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To Uke Bass or Not

bassmanford

bassmanford

Jan 27, 2007
23
7
Chicago Area
#1
The other night I heard a local band whose bassist (a woman) played a Kala Uke Bass - the standard one with the black plastic strings. I've seen her play before, on standup and with a Fender.
So she chose this bass over other options.

Further she played the Uke Bass straight into a DI. So her foot print was virtually none. Her sound and play was stunning. It sounded like a reggae rig..super deep and clear..blew me away.

Besides this experience my only prior one with a Uke bass was pondering over one at a store. They cost around $400-500 so they are not a toy..the black strings are cool enough but take a while to turn their machines to tune them (you can now get metal strings that improve this). Every time I've checked the Uke bass out I've moved on..not sure where it might fit...perhaps as a travel bass - but for the money that hasn't been enough reason.

What say you..and what Uke bass brand/models do you recommend?

Bassmanford
 
#4
bassmanford said:
Cost is not the only problem..I'm looking for recommendations on sounds too..I would prefer a hollow body I think..
Click to expand...
They all sound the same. Hollow or solid body doesn't matter. The difference is the strings. The black strings you heard being played are the best choice for the sound you described and seemed to like. The strings on the uke basses listed above are different. A similar tone but not the same. The metal strings you mention make the bass sound like any other acoustic. They take away the uniqueness of the instrument. You could get the bass from rondo and the black strings from road toad music and you're good to go.
 
#5
bassmanford said:
Cost is not the only problem..I'm looking for recommendations on sounds too..I would prefer a hollow body I think..
Click to expand...
I have a Kala Rumbler (the cheap Kala).....sounds great. I haven't tried the Hadean but have heard good things about them. Looks like Rondo is out of the hollow body version at the moment but they get them in all the time, about the same price.
 
#8
I have a Hadean fretless hollow body & I enjoy how effortless it is to play & was surprised at how it sounds amplified :wideyed:

Buying through Reverb is actually cheaper than buying directly from Rondo:

Hadean UKB-23 NM Bass Uke

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#9
I have owned both Kalas and Hadeans. I really like both. They sound virtually the same. The fit and finish is about the same with the exception of the higher end Kalas. You can get a Hadean with hard case for about half of what the Spruce Top and Rumbler series sell for.
I really enjoy them, and while they won't make the "Best Bass For Metal" list, for semi-acoustic situations, blues, country, pop, folk, etcetera, they are a good fit.
 
#13
I have a Kala fretless acoustic Ubass. It doesn't have a preamp on mine but newer ones have them. The black strings, also known as Paehoehoes were my favorites until several months ago. I've tried a few others and hated them, but I found a deal on Aquila Thunderreds and tried them and they quickly became my favorite string. I haven't played any music whatsoever lately, but I have used the Ubass to play rock and blues with no issues. In fact it seemed to work great in that context. I prefer fretless to avoid intonation issues which seem to plague fretted Uke basses, or at least it did a few years ago. Not sure how the intonation is on newer models over the last few years.
 

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