Kalamazoo KB would not stay tuned

[ejaggers]

I bought my first bass as a kid, ’66 Kalamazoo KB, and kept it about a year. I played many gigs with it, but I was constantly tuning it. It’s the only bass I’ve ever sold, replacing it with a ’67 Coronado II which I still love to this day.

I didn’t know about setups back then, but now I’m wondering how you set the intonation on this bass? Was the only problem crap tuners? Has anyone else had one of these, and what did you think of it?

057912

 

[cataract]

I bought my first bass as a kid, ’66 Kalamazoo KB, and kept it about a year. I played many gigs with it, but I was constantly tuning it. It’s the only bass I’ve ever sold, replacing it with a ’67 Coronado II which I still love to this day.

I didn’t know about setups back then, but now I’m wondering how you set the intonation on this bass? Was the only problem crap tuners? Has anyone else had one of these, and what did you think of it?

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057912

I picked one of these up about a year or so ago. It came with what looks to me like a nut replacement- stays in tune just fine.

As far as intonation, it seems to be pretty well intonated as is but I’ve never messed with it. Seems to be an impossibility, truth be told.
Hipshot makes a pretty cool Gibson EBO bridge that looks like a straight drop in replacement. I may pick one up at some point (as well as a more modern mudbucker shaped pickup!)

 

[bucephylus]

The red one in the OP was my first bass guitar on 1970. $125 new. Head stock snapped off in 1972; and I moved on to a Fender P.

No, the bridge/tailpiece is fixed. Intonation is not adjustable. It was a budget bass.

 

[ejaggers]

The red one in the OP was my first bass guitar on 1970. $125 new. Head stock snapped off in 1972; and I moved on to a Fender P.

No, the bridge/tailpiece is fixed. Intonation is not adjustable. It was a budget bass.

Did you have problems with playing in tune? Budget bass is a fact.
My cheappo parents spent as little as they could.

Mine was white and bought new as well.
I believe the body is Particle board.

 

[bucephylus]

Did you have problems with playing in tune? Budget bass is a fact.
My cheappo parents spent as little as they could.

Mine was white and bought new as well.
I believe the body is partical board.

Correct! Particle board body. They were cheap. My dim recollection was that the bass had such a muddy tone that tuning was difficult to begin with. Plus, I hadn't learned about harmonics yet. Don't recall the tuners being either ok or not. Tuning was just a general issue in those days. it was all done by ear with a tuning fork.

 

[ejaggers]

Correct! Particle board body. They were cheap. My dim recollection was that the bass had such a muddy tone that tuning was difficult to begin with. Plus, I hadn't learned about harmonics yet. Don't recall the tuners being either ok or not. Tuning was just a general issue in those days. it was all done by ear with a tuning fork.

Now that I'm older I can't help but wonder if it was an intonation problem more than tuners. Either way, it drove me nutts!!!
And you're right about tuning by ear, but my Coronado didn't have that problem once tuned.

Also, I beleive $125 got you the bass and a case.

0567912

 

[bucephylus]

Now that I'm older I can't help but wonder if it was an intonation problem more than tuners. Either way, it drove me nutts!!!
And you're right about tuning by ear, but my Coronado didn't have that problem once tuned.

Also, I beleive $125 got you the bass and a case.

0567912

A VERY cheap fiber board case, IIRC.

Also, back then, I believe the particle board was actually called Masonite.

 

[GretschWretch]

These basses/bridges can be intonated . . . after a fashion. There are small recessed hex screws at the ends of the bar plate that bear on the two large height adjustment posts. Primitive, but they're there.

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[JTE]

You set intonation by the set screws GretschWretch mentions, averaging the difference across the strings so they're all equator of tune.

They were stupidly cheap crappy construction so they were very inconsistent. I had one for about three weeks ca. 1976. Neck bowed so much that nothing was in tune anyway, so I never figured out if it stayed in tune. Traded it for a Fuzz Face and set of RS-66 strings.

 

[bucephylus]

These basses/bridges can be intonated . . . after a fashion. There are small recessed hex screws at the ends of the bar plate that bear on the two large height adjustment posts. Primitive, but they're there.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Look more closely at the OP image. The KB basses did not have the hex screws.

