help tuning a kala u bass

[fiatcoupe432]

nearly impossible does anyone can help? help needed

[fiatcoupe432]

nearly impossible does anyone can help? help needed

[dannybuoy]

Er... what's the problem exactly? I can tune mine, although the strings can get stuck in the nut making things difficult. Either lift the string at the nut slightly to relieve the tension or lube up the nut slots with some pencil lead (that sounded dirty).

[fiatcoupe432]

i got it today , got a problem tuning i keep turning the pegs and just move up and down of a semitone no more. seam very far out of tune

[icastle]

I suspect that it's to do with the reduced scale (20"?) making correct intonation harder to achieve (i.e. being 1mm out on a 34" scale is going to have a less noticeable effect than being 1mm out on a 20" scale.

I'm perhaps being far too critical but I've heard a few of these Kala's now and every one of them has sounded slightly 'out' to me.

[dannybuoy]

Check the strings aren't slipping, then keep tightening them - they won't break if they are below pitch. I think they must take a while to settle in since they are so stretchy!

[fiatcoupe432]

managed the first 2 strings the d its really hard
,haven t reached the g yet

[dannybuoy]

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1329243080' post='1539505']
I suspect that it's to do with the reduced scale (20"?) making correct intonation harder to achieve (i.e. being 1mm out on a 34" scale is going to have a less noticeable effect than being 1mm out on a 20" scale.

I'm perhaps being far too critical but I've heard a few of these Kala's now and every one of them has sounded slightly 'out' to me.
[/quote]

Nowt to do with intonation, he's trying to tune it up! Intonation is a problem though with the fretted one when you get high up on the neck. The fretless one should be better in this regard in the hands of a good player - violinists can do it!

[icastle]

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1329258647' post='1539849']
Nowt to do with intonation, he's trying to tune it up! [/quote]

Yep I can see that now.
I hadn't realised that they were so awkward to tune to open EADG and made an incorrect assumption that it was going 'out of tune' as the OP worked his way up the neck.

[Happy Jack]

Slightly puzzled by all this. I had one of these for a while and don't recall any particular difficulty tuning it.

Fiat, are you using the correct strings? Are they new? Did you fit them yourself? If so, how have you 'locked' the string at the tuner?

Has the nut been slotted to the correct sizes? What tuning method are you using ... pedal, clip-on, by ear?

[Clarky]

I bought a new one last week to take on hols. I have no problem tuning (just takes about a million turns of each tuner) but I have a problem with it staying in tune - each night the string (esp A,D, and worst culptit G) have detuned at least a semitone and sometimes much more. So how long is it before the strings stop stretching?

[Happy Jack]

How long is a piece of ... erm ... rubber?

[derrenleepoole]

I believe Kala's are known for taking several weeks for the strings to settle in, especially as the strings are very stretchy. I don't own a Kala, but I've been following several Youtube posters avidly as I do want to buy one eventually. Any how, a video you may find useful:

http://youtu.be/0aVEzhjXaTc

Failing that, there's a great uBass player on Youtube called Magnus, and he's super helpful to boot. Maybe email him if you don't find the answers here: http://www.youtube.com/user/bassMAGics?feature=watch

[wombatboter]

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1329297097' post='1540082']
I bought a new one last week to take on hols. I have no problem tuning (just takes about a million turns of each tuner) but I have a problem with it staying in tune - each night the string (esp A,D, and worst culptit G) have detuned at least a semitone and sometimes much more. So how long is it before the strings stop stretching?
[/quote]

I have the same problem still (after having it around two months)..I tune it everytime but it is very fragile.