Uke Bass

[bassrique]

I have a fretless one with the black silicone(?) strings. It has lines. It's great. The strings took a couple of days to stretch to become stable. It still needs to be tuned after ~90 mins of play. I don't find that a hassle.
Thanks to this threadI I'll be play mine right after I post.

I purchased mine after seeing this vid:

 

[dab12ax7ef]

I bought a Kala California solid, fretless 5 string. ($$$$).
I like it, but it is kind of a novelty. And less expensive options are probably just as useful. I would not have chose a 5 if I’d been able to try it, but so it goes. It does work out well for acoustic type settings. And people are amazed at the depth when plugged in. It’s quite a different animal than any other type of bass. It’s a distinct tool from electric basses, not a replacement. That said, it gets little practical use overall. For me that’s ok, I still love it.

 

[Williethump]

I bought this Luna Tat uke bass and had lots of fun with it, around $200 retail. It featured metal strings and sounded good, was handy and easy to play.
But like EVERY set neck instrument I've ever played the intonation was not spot on so I sold it on at little loss.
Also, except for self practice in quiet spaces you need to amp it up.
It also lacked a digital tuner and strap buttons. Looked very cool though.
It made me thank Saint Leo for axes that sound in tune all up and down the neck because of an adjustable bridge and saddles. And made me vow (again!) to never buy another set neck instrument.
My war damaged ears are not the best but I can't have every song sound like the unique tuning of Mississippi John Hurt, much as I love the man.

 

[Hammeron]

In the boredum of sitting around the house this last week or so, I've been looking at A LOT of gear online in-between practicing. At the same time being corona'd out of work I don't want to spend a bunch of money on something I really want. Any have any experience on this ukulele bass business? Pros/cons? Love it hate it?

I started on uke bass and have owned a goldtone microbass, Oscar scmidt oub500, Savannah solid body fretless 23" scale, and a haedean fretless from rondo music. Of these four, the hadean and Savannah are by far the best bang for the buck. The weak point on these are the tuning machines. I highly recommend taking a look at rondo music.com.

 

[TL23NC]

My experience with a Goldtone micro has been great. I originally got it because of a weekly gig I was doing. The space we set up in was tiny. Even my regular electric took up too much room. I got the 25 scale which is just a bit bigger than the Kala and made it a bit easier to play. Besides using it for tight stage set ups I use it as an alternative to my upright. It’s been a great addition for me.

I have the same GT (fretted version) with LaBella Silverback strings. It's fun to play, sounds good and easy to carry. I did have some intonation issues with the stock (rubber) strings. Those went away with the Silverbacks.

 

[zontar]

The Kala ones are fun to play--I know someone who has one.
But the way the strings stretch out & the tuning issues, etc make me hesitant to get one, but I wouldn't let that stop someone from trying one out.
Just go into knowing of potential downsides

 

[Jscriv]

The Kala ones are fun to play--I know someone who has one.
But the way the strings stretch out & the tuning issues, etc make me hesitant to get one, but I wouldn't let that stop someone from trying one out.
Just go into knowing of potential downsides

I see they have some with steel strings, and I think that's the route I'm going to take if I dabble down this road.

 

[kodiakblair]

But the way the strings stretch out

I found I needed a rethink on technique.

Fret too hard and the notes went sharp,pluck too hard and the strings bounced against the body. Bought a fretless to see if it was easier,it wasn't

Had a queue of folks interested when I decided to sell them

 

[TL23NC]

I see they have some with steel strings, and I think that's the route I'm going to take if I dabble down this road.

Indeed, I had much better results with LaBella Silverbacks. Intonation was very wonky and the feel was just off with the stock strings. They did sound good, though. Very much lika URB.