Does anybody here play a uke bass?

[Mark Gunter]

My bass player has a strong hankering to play six string guitar on occasion, and I've begun to consider learning bass lines for a few tunes for that reason. I don't want the expense and bother of an upright bass, and I don't want to get an electric bass guitar. I don't want to play Harley's bass fiddle; I don't want to mess with someone else's instrument. I've been thinking about using a uke bass amplified, if I can find a suitable piece that I can afford to start with.

So, if anyone here uses ukelele bass I'd like to hear about it. Any recommendations for an affordable starter one that would do the job? Any warnings about units to stay away from?

Thanks.

BTW, at a recent house party, a bass player friend of mine who always played upright bass in the past showed up with a fretless uke bass which sounded fine to me. I don't know what he was playing though, and will check with him to find out. Based on that experience, I believe a uke bass could do the job if I were to relieve the bass player for a song or two.

[MikeEdgerton]

I bought a Kala U-bass a few years ago. I play it now and again for the same reason. You need a decent bass amplifier. I bought the less expensive mahogany U-bass.

[Tom Haywood]

I have one. A UBass. I like it a lot for bluegrass. Haven't really used it for anything else, but I would. The amplifier makes all the difference. Something with an acoustic channel and a tiny bit of reverb is really necessary. I use a Fender Acoustasonic. I've heard it played by a very good bass player through a small Fender bass amp and it sounded like crap. That player didn't care for the way it feels, either. Too small and "loose" for her. I purchased a passive volume control and recommend that addition.

[lukmanohnz]

I've heard good things about the Kala offering. But if I was in the market for something along those lines I would make sure I played one of these before making a final decision.

[Mark Gunter]

Thanks for the quick responses. Researching the Kala now. I checked the Taylor link, almost a grand msrp - I assume one of those would put me back around $7 to $8 on the street. I may try one, but two things argyue against the Taylor, 1) I'm a cheapskate, and 2) no interest in playing bass more than I have to.

Again, thanks for the feedback

[Jacob]

Affordable starter basses - solid & hollow body - at Rondo Music

[Mark Gunter]

Affordable starter basses - solid & hollow body - at Rondo Music

Has anybody here used one of these cheap uke basses? I've seen these basses, different brands, for less than $200. Of course I like that kind of price, but I'm looking here for recommendations on what to avoid as well as what folk are using. I want basic "entry level" and has to be serviceable for the use mentioned in OP. Occasionally filling in for bass player, and use with home recording.

[doublestoptremolo]

There are several reviews of the Hadean models on Amazon. Also a brand called Donner (https://www.amazon.com/Donner-DUB-1-.../dp/B071KK24PW). Sold out on Amazon but you can buy from the Donner website and on eBay.

If it were me I wouldn't hesitate to buy a cheaper one, given the reviews and assuming a decent return policy. I think Kala had the market to themselves for several years and are priced based on that more than on better quality, but I don't know for sure.

[Mark Gunter]

You need a decent bass amplifier.

The amplifier makes all the difference. Something with an acoustic channel and a tiny bit of reverb is really necessary.

I use a four channel acoustic amplifier, it has two instrument channels, the Marshall AS100D. I suppose it could handle one of these? If not I'll find an amp for it.

[CES]

You'd probably be happier with the tone from a bass amp, but no reason you can't try it on your rig, play with the eq, and see how you like it. If not, Ampeg and Fender are both making pretty good entry level bass amps. Lots of variables go into how big you go, but with bass amps, think at least double the wattage you'd need for electric guitar or mando. I play in church, occasionally in our very acoustically lively sanctuary, but mostly in our acoustically dead fellowship hall. I use an Ampeg 50 watt bass amp, and rarely turn it up beyond 3-4, usually running it through the board (so the amp serves as a monitor, too). In comparison, my Roland Cube 30 watt is almost more amp volume than I need there. At some point I'm upgrading the Roland to an 18 or 20 watt tube, but it's a "want to" for tone, not a "need to" for volume. The point is, don't get a teeny bass practice amp and expect it to work in a performance setting. The good news is the solid state ones a relatively inexpensive, usually available used, and will last forever.

[Br1ck]

If you can find someone to part with their Carvin AG 300 you'd be in business. No longer made but someone is reviving the company. Anyway, the cab of the AG 300 is a repurposed bass amp to begin with. They just took one of their smaller bass amps and stuck an acoustic preamp section. The three way speaker cab is very full frequency. I've played electric bass through it at acoustic group levels and the AG 300s three hundreds watts was plenty. I've used it for bass, guitar, mandolin, and vocals as well as uke.

[Mark Gunter]

What about something like this?

[Jim Garber]

I think the weirdest part of those uke basses are playing those thick rubbery strings. Way back when they first came out they were truly like rubber and were hard to slide on. I think Kala came out with smoother finished strings so that is much better but it is still odd to me to play such thick strings.

They do sound pretty good and even close to an upright when amplified properly. I suppose the one question I want to ask the OP is what genres of music he plays.

As for amps: I am an oldster. In the old days if you played an electric bass through a non-bass amp at a moderate volume you risked blowing out the speaker. I don't know about today's amps. Are the speakers of modern amps capable of handling bass signals without that risk? I see Mike E says get a bass amp. I don't know what that Acoustic amp Mark pictures above is.

[MikeEdgerton]

I always loved this demo of the Kala U-bass. I made the mistake of buying a big Pignose battery powered amp for mine. One of these days I'm going to get a Roland battery powered bass amp. I'm generally not sitting in a room with electricity when I play it.

