MJB
Wholenote
Who's we sucka? Smith, Wesson and me.
Posts: 634
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Post by MJB on Sept 26, 2020 9:23:13 GMT -5
Looks like the modern version of the old Ashbury.
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Post by LTB on Sept 26, 2020 10:26:38 GMT -5
I haven't but to be honest Ukes have never done much for me. Maybe a Bass version might be better. Watched the video and was really surprised how it sounded amplified compared to unamplified. Actually went from "Toy" to "Wow"  |
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Post by hushnel on Sept 26, 2020 12:06:13 GMT -5
Owen Holt of Road Toad music came up with the U-Bass. Kala is licensed to use his patents. Ironically I met Owen on a ukulele forum years ago, I finally got fed up with the Ashbory’s silicone strings always breaking and traded it for a ukulele. Joined a ukulele forum to check out the care and feeding of ukes and learn some of the culture and resources. I learned that Owen offered the black Pahoehoe Strings made of polyurethane. Much more stable and unbreakable compared to the silicone strings. If I would have found out about these strings a few weeks earlier I probably never would have gotten into ukes and still own the Ashbory. I ordered a set of strings and tuners from Owen, which he has a patent for, and a pre-wired set of K&K transducers. I built the short scale cigarbox bass, actually wound up building three total. insert code hereHomemade Cigarbox Bass |
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Post by themaestro on Sept 26, 2020 16:49:07 GMT -5
I picked up a used Kala U-bass about 3 months ago. It's fun to mess around with. You really need to run it through an amp. It is an older model with a passive piezo saddle pickup. It will come out in public sometime when I need something light weight and compact. The u-bass and my little Carvin 1-10 combo would work just right for small acoustic gatherings.
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huck
Quarternote
Posts: 46
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Post by huck on Sept 26, 2020 18:02:24 GMT -5
i've owned an original ashbury and one of the u-basses. my ashbury had the dreaded uke tuners, so it would only stay in tune for one song. the u-bass was much better in that regard, but i really didn't have a use for it. the deal breaker for me was trying to play it with a pick -- the pick stuck to the strings. it sounded fine and was kinda fun, but not a keeper for me.
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Post by LTB on Sept 26, 2020 18:06:02 GMT -5
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MJB
Wholenote
Who's we sucka? Smith, Wesson and me.
Posts: 634
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Post by MJB on Sept 27, 2020 4:12:47 GMT -5
And you can find cheaper than Kala. Even steel string models. www.rondomusic.com/bassguitars4.htmlCheck out youtube for these cheaper u-basses. They sound good, even the rock bottom models. The Hadean models are so affordable, I'm getting a bad case of GAS! |
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MJB
Wholenote
Who's we sucka? Smith, Wesson and me.
Posts: 634
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Post by MJB on Sept 27, 2020 5:38:42 GMT -5
I have no willpower. I ordered the Hadean shown in the above video. What the hey, it's only $110.
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Post by hushnel on Sept 27, 2020 11:43:48 GMT -5
I picked up an Ibanez PNB14E Parlor Acoustic-Electric Bass last year. It’s more of a guitar scale than the uke bass. It also has a decent un amped volume. Just sitting around with one or two acoustics it works fine. It’s got the dreaded plastic EQ box installed in the upper side. Usually a deal killer for me but it’s growing on me.
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Post by LTB on Sept 27, 2020 12:45:06 GMT -5
MJB, their Uke Basses are not too shabby but what on earth happened to the Agile line? Been a while since I have looked at Rondo. Agile prices way up and style not so great plus little variety:(
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MJB
Wholenote
Who's we sucka? Smith, Wesson and me.
Posts: 634
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Post by MJB on Sept 28, 2020 5:45:01 GMT -5
MJB, their Uke Basses are not too shabby but what on earth happened to the Agile line? Been a while since I have looked at Rondo. Agile prices way up and style not so great plus little variety:( I am not familiar with Agile, I assume they used to be much cheaper? Some nice looking basses and some that look like they lost a battle with a jigsaw.  |
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Post by digiboy on Sept 28, 2020 8:17:14 GMT -5
Wish I could recall which Paul Simon clip it was where I saw Bakithi Khumalo playing a U bass, maybe from SNL? I kept looking for an upright in the band but finally realized how he was making that sound. Amazing, blew me away.
I researched it and found out Kala had them available in lefty design too. But I also kept reading about the tuners breaking on some models if the strings were not properly mounted so I hesitated. Finally ordered one but then I read from another lefty player that Kala was not reversing the bridges for lefty models. I wrote to them and asked about this. They replied back something to the effect that the bridge orientation was not critical. I quickly canceled my order.
This was years ago and I assume by now Kala has corrected these issues but in the meantime I kinda soured on the idea.
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MJB
Wholenote
Who's we sucka? Smith, Wesson and me.
