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Kinal Basses...

bigjames

bigjames

Player of Smooth Lines
Jan 25, 2005
1,235
1,681
50
Metro Vancouver, Canada
www.imdb.com
#1
Hey guys, any of you ever played / owned a Kinal bass? I have a couple of friends with custom Kinals and they sound really nice. I played one of them for a couple of minutes and it was pretty nice to play too. I live in the Vancouver area so getting a custom model made would be really easy for me...

Anyone on here know more about them?
 
#3
One of my basses is a Kinal MK21 with soapbars, three band preamp and a coil tap switch for each pickup. The construction is definitely excellent and equal to any bass I own - MTD, Roscoe, Zon, etc. The sound is very flexible. I would say it's hard to go wrong with a Kinal, plus Mike Kinal is very responsive to questions, etc.
 
#5
I purchased a Kinal a couple of years ago, and returned it for too many minor issues. First off, the Kinal basses are crafted superbly with alot af attention to detail, also the finishes are excellent. The problem I had with the MK5 was the extreme radius of the fingerboard, I prefer them on the flatter side. When you have extreme radius and flat pick ups, the middle strings are far away from the magnets. I feel the radius of the fingerboard was so extreme, I was unable to adjust the A and D strings so I could hear them as equally as the BE and G strings. I worked with a great technician to try and adjust this, but we could only get so close. The uneveness of the string volume was a major issue for me. But asid from that the feel of the necks are awesome ( I have big hands) and the sound is nice with alot of definition. Also One of the tuners needed to be replaced and the bass needed a fret dressing. I was not about to play the lets ship the bass to Canada thing so I took it back. Im sure this could have been fixed with some investment by having the fretboard planed, I would ask about this if you intend to order one.
 
#9
There's a fretless Kinal in a store near me. The store has zero humidity and so the the bass is in need of a setup-- the action is so low, it's unplayable (strings nearly on the board). Probably all it needs is to let up on the truss rod, but in any case I can't comment on tone or playability. However, I can say that this thing is absolutely stunningly gorgeous, and perfectly finished.
 
#10
I have owned two Kinals and have a third on order. Excellent necks and great sound. Mike is very friendly and great to work with. I bought my first Kinal used and e-mailed Mike a couple questions about it - he responded quickly and was very helpful. Highly recommended.
 
#11
pilotjones said:
There's a fretless Kinal in a store near me. The store has zero humidity and so the the bass is in need of a setup-- the action is so low, it's unplayable (strings nearly on the board). Probably all it needs is to let up on the truss rod, but in any case I can't comment on tone or playability. However, I can say that this thing is absolutely stunningly gorgeous, and perfectly finished.
Click to expand...

What store in Rochester has a fretless Kinal? It's my wife's hometown so I'm there quite a bit - wouldn't mind checking it out. Thanks.
 
#12
Davo737 said:
What store in Rochester has a fretless Kinal? It's my wife's hometown so I'm there quite a bit - wouldn't mind checking it out. Thanks.
Click to expand...
The HOG, of course. House of Guitars, Titus Avenue, Irondequoit. The world's largest (allegedly), coolest (to many), and strangest (almost certainly) music store.
 
#15
pilotjones said:
The HOG, of course. House of Guitars, Titus Avenue, Irondequoit. The world's largest (allegedly), coolest (to many), and strangest (almost certainly) music store.
Click to expand...

I should have guessed. :D Do they still throw all the instruments randomly into giant display cases so they all bang against each other? I seem to recall once having to literally wade through a pile of instruments that were all leaning on each other to get to a Zon that was way in the back. Fun stuff.
 
#17
Sorry to hiijack, but one of my favorite perfomances on the HOG stage last year, looking out at the literal millions of vintage fenders bouncing and rattling on guitar stands, all ready to tip over and flop on the floor 12 feet below. Sheesh I was nervous hitting a low B. LOL They were teetering for sure.
I live south of Rottenchester, but have been there many times, it is like a museum. But you can get great deals on stuff if you don't mind a little wear and tear, plus yeah if money isn't an option and you need an old classic they have them. I remember seeing one of those old ampeg surf green upright things, and it was in stock since the 70's. :)
Dirk
 
#18
I had -for a few days- a lefty 5-string that I bought new -a few years ago- from bunnybass.com.

The quality was impressive:great attention to detail, nice wood all around and that "custom-made" vibe (from the little imperfections in the craftmanship-a good thing).

The problem I had was that even with the bridge's saddles set as low as they will go and the truss rod straight, it would not yield a low, playable action to fit my taste. The problem would have been corrected by either inserting a shim in the neck pocket or counter-sinking the bridge; or using a different bridge (with a lower profile design) altogether.

Nevertheless, it sounded as good as any MTD or Lakland out there (to name a few) and it definitely had that super custom-made vibe, for less money than the average at that level.
 
#19
I live in Missouri and it was easy doing a custom order with Mike. We had a great time talking bass. He is a very genial and talented guy. I agree that his pricing is very reasonable. I didn't get too radical with wood selection. Quilt maple over alder body, bird's eye maple/bubinga/bird's eye maple neck with Brazilian rosewood board. I did request that the neck radius/dimensions be as close as possible to a Lakland 55-94 so I should be right at home. He has promised progress pics!
 

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