have you guys purchased your Thunder Gut strings?

Dr. Cluck on Ebay has them darn cheap! The 5 string set is only $2 more than the 4 string set, so that's what I bought, even though I didn't end up using the heaviest string (which is red) on my 5 string.

 

[vHarmonic]

I'm sure the microbass strings are the same as aquila thunderguts, which are a squeaky and sticky mess for most people.

This guy has is 100% correct. I replaced the stock strings on my GT micro bass with a 5 string set of Aquila Thunderguts. The thunderguts and the stock strings are exactly the same in tone, tension, feel, stickiness and looks. I used a 5 string set becouse they are 23" scale. I think a 21" set would have worked just fine as I cut off a good 3" when I installed them. I personally would have no hesitation in installing pahoehoe's on my micro bass, but I like the tuning stability of thunderguts.

Just out of curiosity though, does anyone have experience with the different tensions available for pahoehoe's. I think road toad had a light and a medium tension set.

 

[1stnamebassist]

I couldn't stand the Silver Rumbler, Thundergut strings. I tried all kinds of powders including the talc bags and I was putting powder on the strings every two minutes so it got old real quick. I've been using Paehoehoes for at least 6 months and I love them, and they sound incredible in a mix of electric and acoustic guitars and keyboards. My concern with the Goldtone would be how you can get the paehoehoes on it. I believe the Goldtone doesn't have a hatch in the back, so somehow you will have to thread them through the sound hole and up through the bridge, which i'm thinking would require some special magic to do. I think cutting the end off and tying a knot would be quite a trick with paehoehoes also. I'm hoping the solid body comes out soon. That one probably just goes through the back of the body.

 

[tymbrewolf]

When I bought low tension for my ashbory, they threw in Med tension a&e which are the only different ones. The low tension are generally for shorter scales or offer more sustain. They are sticky. If you have an ashbory and like that small scale, you would like it with the Med tension fine IMHO. As stated before, anything including thunderguts would void the 5 year warranty for an honest person.