Posts: 634
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Post by MJB on Sept 28, 2020 10:28:12 GMT -5
Wish I could recall which Paul Simon clip it was where I saw Bakithi Khumalo playing a U bass, maybe from SNL? I kept looking for an upright in the band but finally realized how he was making that sound. Amazing, blew me away.
I researched it and found out Kala had them available in lefty design too. But I also kept reading about the tuners breaking on some models if the strings were not properly mounted so I hesitated. Finally ordered one but then I read from another lefty player that Kala was not reversing the bridges for lefty models. I wrote to them and asked about this. They replied back something to the effect that the bridge orientation was not critical. I quickly canceled my order.
This was years ago and I assume by now Kala has corrected these issues but in the meantime I kinda soured on the idea.
Hadean has a proper lefty model. www.rondomusic.com/ukb23left.html |
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Post by hushnel on Sept 28, 2020 10:46:55 GMT -5
Like I mentioned above, Owen Holt of Road Toad Music is the inventor of these basses and owns the patent on the tuners and strings. Contact him, I dealt with him directly about the concept and options before I started building the cigarbox 20” scale fretless’. I would imagine that Owen would do a lefty for you. As far as I know he is the only source for the tuners (Hipshot), they are modified for the thickness of the strings. You would have to reverse them for a left handed instrument, I’m not sure how relevant the off set bridge would be, but that would not be a problem with a fretless. The bridges I made for the cigarbox is not compensated, and intonation is easily achieved. |
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Post by LTB on Sept 28, 2020 16:02:46 GMT -5
Like I mentioned above, Owen Holt of Road Toad Music is the inventor of these basses and owns the patent on the tuners and strings. Contact him, I dealt with him directly about the concept and options before I started building the cigarbox 20” scale fretless’. I would imagine that Owen would do a lefty for you. As far as I know he is the only source for the tuners (Hipshot), they are modified for the thickness of the strings. You would have to reverse them for a left handed instrument, I’m not sure how relevant the off set bridge would be, but that would not be a problem with a fretless. The bridges I made for the cigarbox is not compensated, and intonation is easily achieved. Very cool Store! Thanks  |
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MJB
Wholenote
Who's we sucka? Smith, Wesson and me.
Posts: 634
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Post by MJB on Oct 2, 2020 2:52:00 GMT -5
My Hadean came in. Haven't had much time to play it or plug it in yet. Initial impression is it's pretty quiet unplugged and a little difficult to tune probably due to string stretch. More later.
I got set of GHS pressurewounds for my Ibanez as well. I don't know how I had time for anything before I retired.
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MJB
Wholenote
Who's we sucka? Smith, Wesson and me.
Posts: 634
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Post by MJB on Oct 2, 2020 4:25:48 GMT -5
OK, got the strings stretched out and tuned to pitch. Plugged it in to my Rumble 15 too. I like using my Snark tuner rather than the onboard tuner, it's easier to read than the tiny onboard tuner. Unplugged it's just okay, loud enough if you're the only one that needs to hear it. Plugged in it works quite well. This is my first experience with poly strings. Bending strings introduces fret buzz. Maybe it's just my touch, we'll see after I get more playing time. This will be my "sit in the recliner and noodle bass" which is what I bought it for. It's fun to play and at $109 it's worth every penny.  |
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Post by morrow on Oct 2, 2020 9:48:05 GMT -5
I picked up a cheap one on kijiji a while ago , it has the white Thundergut strings . I've had those strings on my Ashbory so I'm used to them . They have to be stretched , but they are not prone to breaking . Sounds great plugged in , I spend a surprising amount of time playing it . I like it .  |
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MJB
Wholenote
Who's we sucka? Smith, Wesson and me.
Posts: 634
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Post by MJB on Oct 2, 2020 17:33:18 GMT -5
My bad, I said poly strings but they are Thunder gut.
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Post by HeavyDuty on Dec 8, 2020 10:43:00 GMT -5
I’ve tried several of the synthetic stringed versions, but they just didn’t work for me and my playing style - I’m too used to high tension flats. I ended up with a Taylor GS Mini Bass which is a little larger but works better for me. I still have a Gold Tone Micro Bass I need to move off...
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Post by Taildragger on Dec 9, 2020 12:53:35 GMT -5
Closest I can come is a battered, old, 23"-scale, no-name, gut-string guitar that my daughter found in a dumpster and dragged home when she was in high school. All mahogany, painted sound-hole rosette and body "binding". She played drums, so I appropriated the orphaned junker, cleaned it up, shimmed the nut and shaved the bridge so that the action approached reasonable. Ironically, ever since I've became entirely focused on bass at the expense of playing guitar, I pick up that cast-off beater more than any other 6-string I own. It has no case and migrates around the house in accordance with where I randomly pick it up and put it down.
Great bang for the buck.
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