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NBD UK Dream UB-113 Bass Ukulele

murmur70

murmur70

May 3, 2017
517
1,139
56
Indiana
#1
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LXWZAYH/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I picked this up this week. At $100 it was hard to pass up. Here is my review from Amazon. I will try to post pictures later.

Verified Purchase([This invalid link has been removed])
This review is from: UK Dream Concert Ukulele Guitar 30" Acoustic Handcraft Solid Sapele Wood UB-113
Firstly, this is not the described Concert Ukulele. This is as pictured, a Bass Ukulele. This is perfectly fine with me as I wanted a bass ukulele. I had read the reviews on the Canadian Amazon site and was fairly confident of what I was getting. They do have the model number correct in the description.

The bass uke arrived in just a little over a week which is awesome considering it was shipped from China. It arrived in excellent condition. It is a very nice looking instrument. I don't believe it is a solid wood as in the description. I think it is a laminate which, again, is fine because that is what I expected.

The UB-113 came with Aguila strings which are generally highly regarded. I switched them out for Pahoehoe Road Toads as I like the look of the black strings better.

The action is good, maybe a little high but certainly playable and the strings do not buzz against the frets. The frets are not rough or sharp. The tuner and pre amp work well. This bass sounds good plugged in or not.

My only criticism is that the tuners feel a little cheap(to be expected) and the A string tuner is a little loose. I attempted to tighten the screw but I am afraid I will strip it.

Overall whether you consider the price(which is amazing) This is a nice looking/playing bass that I hope to have in my arsenal for years. I took a risk on an instrument nearly a quarter of the price of a Kala UBass and it seams to have paid off.
 
#2
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#3
very nice..I just ordered one..as soon as it arrives I will try it out and get back to you..the black strings look cool., but if the white ones play fine Im not going to rush to change them (I also have a Hofner 66 violin bass with flatwounds that sound great, so I have yet to change them to the labella black nylons that I also purchased)
 
#4
Update: just arrived...I love it!!... frets are just a tiny bit sharp at the edges, but I got used to them very quickly (I can see why some people would want to file them down)...now I have to get used to those thick rubbery strings..I find them a tad sticky, but I assume that's the nature of the material..I've used some talcum powder (or cornstarch) on my hands before playing and this eliminates the stickiness...intonation is better than I expected on such a short scale instrument, I always tune all strings from the 5th fret, so I am reasonably in tune from head to body...the white strings are not an issue for me, but I suppose an extra set (in black) is a good piece of insurance for some time down the road...I will also paint some fret markings on the side of the neck (I did the same thing with my Hofner, makes everyone's life much easier)...I do recommend this instrument for anyone who wants a u-bass but cant afford the Kala model.
 
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#6
The batteries in the pre-amp/tuner do not appear to last very long. Is there any way of extending the life of the batteries? Does the tuner turn itself off when not in use?
 
#7
Depends what you mean by "dont last very long". I had mine in for 3 months before I changed them. Are you unplugging the instrument once you're done playing? As long as the instrument has an cable plugged into it, the battery is in use (so if you're onstage, unplug it between sets) ....and also make sure you turn off the tuner.
 
#9
6 months later and I'm still enjoying playing it..had the fret edges filed down, so no more problem there...I bring this uke to gigs and play it on our acoustic numbers (gets a bit lost in the electric sets)..it's worth much more than the low price I paid.
PS..I find I have to turn the treble switch very low (or even off) on the uke, it picks up far too much finger/strap noise...bass switch on high
 
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#10
Hi folks, Just a short update. I am still happy with my UKDream. Playing regularly in a two groups. I have now ordered a solid body Bass ukulele and a set of UBass wire wound strings. The plan is to have the option of the two types of sound.
We will see how it turns out.
 
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#11
Saw this thread and had to chime in. Mine arrived yesterday and I'm pretty durned impressed. It's not a Kala, but for the price???? Wow.

I built a ukulele bass a few years back, using a baritone uke body and inexpensive but serviceable parts. It was great fun in the bar and I was very happy with it.

This is better, cheaper and hassle-free.
 
#12
ibasso said:
Saw this thread and had to chime in. Mine arrived yesterday and I'm pretty durned impressed. It's not a Kala, but for the price???? Wow.

I built a ukulele bass a few years back, using a baritone uke body and inexpensive but serviceable parts. It was great fun in the bar and I was very happy with it.

This is better, cheaper and hassle-free.
Click to expand...

Hi, thanks for the comment. I have been playing my solid body uke (Aiersi) for some time now and like it a lot. I did however try the wire wound strings on my UK dream bass uke and they worked as expected. I did try black poly strings as well and found them very similar if not identical to the original white ones. I have now reverted to white poly strings on the UK dream and wire wound strings on the solid body instrument.
While I was waiting for the solid body unit to arrive I started to build one and I am ready to install the hardware.
Question: Will a pizo style pickup work glued to the base of a standard metal bridge? (perhaps if I separate the bridge from the body with some sort of post spacer system)
 
#13
Don47 said:
Question: Will a pizo style pickup work glued to the base of a standard metal bridge?
Click to expand...
I might be misinterpreting, but I think both @mrufino1 and @swarfrat tried and succeeded in putting a common piezo of the undersaddle kind under a conventional (electric-style) bridge plate (I don't think they had to glue them together): in the latter case it was made of wood, but in the former just your garden variety bent metal one.
 
#14
Don47 said:
Question: Will a pizo style pickup work glued to the base of a standard metal bridge? (perhaps if I separate the bridge from the body with some sort of post spacer system)
Click to expand...
A piezo simply wedged under the bridge should work (more or less, likely not ideal) - definitely no need to use any kind of spacer, the kind of piezo you want to use for this is designed to be under string pressure.
 
#16
Picked up one of these from a local seller who bought 2 and one was sitting around her place in the unopened box for who knows how long. $125 Canadian is not much more than pocket change... so what did I get?

My impressions so far:

Frets were super sharp and my left hand is full of tiny painful cuts today after playing for 30-45 minutes or so last night. OUCH! There's a bit of buzzing which I think is in one of the tuners. To the guitar tech it goes tomorrow.

I put in two cheapo, but new, 2032 batteries into the preamp and by the end of my playing the bass notes were totally distorted and I expect that these little batteries are NOT suited to this use. I will try some better quality batteries but it might be smarter to find another preamp for it that takes AA or 9V.

Frets are marked at 5-7-10-12-15, and 12 has one dot but 2 might have been nicer. I'll mark the side myself I guess.

Apart from those issues which are pretty easily dealt with, I'm pleased for the low price. I can't say that it will become an instrument I gig with but who knows... Will update once the issues are taken care of.
 
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#17
Thanks for liking the post...

Guitar tech has the little guy now, he's filing the frets as we speak (I hope!)...

Some news -- I didn't even check when I got it but the buzzing I heard? TRUSS ROD! Which these basses are not suppose to have, so that's a good thing, if tightening it a bit will get rid of the buzz. Looking forward to getting it back and playing it without pain.
 
#19
Correction! Got the bass back, and the tech said that there is NO truss rod, though there looks like there's a hole where one would normally be. It's very playable now that the frets are smooth. Stays in tune pretty well. Through an amp it does sound better with the highs rolled off completely and the high mids down too.
 
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