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Kala UBass Megathread, Part 7
- Thread starter olitoon
- Start date
Yes, Merry Christmas! One of my new projects will be figuring out how to make this work on my kala 5 string.
Wow, MR, that's great. I just got back my first Rondo solid body that I had modified, I sent it out untouched when I first got it almost 8 months ago, but now I find the pickup or electronics are terrible, completely unbalanced. What pickup did you use under the bridge? I have a couple of the style bridge you used, I'd like to give them a try.
In this case the lr baggs, but I tried it first yesterday on a short scale Hondo pbass that I have using a piezo cable pickup from cb gitty. It's passive, so the usual problems with an unbuffered piezo are there, but the sound is even. I used a similar pickup on the acoustic I hacked together and the sound is even and full on that one, using a cheap eBay endpin preamp/ piezo combo. The cable piezo is a good fit for these because it's much more forgiving of an uneven "floor" in the bridge channel.
Do you think a braided copper pickup would work? I did write to Theresa at Rondo if they could somehow connect me with their manufacturer so I could get a couple sets of the pickup and electronics in the new 22-33 longer neck model, but I don't have high hopes. I may have to resort to buying another Hadean just for parts.
That's exactly what I have in there. And as of right now, not only do I have the p bass bridge but it appears that the strings do not need to go through the body to get enough pressure to make the pickup work well. I'm going to position a little further back tomorrow so I can get the intonation right then I'll screw it down so it's permanent. I'll try to do a quick video of it so the sound can be heard.
If you want to stick with the wood bridge you'll need to make a small channel where the bridge sits, or order the kala bridge and saddle ($40 together) then either dowel the holes from the hadean bridge posts and make smaller holes for the kala posts (which could also let you angle the bridge) or keep the hadean posts and ream out the holes in the kala bridge to fit the hadean posts- that cuts it close though as I found out.
If you want to stick with the wood bridge you'll need to make a small channel where the bridge sits, or order the kala bridge and saddle ($40 together) then either dowel the holes from the hadean bridge posts and make smaller holes for the kala posts (which could also let you angle the bridge) or keep the hadean posts and ream out the holes in the kala bridge to fit the hadean posts- that cuts it close though as I found out.
And I ordered the Shadow system for a solid body SUB-UBass from Kala, which I will try in a regular solid body bass. That'll be a few weeks since I'm in Canada and it's Christmas, but I will post an update if I can get it working.
Now, if anyone happens to know the value of the pots on the Shadow system I can get ahead of things a little bit....
Now, if anyone happens to know the value of the pots on the Shadow system I can get ahead of things a little bit....
I ordered by phone. PM if you want the person and extension.. He was solicitous and helpful, though he didn't have a lot of answers to technical questions like pot values. That's probably more Shadow's thing. I decided I'd rather drop $60 (35 pre/ 25 pickup IIRC) on the experiment and then upgrade if I needed to. But I like the sound of my import ubass so I'm not sure fancier options will be needed.
Brilliant! It'll be a few weeks but I will follow up with the Kala electronics in a 30" scale solid body.
Probably nylon tape wounds. I could never get used to the rubber strings. My U-Bass wears the Pyramid copper wounds.
How many of you have tried the new Kala Metal Round Wound strings? I noticed that they're sold out on the official Kala website. I'm wondering if I need to modify my stock fretless acoustic U-Bass like people did when using the Pyramid strings. Also, I have one of the original basses without the onboard electronics. I'd like to add a nice onboard preamp with built-in tuner and was wondering if there's anyone who has done this.
A couple of us made some comments back in November.
I like them very much. They are surely not the same as the synthetic strings, but they are a good metal option.
They feel and sound very good, and they wound up intonating very well. Better than expected.
I like them very much. They are surely not the same as the synthetic strings, but they are a good metal option.
They feel and sound very good, and they wound up intonating very well. Better than expected.
I really like the rounds, which surprised me because I usually hate rounds. But they feel great and have a nice focus. I love the sound of the pahoehoes but my Cali 5 is my main gigging bass now and I play a lot of styles. The pahoehoes work but sometimes are a little too muddy through a big PA and with a full horn band. Kala told me the rounds are coming for the 5 string. Definitely with a try.
I didn't have to mod my 4 string at all (hadean solid body with lr baggs electronics) but I don't know about the acoustic. But I'd imagine that you don't have to do anything to it.
I didn't have to mod my 4 string at all (hadean solid body with lr baggs electronics) but I don't know about the acoustic. But I'd imagine that you don't have to do anything to it.
I liked the feel of the rounds but I only ever tried the pyramids. The kala strings have a silk core too right? Nice and supple and bouncy. I didn't care for the sound but they felt nice.
Yes, also silk core. They do feel good and although I love the pahoehoes' sound, the rounds sit very nicely in a mix.
Hey, don't remember any discussion about feedback when playing the hollow body. I gigged my Hadean clone Friday and it was barely OK with my amp about 10 feet to the side of you with the side towards me. We were playing at about conversation level.
What do youse guys do to combat feedback? Or do you just use it on the quietest of gigs?
What do youse guys do to combat feedback? Or do you just use it on the quietest of gigs?
