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 7
- Thread starter olitoon
- Start date
Does anyone know where I can buy a set of Pahoehoe strings for a 23" bass uke?
The RoadToad site seems dead...the big box stores don't have them.
The RoadToad site seems dead...the big box stores don't have them.
a few months back I bought mine straight from Kala. They’re the 21”, but they’re stretchy enough I think they’ll be fine at 23”.
I had to trim 6-8” when done…
Have you tried any of the other synthetics from Aquila?
I no longer use synthetic strings on a small bass, but back in the day, I went deep down that rabbit hole, and I found the Aquila strings to be far superior to the Pahoehoes.
Me too, although I had limited experience with the old Thunderguts and the Rumblers. I do have a set of Thunderbrowns I'm considering putting on my fretless. But, I love the Pahoehoes on my SUB and have used them on 4 other Ubasses.fwiw… I came to the opposite conclusion.
D
This is what makes the world go round. We draw different conclusions. 
For me, if Pahoehoes were the only game, it would have chased me out of UBassland. But the Aquila strings kept me there happily for many years.
For me, if Pahoehoes were the only game, it would have chased me out of UBassland.
But the Aquila strings kept me there happily for many years.
The Aquila strings were more stable tuning than Pahoehoes, but I couldn’t use them due to stickiness.
I did get by with Thunder Browns for a while, but I just very recently (2/28/24) bought a set of Galli black nylon filament wound synthetic core strings for my 23” scale GT Micro bass. They are the best strings I’ve tried in the 15 or so years I’ve been playing some form of uke bass.
The second best for me, and still very good, are the LaBella Silverbacks, but neither the Galli’s or LaBella’s do upright tone as well as the rubber-like strings, and the Pahoehoe’s did that great without being sticky!!
If you are just “playing bass”, and not necessarily trying to duplicate upright tone, note length, etc. the Galli nylon filament wound strings should be tried. Good tone, good tension, very stable tuning.
I did get by with Thunder Browns for a while, but I just very recently (2/28/24) bought a set of Galli black nylon filament wound synthetic core strings for my 23” scale GT Micro bass. They are the best strings I’ve tried in the 15 or so years I’ve been playing some form of uke bass.
The second best for me, and still very good, are the LaBella Silverbacks, but neither the Galli’s or LaBella’s do upright tone as well as the rubber-like strings, and the Pahoehoe’s did that great without being sticky!!
If you are just “playing bass”, and not necessarily trying to duplicate upright tone, note length, etc. the Galli nylon filament wound strings should be tried. Good tone, good tension, very stable tuning.
Hi all! Just got a 23 inch frettless GT micro bass. Was getting a lot of string noise with the stock thunder blacks, so I put a set of the galli flatwound strings on. String tension is quite a bit higher with these strings, and the action is now uncomfortably high. I adjusted the truss rod already, but it looks like the saddle needs to be lowered. How is that done on one of these basses?
Anyone else successfully using the Gallis with a GT micro bass?
Anyone else successfully using the Gallis with a GT micro bass?
Update on this. There is a spacer under the piezo pickup, but that only lowers the action a mm or so. I decided to revert to the stock thunderblacks. The Galli flatwounds had too much tension for me at a 23 inch scale. I imagine they would be more comfortable at a standard 20 inch scale. YMMV.
Last edited:
The E on my Ubass randomly snapped while I wasn’t enough playing it the other day. Literally just sitting down watching TV and I hear a ‘ploink,’ look over and the Thunderbrown E had broken at the bridge. Now to go through the hassle of picking new strings and the absolute horror of installing them.
My sympathies.
Honestly, for the install - I got a child to reach in the sound hole and put the strings through the bridge. Saved tons of time.
These are also available in ubass scale size:
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/guitar-scale-acoustic-basses.1359676/page-99#post-28358982
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/guitar-scale-acoustic-basses.1359676/page-99#post-28358982
I'm a little curious...although not sure about the longer scale, I've been playing the original size (20") for 7 years? The new solid bodies have magnetic pickups and a 23.5" scale.
I have a 23” scale Hadean acoustic uke bass and vastly prefer it over shorter scales. Intonation and string tension are better and IMO so is the tone.
I tried fretted and fretless versions of the new Kala solid 4 strings are really didn’t care for the tone. The construction was only okay. I might have liked them better with flats, I dunno, first time playing an electric bass that small. My Squier Mini P is 5” longer scale but significantly better sounding. And yet I still want one of the Kalas.
I tried fretted and fretless versions of the new Kala solid 4 strings are really didn’t care for the tone. The construction was only okay. I might have liked them better with flats, I dunno, first time playing an electric bass that small. My Squier Mini P is 5” longer scale but significantly better sounding. And yet I still want one of the Kalas.
