A good pickup and preamp will make a big difference. My solidbodies are not clicky at all. My acoustic guitar converted one does have some click, although the thunder guts on it are probably contributing to that.
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Kala UBass Megathread, Part 7
- Thread starter olitoon
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A good pickup and preamp will make a big difference. My solidbodies are not clicky at all. My acoustic guitar converted one does have some click, although the thunder guts on it are probably contributing to that.
I used a copper braided plastic coated pickup under the saddle, which I have to adjust because the volume balance is a little off from string to string. I don't get a clicky sound that I can hear from my under saddle pickups.
I noticed something this week about the California 5 string. On my hadean uke bass it was essential to place your fingers midway between the frets so that notes wouldn't buzz, but on the Cali fretting right at the fret, as on any other electric, works best. Much smaller frets on the Cali (along with much better fretwork!) May be the difference. The B string is much more solid sounding now playing this way, sounded great on my gig last night.
I did replace the pahoehoe b with a new one and it's also better, but the b is noticeably more sticky than the other 4 strings right out of the package.
Also, the tuning has been much easier now that I replaced the screws on the string tree with longer screws so it doesn't press down as hard.
Anyway, just some observations.
I did replace the pahoehoe b with a new one and it's also better, but the b is noticeably more sticky than the other 4 strings right out of the package.
Also, the tuning has been much easier now that I replaced the screws on the string tree with longer screws so it doesn't press down as hard.
Anyway, just some observations.
I'd really like to get a solid body Kala U bass, but I'm torn between the 4 and 5 string. What is the width at the nut for the 4 string and 5 string? I want something that is easier on my hands than my P bass. I like the idea of a 5 string, especially with what I've read about intonation problems around the 12th fret, but if its as wide as my P bass, there's no point. Thank you!
I don't have a Kala 4, but my hadean 4 is 1 3/4 at the nut, my Kala California 5 is 2 1/8" at nut, with 3/4" depth of the neck. The 5 is really really comfortable. I love the 4 too but the 5 is just perfect for me, I do all of my gigs on it now. I am in wedding and cover bands and for songs where I need a low D (thanks Uptown Funk!), I was frantically tuning the 4 down and back up, lots of turns to get down a whole step while there's no break in songs. With the 5 I don't have to do that. And the B is surprisingly good.
I have arthritis in my hands and back that is really starting to bother me in the past year, much ore so than ever before, and the uke basses have absolutely saved my playing.
Weird. So its much wider but also much less deep. My P is just over 1.5" wide and about 1" deep. I don't know if that's better or worse. I have a Dean acoustic with tape wounds that's really hard for me, but that's mostly the scale length, I think.
I find it very comfortable. Also, the pahoehoe things are really easy to play, the tension is very low.
Here's a video from the first day I had the 5 string Cali bass, at a club in NYC. I had someone in the audience hold my camera, so you'll see them a little and hear them singing...sub guitar player who is not learning the songs...
Played through a b1on, tc bh250, and the clubs ampeg 115 cabinet.
Played through a b1on, tc bh250, and the clubs ampeg 115 cabinet.
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I continue to love my U-Bass and happy that I made the purchase so long ago. It's lightweight and ease of play means I can play for hours and never get tired.
Caeman, thanks for the input. I'm interested in working on jazz & these seem to have an upright bass sound.
scotch
It's not rocket science!
- Nov 12, 2006
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A couple questions to SUB-u-bass owners:
1. are the pots mounted directly to the circuit board, or are they like regular pots in a bass where they could be spaced a little differently in a different bass body?
2. is the piezo pickup located under the saddle, under the bridge, or somewhere else?
I've been loving my u-bass and am thinking of building the setup into a large solid body bass.
Thanks.
1. are the pots mounted directly to the circuit board, or are they like regular pots in a bass where they could be spaced a little differently in a different bass body?
2. is the piezo pickup located under the saddle, under the bridge, or somewhere else?
I've been loving my u-bass and am thinking of building the setup into a large solid body bass.
Thanks.
I don't have a sub, I have the Cali 5 and a hadean copy that I put the lr baggs into, so I'm not sure about the pots in the sub, but the pickup is under the saddle. If the sub preamp is like the baggs, then the pots are on the circuit board.
I cut a bigger hole in the top of my hadean and then made a control plate, it worked well.
Thanks. Super helpful. The acoustic and electric have slightly different preamps but the company said they're more or less equivalent.
If you were me and building a solid body bass with the pickup, where would you put it--under the bridge? I'm thinking a folded metal fender style. I could splurge on the graph tech ghost equipped hipshot bridge but that seems unnecessary since I already like the sound.
If you were me and building a solid body bass with the pickup, where would you put it--under the bridge? I'm thinking a folded metal fender style. I could splurge on the graph tech ghost equipped hipshot bridge but that seems unnecessary since I already like the sound.
I don't think it would work under the fender bridge but I don't know for sure. If you use a rope piezo (like the kala) what would you use? You may want to just get kala's bridge, saddle,and posts.
The metal type bridge may not work with the rubber strings, not sure if there'd be enough pressure, but I can't say that for sure. If you're using regular strings then that's a different story.
The metal type bridge may not work with the rubber strings, not sure if there'd be enough pressure, but I can't say that for sure. If you're using regular strings then that's a different story.
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Thanks: the concept is this:
30" short scale bass, tape wound or flat wound strings.
P bass pickup
Kala preamp and pickup
I can use either, both or neither
30" short scale bass, tape wound or flat wound strings.
P bass pickup
Kala preamp and pickup
I can use either, both or neither
I also considered replacing the bridge on my SUB with simple generic Fender style but I read somewhere, not sure if it was TB, that would not work with non-metallic strings. In the end I modified the rosewood SUB bridge by sanding it down at each end (where it sits on the two bridge posts) in order to allow for a much lower action with the metallic, wound Pyramid strings that I now use on my SUB. The result was lower action and better intonation but a fully adjustable bridge would be the most preferable option.
Jeff
Well, I'm happy to report that a fender style bridge does work, I just have it on here right now with double sided tape but it sounds pretty much the same as it did before, using the lr baggs pickup and preamp. I just did this because you had me thinking about it, and it does work. I need to move the bridge a little further back so it can intonate better, but it's not terrible now. Just a temporary setup here to experiment, but I'm glad it still sounds good with the piezo underneath the bridgeplate.