 

[GretschWretch]

Look more closely at the OP image. The KB basses did not have the hex screws.

You won't be able to see the set screws unless you are looking at the bar bridge butt-on or very close to it. Neither OP's nor the blue bass gives us the perspective we'd need to see them. Besides, OP can confirm for us whether the screws are there or not.

 

[micguy]

Assuming the tuners are of the worm gear design (which I think everyone uses), It’s very difficult (some say impossible, but I won’t go that far) to make tuners that won’t hold tuning. More expensive tuners are more about smooth action, lower weight, and other details.

 

[booshin]

Aw man, one of these (just like OP's pic) was ALMOST my first bass a few years ago. Played like a dream, and after mulling over it for a while I decided to buy it. But I was too late. Joe Bonamassa had come through town, and bought it for his personal Gibson collection. I'm not joking.

Still kinda regret not nabbing it when I had the chance. It was a great little bass.

 

[Gizmot]

My first bass was one of these Kalamazoo fiddles back in ‘68. The truss rod on mine broke a few months after I got it (not my fault) and it didn’t intonate correctly or play very well after that. At the time I thought it sounded okay, but my tastes have improved somewhat since then.
I played it through a silver sparkle Kustom 100 with a 15 that looked and sounded pretty cool. Great memories.

 

[Element Zero]

I kinda feel bad that you older cats had to deal with some subpar oober cheap crap instruments in your youth. Don’t get me wrong, I learned on an inexpensive instrument too but, at least in the early 90’s Aria made some decent stuff. Still, I admire and tip my hat to the players that cut their teeth on particle board body basses with no truss rod necks, and STILL wanted to continue to play.

 

[bucephylus]

You won't be able to see the set screws unless you are looking at the bar bridge butt-on or very close to it. Neither OP's nor the blue bass gives us the perspective we'd need to see them. Besides, OP can confirm for us whether the screws are there or not.

The red one is precisely my first bass. I can tell you with 100% certainty there were no set screws.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

My first bass guitar Kalamazoo KB-1:

I had a KG-2 guitar too...

 

[brianrost]

I sold that blue KB to cataract. The tuning is stable, even with the crap tuners. All Gibson EBs used that bridge until the late 1960s and intonation adjustments are limited, but lots of basses (and guitars) have used single saddle bridges for a long time. Some string gauges will be harder to intonate than others. Lowering the action is more of a problem. Heck, the NS Radius basses have single saddle bridges and mine has perfect intonation (well as perfect as any fretted instrument can be).

What I was hoping at the time I bought the blue one was to find a matching red and white one and hang them on the wall Sadly, prices shot up to where it wasn't worth it.

 

[bucephylus]

I sold that blue KB to cataract. The tuning is stable, even with the crap tuners. All Gibson EBs used that bridge until the late 1960s and intonation adjustments are limited, but lots of basses (and guitars) have used single saddle bridges for a long time. Some string gauges will be harder to intonate than others. Lowering the action is more of a problem. Heck, the NS Radius basses have single saddle bridges and mine has perfect intonation (well as perfect as any fretted instrument can be).

What I was hoping at the time I bought the blue one was to find a matching red and white one and hang them on the wall Sadly, prices shot up to where it wasn't worth it.

+1 What are those collectors thinking, anyhow?

I’ve had an eye out for a red one like the OP. But, I wouldn’t be willing to spend much more than $200. They just aren’t very great instruments. There is a red one currently listed in Japan at US$1000. I’m just not that interested. Even given inflation, that’s not worth it to me.

 

[ejaggers]

+1 What are those collectors thinking, anyhow?

I’ve had an eye out for a red one like the OP. But, I wouldn’t be willing to spend much more than $200. They just aren’t very great instruments. There is a red one currently listed in Japan at US$1000. I’m just not that interested. Even given inflation, that’s not worth it to me.

The red one I originally posted was not mine, mine was white, and I thought about replacing it for Ole-Times-Sake.
But after pricing them I was instantly cured of that GAS. The cheapest one I've seen was $400, but most have been twice that.
Personally I think $200 is a bit generous.