I don't, but it's pretty obvious once you remove and take apart the saddle/pickup assembly. When I tackle my Oscar Schmidt I'll see about doing photos.
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Kala UBass Megathread, Part 7
- Thread starter olitoon
- Start date
I don't, but it's pretty obvious once you remove and take apart the saddle/pickup assembly. When I tackle my Oscar Schmidt I'll see about doing photos.
I have them and corresponded with Kala about this. Do not trim them. Just put them in and wrap. Unfortunately, that means the E string will wind around the post but they told me they "are still working on some specifications" or something like that. (dimming wouldn't help that anyway)
The other thing is that the E string won't fit in a nut cut for the round wounds, and it will be slightly too small for a nut that was cut for the tapes (or so they tell me--mine was cut for the rounds so that's all I know). I'm not good at fine filing work like that so I've been meaning to take the bass to the luthier to have him file it down. In the mean time, my low F has a little less sustain than other notes, but it's not bad.
I really, really, really like these strings. They are what I have always wanted my u-bass to sound and feel like. But I'm also in the minority in my u-bass tastes so YMMV.
Had them on for about a week. It all worked out well. I had pahoehoes originally so no filing. I trimmed the length to about 4inches past the appropriate post. I am well pleased with the flat wounds although the string flat wound portion does wrap the post a bit on the E and G strings....Thanks for the help!
Intonation sounds ok to me as it did with the pahoehoes . My instrument however is fretless ... I really like the feel of these.... they are very stable under my fingers.
Curious to know the tonal difference you heard between the flats and the previous strings, mrjp...
The flats seem to be a bit brighter to me.the
Pahoehoes Always seemed a bit muddy
But the big difference in playing the flats is they are very stable under my fingers no sliding around. I am happy with them.
Hi all! I'm baaack! 
When we last tuned in, I was sending back "2020 uke bass purchase #3" (#4 if you count the replacement Aklot sent me when the first one had issues) - the Hadean with F-holes. I found yet another Journeyman on Reverb and verified with the seller that it indeed had Thunderguts on it, so took one more chance and am now the very happy owner of a Journeyman. It arrived last week but tonight was the first chance I had to really sit down with it. I started with Stephen Cox's "Under the Boardwalk" tab, used it for my bass lesson, and then ended with Stephen's "Stuck in the Middle With You".
It's a lot louder than my Oscar Schmidt, and it has a nice clear sound through my Roland Bass Cube. The E string is easier to hear, although I wouldn't consider the Pahoehoes on the OS 'muddy' at all it's hard to hear if the E string is in tune so the Journeyman is an improvement. The neck is much like the OS - not too thick and quite comfortable for my small hands. I still struggle a bit reaching the upper the frets even though this is a cutaway, but it may be more that I need to practice playing up that high. The Journeyman has a lot more sustain or sympathetic vibration than I'm used to, which is really obvious when playing open strings, so I'm going to have to work on my (admittedly poor) string-dampening techniques.
All that to say I am very happy with it!
When we last tuned in, I was sending back "2020 uke bass purchase #3" (#4 if you count the replacement Aklot sent me when the first one had issues) - the Hadean with F-holes. I found yet another Journeyman on Reverb and verified with the seller that it indeed had Thunderguts on it, so took one more chance and am now the very happy owner of a Journeyman.
It arrived last week but tonight was the first chance I had to really sit down with it. I started with Stephen Cox's "Under the Boardwalk" tab, used it for my bass lesson, and then ended with Stephen's "Stuck in the Middle With You". It's a lot louder than my Oscar Schmidt, and it has a nice clear sound through my Roland Bass Cube. The E string is easier to hear, although I wouldn't consider the Pahoehoes on the OS 'muddy' at all it's hard to hear if the E string is in tune so the Journeyman is an improvement. The neck is much like the OS - not too thick and quite comfortable for my small hands. I still struggle a bit reaching the upper the frets even though this is a cutaway, but it may be more that I need to practice playing up that high. The Journeyman has a lot more sustain or sympathetic vibration than I'm used to, which is really obvious when playing open strings, so I'm going to have to work on my (admittedly poor) string-dampening techniques.
All that to say I am very happy with it!
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Hi all - any thoughts on where I can find a used California 5 string? I haven’t been able to locate dealers with any sold body Kalas to speak of. Thanks.
