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Kala UBass Megathread, Part 7
- Thread starter olitoon
- Start date
I do have an "acoustic" amp I could try that has a notch filter in it. Anybody using some kind of notch filter?
Great stuff. Excellent stank face at the start.
Thanks! The faces make everyone think you know what you're doing...
I got my Kala ubass Rumbler around noon Saturday. I happened to have a gig that night so I brought it along to maybe try it out on a few songs. I also packed my trusty Precision. I play in a four piece with myself, a drummer, an acoustic guitar player (who's the singer) and a keyboard player who kinda acts as the lead player. We were playing our favorite local bar which holds and draws about 100 people. The room we play in holds about 50 and the side room another 50. We set up a small PA and I didn't run my rig through the PA, just used my Orange Bass Terror through my GK212. With help of my drummer I set my EQ. Usually I'm midway at about 5 across the board. My drummer set my EQ and boosted it to about 8 and it sounded great. I said "Yeah, I'm gonna play this a little tonight for sure". Turns out I played it all night. I couldn't put it down. It played amazing. It sounded amazing. And a friend of mine said "People can't quit talking about that thing you're playing". It was so fun. And everyone said how much fun it looked like I was having. One of my favorite gigs in quite some time. My only complaint was the G string was almost useless. It didn't cut through at all. I just had to change things up a bit there. A 9.9 out of 10.
Nice! They do get a reaction. Glad you're loving it!
If the G is too quiet, sounds like the piezo is not getting enough pressure there, try applying pressure to the saddle on that side while plucking the string, see if it gets louder. If so, work with it until it stays. I have to do that on my 5 string when I take the bridge apart and put it back together, eventually it settles in.
If the G is too quiet, sounds like the piezo is not getting enough pressure there, try applying pressure to the saddle on that side while plucking the string, see if it gets louder. If so, work with it until it stays. I have to do that on my 5 string when I take the bridge apart and put it back together, eventually it settles in.
Glad to hear it worked out so well! I don't use my ubass as much now. I've had it for about 3 years I guess. As far as the G string volume you may be able to push back and forth on the saddle and you may get a bump in volume. If not it may be a simple matter of pulling the saddle out carefully and sand it flat a bit or if their is a plastic shim in there try taking it out and try it. Piezo pickups can be a bit wanky, but it may fix the problem!
Any tips on not using an amp. I'm currently the only band member using one on stage. A friend of mine has a Tech 21 SansAmp I was thinking of running my Kala through right into the PA. And then of course just using stage monitors to hear myself. The idea of no amps on stage is appealing considering we are an acoustic based band.
I just go direct myself with a simple passive DI - no crunch pedal...
That was awesome! Thanks for posting, I just watched this right after waking up after a very late gig last night and that made me smile. Good way to start my day.
The u bass sounds fantastic there, even on an iPhone speaker. But even more importantly, it looks like everyone is having fun, which is what music should be.
I came across this page, and noticed pyramid round wound for 5 string ubass. I know kala is developing 5 string roundwounds too. Interesting, wonder if they are for the 23" scale 5 or the sub? The namm video shows the sub 5 string with the kala rounds.
Anyway,
Kala U bass strings, Panahoe, Aquilar, Pyramid- Polyurethane Bass Strings :: For sale, UK Basses Guitars : Accessories at Bass Direct:
I'm in the US, so probably would be prohibitively expensive to buy from UK. I would love nylon core flats, but the rounds sound good too. It will be nice when there are more string choices.
Anyway,
Kala U bass strings, Panahoe, Aquilar, Pyramid- Polyurethane Bass Strings :: For sale, UK Basses Guitars : Accessories at Bass Direct:
I'm in the US, so probably would be prohibitively expensive to buy from UK. I would love nylon core flats, but the rounds sound good too. It will be nice when there are more string choices.
The kala roundwounds for 4 and 5 string are in the store now, I got an email from them and ordered right away. I had the rounds on my hadean 4 string and they sound great (stated by a staunch hater of round wound bass strings). Full report next week, I have a gig Friday that's somewhat important so I can't mess with anything beforehand. But whenever they arrive after that, I can't wait to try them!
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I'm curious mrufrino1, have you tried the pyramids, and if so how do they compare to the Kala's? The reason I ask is because I tried the Pyramids on my fretless hog and couldn't get a good setup and the sound was always MWHHHH, which is ok once in a while, but its not the sound I like to hear. Maybe these strings work best on the fretted basses only.
No, I never tried them. @kohanmike had a set, I believe they broke immediately. The Kala strings were very nice when I tried them though, it becomes a totally different instrument. It will be good to have options.
Yes, I had a set of Pyramids, but I was not paying attention to tightening them and broke the G and A. When I looked for another set online, they were not to be found, but I did find the Kala strings, which are the slightest bit heavier. I've been enjoying them on my Bruce Wei Arts custom acoustic fretless bass uke and my Rondo Hadean solid body I had modified.
Hi Mike! Did they sound basically the same as the Pyramids? I think in order to make these work well on my Fretless Kala I would have to shim the bridge and maybe do something with the nut. I just could not get a good sound with the Pyramids, as well as a lot of buzzing. Its been a couple years since I tried them. I just hate to spend money on another set if they are pretty much the same. The Pyramids were way too much money for a set of uke bass strings.