[Tom Haywood]

I do worry about the speaker on the Acoustasonic 30, but I play the Kala UBass rarely and I haven't heard any detriment so far. I played that set up a couple of years ago at an outdoor event with several guitars, two banjos, a dobro and several singers, and it held up and sounded great. I played guitar at an outdoor bluegrass event at a county fair last spring - played 6 hours a day for two days, and I loaned the bass to the bass player for the second day. He had a large bass amp that I think he said was 300 watts. It had a switched acoustic setting and reverb. That set up really sounded good - much better than his electric bass the day before. He's been looking for a used UBass ever since. I was glad to have the volume control on it so he could turn it down whenever I asked. That Acoustic amp just might work fine for limited use.

[Mark Gunter]

First off, Mike, what a cool video. As I mentioned, I played a house party early in December and heard a uke bass played, player was Marshall Billingsley who toured with Bluegrass Alliance in 1970, and he's always played his old Kay upright in the past. I swear that his uke bass sounded about as good, but he is a good player.

Tom & Jim, the acoustic amp I pictured is a bass amp, 100W RMS, the photo in my post is a link to one for sale.

Jim, the group I'd be playing this in (on the rare occasion) plays mostly Bluegrass, old country & Gospel mainly, though we're not prejudiced against other styles. Our bass player also plays an old Kay upright.

[Tom Haywood]

I can't find any details on that amp. I find that a tiny bit of reverb is critical.

[rfd]

What about something like this?

got one in my shop for testing bass pickups and overall it's pretty good. 100w into a 15. heavy and stable.

[northfolk]

First off, I don't play much bass; but I do and it is fun on occasion? I have played the Kalas, several models, the Hadean and the Oscar Schmidt models. I ended up with the Oscar Schmidt; falls in between the Kala and Hadean in price; closer to Kala quality.

[allenhopkins]

I think the weirdest part of those uke basses are playing those thick rubbery strings. Way back when they first came out they were truly like rubber and were hard to slide on. I think Kala came out with smoother finished strings so that is much better but it is still odd to me to play such thick strings....

When I got my Guild Ashbory bass -- which is sorta a solid-body relative of the silicon-rubber strung U-basses -- it was recommended that I put a bit of talcum powder on my fingers to allow them to slide more easily on the strings.

Might work for U-bass as well...?

[banjoboy]

You might want to check out Gold Tone. They have two different scale length basses with and without frets. The fretless uses the rubbery strings. They are more along the size of a small guitar and sound great. They are also less expensive then Uke basses.

[rfd]

i've worked on a few u-b's, at the least. i don't see the functional fascination with these kinda things. a bass, like a mandolin, is a sonic tool. an acoustic bass tool that makes more sense is an upright doghouse, yet even they might need some electronic assistance. for the most part, to generate the proper low tones that most music requires is better handled by an electric bass with 30" to 34" scale. as such, the instrument will be far more durable for hauling around at gigs and whatnot than any u-b or acoustic guitar-bass. if the appeal of an acoustic look is desirable, a semi-hollow or full hollow electric bass such as the hofner will afford the proper acoustic-like look, with more functional adjustablity for intonation and durability than any true acoustic with a piezo stuck on. the bottom line with all these is they require electronics to function, and that's where the tone/sound lies, not in that it's an acoustic. so get an electric bass and be done with it all. ymmv.

[allenhopkins]

...so get an electric bass and be done with it all. ymmv.

A ukulele bass is an "electric bass," as you can tell in five seconds when you play one unamplified. It just uses a combination of string composition and piezo technology to allow the playing of low notes with a very short scale -- the same scale as a tenor ukulele. So the strings are attached to a uke body; in the Ashbory bass, which is sorta the uke-bass's predecessor, the body was solid, but the scale was comparable. The small body size doesn't allow for the full-spectrum low overtones of a bass fiddle, and of course the unamplified volume is a fraction of the larger instrument.

Most of us who've tried "acoustic bass guitars" have found them less than fully satisfactory unamplified as well; the guitar-size body, while bassier than a ukulele body by far, also doesn't generate close to a bass fiddle sound when unplugged.

No argument that the sound of any of the short-scale basses is largely dependent on the amplifier through which you play them. I have played my Ashbory through a small Amp Can rechargeable battery amp, and the low power and small speaker meant that the sound was a bit anemic; you got the notes, but not the "sound." Properly amplified, acoustic bass guitar and ukulele-bass can come close to the sound of either a "regular" electric bass, or an acoustic bass fiddle. But we shouldn't criticize them for not being instruments they were never designed to be: unamplified acoustic basses. And, of course, the standard solid-body electric bass sounds even more anemic when not plugged in!

[rfd]

if you want or require true upright bass note replication - a true deep bass sound - in some manner of "portable bass", you need a proper electric bass of some sorts AND a complimentary amplification system. acoustic "bass" fretted instruments require electrifying, and of course that includes the diminutive u-b. the problem with that and other "acoustic like" wannabe fretted "bass" instruments is their lack of string adjustments for saddle length/height, lack of neck adjustments, their typical funky piezo under-saddle transducers (or under bridge plate) most of which are plug 'n' play active circuits that are prone to issues, and their hollow body feedback issues. a short scale solid body bass guitar with a bolt-on neck makes loads more sense as it will have neck, bridge, saddle adjustments, a more intelligent hi-z passive transducer that feeds a better purposed onboard passive circuit, and a solid body that's not prone to feedback - not to mention increased durability and stability, AND it will be less expensive. plenty around for under $200. yes, they ALL need a decent amplification system. unless it's a jumbo acoustic bass guitar, which still sounds wimpy and not at all bass-like whence played unplugged.

[Mark Wilson]

if you want or require true upright bass note replication - a true deep bass sound

I've had my share of boutique and vintage electric basses, fretted and fretless, and none produced an upright sound. I feel the reason these UBass style models became popular is that they are freaky close. Put your headphones on and listen to some true deep bass sound
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