I'm looking at getting a Kala U-Bass for some of my gigs that request more of an upright sound but where my upright is too big to fit. I havent seen anyone play one live.. What is the general reaction that you U-Bass guys at getting at gigs?
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U-Bass
- Thread starter BassGreaser
- Start date
When I tried a fretted U-bass (not amplified), I liked the basic tone. The store owner said that the pickup was excellent and that it shines when amplified. With a good buffer/preamp at the front end of your rig, you can probably find the sound you are after.
But... I didn't even bother listening to it plugged in because the intonation was not acceptable to me. If it had been a fretless, it would have been less of an issue. On ultra-short scale basses, finding proper strings and getting the intonation within acceptable tolerances can be challenging.
I would recommend trying before buying, if possible- unless a store has a reasonable return policy. Sweetwater.com?
But... I didn't even bother listening to it plugged in because the intonation was not acceptable to me. If it had been a fretless, it would have been less of an issue. On ultra-short scale basses, finding proper strings and getting the intonation within acceptable tolerances can be challenging.
I would recommend trying before buying, if possible- unless a store has a reasonable return policy. Sweetwater.com?
I have the fretless model; it is a year old. The tone is fantastic and the bass plays real nice. My musician buddies always comment on the tone and how surprisingly good it sounds. I am not an upright player so this gives me something like that when needed. I usually go straight into the house system but am looking to do something different in the coming weeks/months.
I highly recommend this instrument if you are looking for this tone.
Mike
I highly recommend this instrument if you are looking for this tone.
Mike
Re video of a U-Bass being played live. Saw a recent video of Paul Simon and his band. The bass player had a fretted U.
The performance may have been on the Colbert Report??
The performance may have been on the Colbert Report??
Exploiter8
Demons run when a good man goes to war
DeanT thanks for the clip I checked out all the Ubass clicks on youtube
You're quite welcome.
Raul Malo is a great performer. I had the pleasure of spending a few hours with him this Summer in my photo studio. He was in to shoot the cover of his latest album "Saints and Sinners." He's a nice guy and a great musician. He played my Alvarez acoustic short scale for a while. Unfortunately, the record company decided not to use any of the photos for the cover.
Also, if you're interested in the uBass, I run a blog called The uBass Appreciation Society that has lots of clips and news about the uBass and Ukuleles.
I got my Maple top UBass in November and played it on every gig for December, through an amp and also direct to the PA. Everyone's verdict: Wow! It has a near upright sound, but not totally upright. Very punchy if you need it, but a ton of bottom and fairly equal sound from top to bottom. Sound varies depending on how and where you pluck. Soundman said that taken direct to the PA with no amp onstage, it was the best sound hes been able to achieve. I would not take it to an upright gig expecting purists to accept it, though. I have the fretted model, but reports I've seen say there's very little difference in sound between fretted and fretless. Don't expect "mwah," either because strings just don't react the same as metal or nylon. I love it and can't wait to do a recording.
It's got this tubby thump that's somewhere in between an upright with gut strings and a P-Bass with flats. The output is surprisingly hot, given the passive nature of the pickup. I've gigged my spruce top pretty heavily since the late summer and gotten very positive feedback from the band and the audience. Especially good on R&B, country, classic rock, reggae... anything where you need depth more than midrange. I take it off when I need my B-string, need to play a slap part, or need the growl and sustain of a bass guitar.
