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Kala UBass Megathread, Part 7

#361
Well, the uBass experiment continues..

Looks like I'm gonna put back on my dread colored pahoehoes as well for the time being.. at least until the the new E string comes from Germany - I find that now that the pahoehoes are properly stretched (about 3 weeks from being new), I can try other strings, and then easily put the pahoehoes back on if I want to without much of a tuning issue
 
#362
I have pyramid rounds that I tried on my fretless hog a few months back, but I took them off right away. If I remember right they were too low on my bass. I tried putting some small pieces of plastic strip I found in the nut to try and lift them a bit which helped some, and now that I have a fretted microbass with Paehoehoes I may give them a try again. Maybe I'll have to build up the nut slots or shim the bridge a bit to make it work right. Don't need two basses with Paehoehoes on them I guess!
 
#363
FunkyReggae said:
...See my pictures because the red part of the string meant for the tuner was about an inch too far up so when I started tuning up, the tuner wrapped all the way up to the actual string past the red portion. When trying to get up to pitch, the string slowly unraveled and broke...
Click to expand...

That's a shame, thanks for the heads up.
I had the same thing happen on my solid Cali with a set of rounds, post #201 of this thread.

My solution if the strings are a bit long is to use a stack of multiple brass washers at the ball end.
On my Cali I had to shorten the E and G nearly an inch, in that case I modified an electrical terminal lug and crimped it onto the the end of the string.

Another question- is the core of these strings is metal rather than silk?
If so, have either of you used a magnet to see if it attracts the tapewound strings?

If the tapewounds are made with ferrous steel, a magnetic pickup might work with them, where it won't with silk & copper roundwounds.
 
#365
davewave said:
That's a shame, thanks for the heads up.
I had the same thing happen on my solid Cali with a set of rounds, post #201 of this thread.

My solution if the strings are a bit long is to use a stack of multiple brass washers at the ball end.
Click to expand...

Ahhh I just went back and saw your picture - same thing that happened to mine. I will definitely try adding a stack of washers on the ball end once I get the replacement string in - to be honest tho, despite minor tuning issues, I much prefer the tone of the pahoehoe rubbers versus the Pyramids - but I will give them one more shot once I can try out the full set since I did pay $60 for them - if they aren't to my taste, I'll gladly sell them on here if anyone is interested PM me (I do have a set of normal acoustic Ubass Pyramids available too)

PS - I haven't done a magnet check yet
 
#366
Yah, after trying all the options, excluding the thunder reds, I'm back on pahoehoes. I restrung on Monday and I'm hoping they'll be near stable today cuz I really wanna take it to rehearsal tonight.

Throughout all the ubasses I've had, I've always been obsessive about having minimal winds around the post, but I'm starting to realize it doesn't matter all the much as long as the winds down go down past the post and bind up the tuners. If the strings overlap over themselves, can it really be that bad as long as the tuner turns freely?

I took this picture of a ubass at samash a few years ago. Look at this A string. That's awful and would eventually break the tuner off. But is the D string a problem? It's wrapping around itself, but it's not binding the tuner at all.
29mlq4y.jpg
 
#367
^^ I agree with your thoughts about the winds, as long as they don't block the tuning mechanism

Also, now after some experience with the pahoehoes, I find they work best if you stretch them as close to actual pitch as possible or within a half step or so (helps to have a clip on tuner for this part)
 
#368
I had a couple of hours this morning to mess around.I still like my leather armrests. But, if I leave the bass hanging for a while, the suction cup lets loose. So I revamped my initial one to use smaller than dime size strong magnets.Two thicknesses of foam with circle cut outs in the first layer. Two batteries on side and one on top. It is very secure. Batteries are loose at this point inside so I can't take it off. Without a little time putting back on. I will stick them on with some kind of putty or poster staytac or two sided tape etc to be non perm. It works quite well and so simple if you don't like a sharp guitar edge.
 
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#372
Until time ends, bassists will argue about what strings are the best. The correct answer is always, "<inserts strings> are my personal favorite." But fo the sake of complete information, it is good for a bassists to list what they do not like about strings they have tried, so we have a common point of reference.
 