Here’s one for sale in southern Florida. It’s been for sale for a long time. It’s a lined fretless. I have no association with the seller, just passing on what I’ve seen.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
New owner of a Kala Journeyman in red. Got a fair deal direct from Kala which is in nearby Petaluma, CA. I ordered online and had both basses the next day. The first one had end pin damage, so Kala got another one out immediately without charging my card. Great service, Ash! I received the second bass yesterday, and after a few hours of play, I notice the G string is showing wear over the frets. I play gypsy jazz guitar and I see that kind of wear on the G string after a month or more of playing an hour or two daily. Does that seem a bit quick to you guys? I haven't switched strings on my P bass for years in the past, so I don't think I'm doing anything unusual. My Journeyman came with Kala Rounds, and I like them a lot. If I have to buy new strings, which ones have better durability. I'm looking for more of a stand up bass sound.
Just check out the video four posts up. It suggests the rubbery poly strings as having the closest replication of a stand up bass. It has alot of other useful information, not only the differences between strings, such as the prices, which can help you to determine what might be your next purchase, in relation to your budget.
Hi jonpowl.
I have a Kala Journeyman.
I found that with the round wound strings, you can get close to an upright sound by playing closer to the neck and using the onboard eq to turn down the treble.
It's not perfect, of course. Noting sounds like an upright other than an upright! But it is very close, in my opinion.
I haven't tried other kinds of strings. I wanted to in the beginning. But I've found that there really is a lot of different tones, just from varying hand position and playing with the EQ.
John
I have a Kala Journeyman.
I found that with the round wound strings, you can get close to an upright sound by playing closer to the neck and using the onboard eq to turn down the treble.
It's not perfect, of course. Noting sounds like an upright other than an upright! But it is very close, in my opinion.
I haven't tried other kinds of strings. I wanted to in the beginning. But I've found that there really is a lot of different tones, just from varying hand position and playing with the EQ.
John
This is maybe a weird question, ladies and gentlemen...
I purchased a new Kala Journeyman on February 18th. I really dig it. I've been using it basically every day for about an hour a day. I've also used it for several group rehearsals that last a few hours each. When I'm not using it, I unplug it and leave it on the stand. This is basically one and half months of use.
My question is about batteries. During this time, I have worn out the original batteries, replaced them and worn out the second pair of batteries also. Today I put in the third set of new batteries in my Journeyman after a month and a half of use.
Is this the kind of battery use that most of you have with your Kala?
I also have a question concerning battery life. I am interested in getting good batteries to put in my Kala. I have done some research but all the research seems to be done by companies that sell batteries themselves, or by platform that sell the batteries they say have longer life. Does anyone here really know if there is a lot of difference between the life of different CR2032 batteries? There is a pretty big difference in terms of price.
I see that there are cheap CR2032 batteries on Aliexpress for example. I'm not sure if this is a good idea. But at the rate of 3 new sets of batteries per month and half, I'd like to find an answer that is reasonable.
Thanks!
John
I purchased a new Kala Journeyman on February 18th. I really dig it. I've been using it basically every day for about an hour a day. I've also used it for several group rehearsals that last a few hours each. When I'm not using it, I unplug it and leave it on the stand. This is basically one and half months of use.
My question is about batteries. During this time, I have worn out the original batteries, replaced them and worn out the second pair of batteries also. Today I put in the third set of new batteries in my Journeyman after a month and a half of use.
Is this the kind of battery use that most of you have with your Kala?
I also have a question concerning battery life. I am interested in getting good batteries to put in my Kala. I have done some research but all the research seems to be done by companies that sell batteries themselves, or by platform that sell the batteries they say have longer life. Does anyone here really know if there is a lot of difference between the life of different CR2032 batteries? There is a pretty big difference in terms of price.
I see that there are cheap CR2032 batteries on Aliexpress for example. I'm not sure if this is a good idea. But at the rate of 3 new sets of batteries per month and half, I'd like to find an answer that is reasonable.
Thanks!
John
Hey, jfh...I always try to get quality batteries, too, I lean towards Duracell, try it out and see if they last longer. My Ubass is the older one without batteries, which is a huge plus IMHO.
I practice (or rehearse or perform) 1-2 hours/day and I generally get 5-6 weeks of use before I change them. I always use good quality batteries.
