It's gonna be tough. I don't think manual stretching is gonna get you more than an inch. You might have to bite the bullet and get a new set and deal with months of stretching all over again.
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Kala UBass Megathread, Part 7
- Thread starter olitoon
- Start date
Never clipped them, only had the bass a few weeks before swapping and have had it overall less than a year. Come to think of it the strings may have just not had a chance to stretch enough originally. Guess we'll see what happens.
Almost bought a new set when I was at sam ash today but thought I'd ask here first
Almost bought a new set when I was at sam ash today but thought I'd ask here first
Though I've also considered getting a set of those round wound strings they make but that would probably make tune problem I have with the plugged in tone (excessive click) even worse
New strings will be the same as the old strings. If you haven't cut them that is, which you say you didn't. You need to pull until you can pull no more! Don't worry either nothing will break!
Yeah, you can pull pahoehoes about a mile and a half and they won't break. The rounds are nice by the way, I've been using them since they came out. What's the clicking noise from? Is it a kala or a copy?
The mid (not treble, no treble knob) on the lr baggs eq is boost or cut at 675hz and does a good job with emphasizing or getting rid of any finger noise and such that you may have. I usually leave it slightly cut or occasionally flat, depending on the situation, and it works well.
The mid (not treble, no treble knob) on the lr baggs eq is boost or cut at 675hz and does a good job with emphasizing or getting rid of any finger noise and such that you may have. I usually leave it slightly cut or occasionally flat, depending on the situation, and it works well.
It may be possible that they were clipped at the factory? Or the guy who defretted it clipped them. At any rate I'll try again later, I'm less worried about the string and more worried about my clumsy ass destroying my bass. We'll see.
@mrufino1 it's the Kala exotic mahogany ubass. I'm not sure what pickup system is in it now (some sort of shadow) but I have been wondering about replacing it. The one I have is just 1 volume and 1 tone knob
@mrufino1 it's the Kala exotic mahogany ubass. I'm not sure what pickup system is in it now (some sort of shadow) but I have been wondering about replacing it. The one I have is just 1 volume and 1 tone knob
I bet they do fit, just pull hard! The pahoehoes are about half the length Of my fingerboard before I stretch them onto the bass.
The shadow shouldn't be clicky, although not too surprising with the thunderguts (d'addario are the same string).
Anyway, if you think you'd like the rounds try them, the tension and feel are really nice. I hate rounds tremendously and hope I see ubass flats, but until then these rounds are good. I have a Solidbody so I can't say how they'd work on acoustic, but probably not too different.
I finally broke down and ordered some Thunderreds to try on my fretless hog. Saw them for about 27.00 shipped so a little bit better than the usual price. The only thing left to try after that is the new Kala metal strings. But if they are similar to the Pyramids I'm not interested. Then its back to the tried and true Paehoehoes!
The kala rounds are very nice, but it will sound Much more like an electric bass. That's not necessarily a bad thing, I love them on the Solidbody. But I listened to some of the recordings I did with pahoehoes today and remembered how good they sound too. Someone buy my birdsong so I can have a bass strung with pahoehoes and a bass strung with rounds.
I recorded this at our July 4th gig and it's the kala with rounds, gives some idea how it sits in a mix.
Thanks, I'll have a listen later when I can get to a computer with speakers! I appreciate it!
Multiple cuts later I'm slap positive something is wrong with these strings. I was able to get the E down but the A refused.
That said I noticed that the paehoehoes have a much worse unplugged sound then I remember. I don't feel like spending more on the ubass right now but I'll look into distention string types and pickups (or preamp at least) later.
Those Kala rounds sound really nice. Do they sound the same as the pyramids? I recall the pyramids being advertised as sounding like a regular acoustic.
That said I noticed that the paehoehoes have a much worse unplugged sound then I remember. I don't feel like spending more on the ubass right now but I'll look into distention string types and pickups (or preamp at least) later.
Those Kala rounds sound really nice. Do they sound the same as the pyramids? I recall the pyramids being advertised as sounding like a regular acoustic.
I use the Pyramids. They record really well--like a short scale electric bass. You can still get a good thump from them but they have more high end and a bit more sustain, but not too much. I bought the Kala rounds as backups in case I break a string or something, or for when they wear out so I'll be able to report on them in about a year. Kala reps say their strings sound the same. If you have too much clack, run it through a low-pass filter. Cleans it right up.
^^^
Amen to this.
I just installed my first set of the Kala wounds, they feel and sound just like Pyramids.
I was an early adopter as soon as Kala started offering Pyramids four years ago.
Had a new nut made for my fretted spruce to accommodate them, and never looked back.
Pros: Made in USA, half the price of Pyramids
Cons: The wound portion of the E string wraps around the tuning peg part way.
No excuse for this.
What, nobody could measure?
May get away with it due to the low tension and construction of the string.
Time will tell.
late to the party but all in ! 7 parts later hrs of good reading I moved , this is everything I did in the first 4 hrs with the bass ... 
I snagged a older passive version, very first Ubass experience ever I decided to try the Kala Silver plated strings . They went on nicely . I tied up a classical knot and it worked nicely so far , still lots of tuning and stable .I tuned 1/2 step down. welp,,I went ahead and pulled the shims out of the saddle and lowered the action as much as it could go . It sounds good to me all the way up the neck .
I Like this bass ! Also this is the most bass that I have ever put onto Cubase direct . I could have shaved it but I left it here for fun 
Thanks to all the writers of the 7 threads it was good times ...
She sounds like
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I snagged a older passive version, very first Ubass experience ever I decided to try the Kala Silver plated strings . They went on nicely . I tied up a classical knot and it worked nicely so far , still lots of tuning and stable .I tuned 1/2 step down. welp,,I went ahead and pulled the shims out of the saddle and lowered the action as much as it could go . It sounds good to me all the way up the neck .
I Like this bass ! Also this is the most bass that I have ever put onto Cubase direct . I could have shaved it but I left it here for fun Thanks to all the writers of the 7 threads it was good times ...
She sounds like
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
late to the party but all in ! 7 parts later hrs of good reading I moved , this is everything I did in the first 4 hrs with the bass ...
I snagged a older passive version, very first Ubass experience ever I decided to try the Kala Silver plated strings . They went on nicely . I tied up a classical knot and it worked nicely so far , still lots of tuning and stable .I tuned 1/2 step down. welp,,I went ahead and pulled the shims out of the saddle and lowered the action as much as it could go . It sounds good to me all the way up the neck .
Thanks to all the writers of the 7 threads it was good times ...
That's some nice work, and tasty recording.
Welcome to the club.
I finally finished my Cali kit bass with Pyramid tapes project, after a 20 month lay-off.
A Squier bridge to adjust string length got me over the finish line.
MiSi pickup under the bridge plate.
The E string is a little floppy, but decent .115 diameter, fair trade-off.
Potential for a magnetic pickup with the Pyramids (steel).
Here's my collection, a seventeen-year journey from Ashbory (fretless, fat silicon strs) to 24 fret adjustable bridge steel tape wound:
Ashbory (Pahoehoe dreads) - S-U-B (De-horned, contoured, painted - Thunder Reds) - Cali Kit (Pyramid Black Tape) - Fretted Spruce (Kala Silver Wounds)
With the adjustable bridge are you able to get the Pyramid tapes to intonate? How high up the neck? I tried them on my fretted ubass and found they wouldn't even intonate on lower frets.
