U bass / piccolo

That would just turn it into a ukulele. You can buy ukuleles much cheaper than a U-bass

 

Do you mean tuned EADG? It would have to be a minimum of one octave higher. Given that this is TalkBass and not TalkUke you could probably just Google and find out what you need more quickly.

 

As said above, it would be an expensive-ish experiment unless you get your bass uke from Rondo, or buy used. You could try piccolo bass tuning on a tenor guitar, a 5-string banjo (with the 5th removed) or a 1/2 classical guitar converted to 4-strings, for less coin.
I'd use the four lowest from a normal guitar set with the banjo, whereas I'd go heavier with the two other platforms (for the low E, look for single strings by D'Addario larger than .045", they're available on many webstores, then complete the set with strings roughly 3/4 the gauge of the adjacent; if you opt for the 1/2 classical, make sure you get nylon-core, silver-plated copper strings, not steel-core).

- If you want to convert a baritone ukulele to actual bass, real-low-octave-down tuning, see here:
Build Your Own Bass Uke (Standard Kit)
^ (Not affiliated to the seller in any form or shape.)
Notice that a half size guitar (20.5~22.5" scale length, usually about 21.5") is recommended, but 1/4 (19" scale) is also said to work, and that's the same as baritone ukulele scale = the latter instrument could also be a platform. Some baritones are 20" scale actually (for comparison, most Kala U·Bass models are 20.375" scale).
The main drawback to using a bari uke is nut width: 38mm, but it can be standard uke width too (35mm). The U·Bass has 44.45mm;
- a tenor ukulele may also work in theory (their scale, 17", incidentally half that of standard bass guitar, is an inch less than that of the original femto-bass with silicone strings, the 1985 Guild Ashbory), but you'd still need appropriate, large-shaft tuners, and their standard nut width is 35mm.

Now, if you only want something tuned like a bass for noodlin' at home, and don't strictly need it to be in true bass octave:
- for one-octave-up EADG (i.e. same as 6-string guitar open notes, minus the topmost two of course), for which I'd also recommend getting a baritone size, get the following D'Addario nyloncore strings
NYL058W - NYL045W - NYL035W - NYL029W
at the following link (or wherever you can find them cheaper)
Classic Guitar Single Strings
[you could save a few bucks by getting just the single NYL058W plus an (extra-)hard tension classical guitar set, and using the lowest 3 strings from the latter for A-D-G];
- for two-octave-up EADG tuning, a concert or tenor size uke would suffice and be wieldier, but a bari would sound better on the lowest notes. Anycase, just procure a baritone uke string set, or the middle four strings of a classical guitar set, and tune up-propriately.

 

If you don't like the poly strings that come with most bass ukes, I've switched all of mine to Kala/Galli flatwound nylon core, feel and sound great.

 

Sure you can. The neck is thin but probably enough to resist more than eighty pounds (36 kilos) of tension, which is the tension of the D'Addario EJ66 tenor guitar string set. However, I would use only the strings 3 to 6 (.036w .046 .056 .067) of the 600-7 set, and not try to use the lowest four (46 56 67 79) tuned up to EADG: that would be probably too much tension, even if the guitar has a 580mm (22.8") scale.
[The seventh string is not tapewound anyway (it probably sounded too dark and La Bella decided to leave it naked). By the way, it is so big because 7-string jazz guitarists tune it to low A, not B.]

...In other words, my advice is to get the 6-string set (600M).

Oh: if you mean "is the neck too thin for a bass?", well, it is very thin. It will probably be easier to play with a pick than with fingers. However, I use a bass VI (which has a string-to-string spacing just like an electric guitar) with fingers, so I know it can be done.

 

4-string basses go from 38mm to 44.45mm at the nut (narrowest point of neck); this tenor guitar has 30mm: like a wide mandolin, less than the 35mm of a typical ukulele.
The width at the 12th fret of a bass guitar neck can be very different from model to model, but I think Fenders are between 56 and 57mm. The Ibanez tenor guitar could be 35mm or a little more.
So, to give you an idea, the neck will be more or less between 3/4 (at the nut) and 2/3 (at the 12th fret) of a bass neck?

 

No problem.

Sure, why not?

 

No. Have you seen a picture of it? This is for classical guitar bridges, with the strings tied, not for a bridge with pins.

 

Maybe.