#373
caeman said:
Until time ends, bassists will argue about what strings are the best. The correct answer is always, "<inserts strings> are my personal favorite." But fo the sake of complete information, it is good for a bassists to list what they do not like about strings they have tried, so we have a common point of reference.
Click to expand...

Well put.
I would only add that there seem to be a number of folks who have never tried any other u-bass strings.

That's fine, I guess, but to me it's like saying vanilla is your favorite flavor of ice cream without ever trying chocolate or strawberry, much less mocha almond fudge.

Why would you make up your mind based on some stranger's opinion on the interwebs?
"I like my generic vanilla just fine, besides Ben & Jerry's is too expensive, and I read that mocha almond fudge has nuts in it and somebody on youtube had an allergic reaction..."

It's all good, different strokes for different folks.

......................

I got the used Pyramid tapes in the mail, stay tuned.
 
#376
jburtonca said:
Does this mean a Youtube review? I hope so.:hyper:
The only Ubass strings I have not tried on my own Ubasses are the Silver Rumblers, which I tried at a local music store.

Jeff
Click to expand...

I had a mishap installing the used Pyramid tapes.
When I put the D string on, I gave it a hard tug to settle the tuning, and it broke right where the nylon wraps end and the silks begin.
Above the nut and below the tuning peg, must have been the weakest point on that particular string.

So I now have a mixed set with three steel tapewounds and one copper wound.
Actually, a more scientific setup for evaluation and comparison, just sucks for actually playing. :banghead:

First impressions, the intonation is pretty awful on the A string.
Less tension, less sustain than the wounds, a more "dead" sound.
But excellent feel and much less finger noise that wounds, and should be less susceptible to fret wear than the silvered coppers.
For the hackers interested in magnetic pickups, they are ferrous steel that are attracted by a magnet and should be useable in that application.

Without a bridge with intonation adjustment, the poor intonation may be a deal breaker.
Might work better for fretless.

I'll post some photos and a video later on.
 
#377
I would like to see a "white" nylon tapewound set of Pyramids similar to the labella tapewound, but using the current Pyramid roundwounds as the core. I don't know if this is possible but it seems like it would solve the problem of a string that has a smooth feel, intonates well and has the proper tension.
(P.S. - To the moderators; I am NOT a fan of the new formator the new mobile format.)

Jeff
 
#378
I'm going to risk flaming out here, but i can't help but think that trying to turn a U-Bass into a higher tension, steel stringed instrument runs sort-of counter to the original design and intent. I'm not sure these new parameters are going to let the instrument speak with it's best voice or potential sound. Now talk is of magnetic pickups? i don't know,.. the plastic stringed original had a distinct voice worth preserving and working with it's idiosyncrasies. On the other hand, folks are free to experiment as they wish. Who knows what might transpire.
 
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#379
scotch said:
I'm going to risk flaming out here, but i can't help but think that trying to turn a U-Bass into a higher tension, steel stringed instrument runs sort-of counter to the original design and intent. I'm not sure these new parameters are going to let the instrument speak with it's best voice or potential sound. Now talk is of magnetic pickups? i don't know,.. the plastic stringed original had a distinct voice worth preserving and working with it's idiosyncracies.è
on the other hand, folks are free to experiment as they wish. Who knows what mjght transpire.
Click to expand...

Intonation on the U-Bass is closest when strung with the Pahoehoes, which stands to reason since the instrument was designed for RoadToad's strings from the beginning. The 23" scale Gold Tone MicroBass has such bad intonation with tapewounds that the company is working on a "factory" alteration to the bridge (moving the saddle about 1/4") to help correct it. Fretless models are less of a problem since one can adjust for intonation by ear instead of using the lines.

On the other hand, the 25.5" scale solid body PiccoBass has a fully adjustable bridge. And as different strings of the right length become available, it seems to be the better choice for experimentation (especially for fretted players):

http://www.talkbass.com/threads/picco-micro-scale-bass-thread.1053155/
 

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