Upright Basses & EUB's:  Electric Upright Basses

U-Bass Electric-Acoustic Bass Ukelele from Kala (UBass)

Manufactured by: Kala

Kala U-BASS
Bass Ukelele with Built-in Pickup

It would be easy to classify this unique, somewhat tiny instrument as a "toy" -- and for many of you, that may be what you resign the Kala U-Bass to be. However, this is a very well-made, very BIG sounding little instrument, and while other musicians may scoff when you first pull it out of its case, they'll quickly change their tune when you plug it in and start shaking the walls!

My ears perked up at the NAMM show in January when I heard the new Kala U-Bass, a 20" scale-length instrument which is based on a wooden Ukelele hollow body. When I edged up close to Kala's booth and got a closer look, I immediately drew a comparison to my Guild Ashbory Bass (see sidebar, below). However, when I got my hands on one, I could see that it was a vast improvement over the Ashbory, namely...

• the Strings are polyurethane and are easy to play. (The silicone strings on the Ashbory got sticky and often required talc for comfortable play.)
• FRETS!! Ok, if you know me from reading our site, you know I'm a fretless sort of guy. However, playing in tune is enough of a challenge on a 34 inch (bass guitar) or 42 inch (upright bass) scale instrument, and if you've ever played the fretless Ashbory you know how tough it is to be in tune on a much shorter scale! The U-Bass comes in fretted or fretless forms, and I recommend the fretted model, because...
  • You can't hear the frets -- which is to say that fingers on synthetic strings against frets sound fretless. It's a warm and organic sound, but with clean intonation!
  • I found that getting "mwah" on the U-Bass fretless model was rather difficult. I don't know why, but rolling your finger, such as you'd do on a fretless electric bass, did not produce the expected sound.
  
• It looks like an acoustic instrument, a small acoustic guitar. Ukelele is not what comes to mind, and the finishes of each instrument look very sharp.
• High-quality custom UltraLite tuning keys by Hipshot (Mahogany and Acacia models) are geared and quite precise. (Spruce top and Hutch Hutchinson models use custom tuners based on the Hipshot.)
• Four individual piezo elements by Shadow provide balanced, full sound.
• The amplified* sound is round and fat, but with definition and with a good and full frequency range. The more complex tones from these polyurethane strings (compared to the Ashbory's silicone strings) are more satisfying to my ear.
  
  Note: You need an amp! Yes, this is an "acoustic" instrument with a big sound, but its compact body means the unamplified sound is not loud enough to compete with other, full-sized instruments — it is not designed for unplugged use. You'll need to use, at minimum, a small, portable amp for ensemble play. It is loud enough to privately "noodle around" on without an amp, though.

You may or may not be familiar with the Guild Ashbory Bass, a very short -- 18 inch! -- scale fretless electric bass with silicone rubber strings. This diminuative, odd-looking bass instrument was later reissued as the DeArmond Ashbory Bass, through Fender. Bob owns one of the originals, and Mark has one of the reissues -- and they are kind of fun! Nobody expects such big blooming bass notes to come out of an instrument not much more than two feet long. But they've always been a little clumsy to play, and intonation is tricky on a small instrument with fat, mushy strings, even with the visible fret lines (which are printed on a sticker!)

• Spruce Top with Mahogany Back and Sides
• Solid Mahogany
• Solid Acacia

• Recommended Tuning: EADG (like standard electric or upright bass)
• Body Width:
• Lower Bout: 80mm
• Upper Bout: 67mm
• Top Across:
• Lower Bout: 257mm
• Upper Bout: 190mm
• Waist: 165mm
• Body Length (Back): 356mm
• Neck (Nut to Body): 254mm
• Fretboard Width (nut): 47mm
• Fretboard Width (end): 70mm
• Fretboard Length: 318mm
• Body Connects at 12th Fret
• Custom Hipshot Tuners
• Passive Shadow Pickup System w/4 Individual Elements and Compensated Saddles
• Rosewood Fingerboard and Bridge
• INCLUDES Deluxe Custom Padded Gig Bag (Spruce U-Bass) or Padded Lightweight Hardfoam Case with Cordura-type outer shell (Acacia/Mahogany U-Bass)
• Limited Lifetime Warranty against defects and materials, 1 year on electronics and tuning machines.

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