Harley Benton 'Kahuna' Basses (Kala U-Bass ripoff)

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I've had a chance to play with my HB kahuna bass now. The strings seem to be much more like that original ashbory silicone strings than the black kala/roadtoad pahoehoes. They are too grabby to play comfortably — at least when they are new. A tiny amount of unscented 'simple' talc helps a lot.

The bass sounds good plugged in as long as the eq is turned all the way to the bass side, but the profile of the back of the neck is a little weird on mine — its very square and chunky around the first fret position, which feels strange and a little uncomfortable on the thumb. I wonder whether they're all like that?

[Highfox]

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' timestamp='1406253478' post='2509867']
I've had a chance to play with my HB kahuna bass now. The strings seem to be much more like that original ashbory silicone strings than the black kala/roadtoad pahoehoes. They are too grabby to play comfortably — at least when they are new. A tiny amount of unscented 'simple' talc helps a lot.

The bass sounds good plugged in as long as the eq is turned all the way to the bass side, but the profile of the back of the neck is a little weird on mine — its very square and chunky around the first fret position, which feels strange and a little uncomfortable on the thumb. I wonder whether they're all like that?
[/quote]

Thanks for the tips on the talc, mine seems to be getting a little easier to play or that I'm getting used to it a bit. I hadn't noticed it being any harder to play at the first fret position, of course it is a little cramped up there, mine has a slight indentation on the back of the neck where the headstock joins the neck, very slight but my thumb slips in there when I'm at the first fret. I play with my fretting hand thumb parallel to the fret board most of the time, not sure if that is the correct method or not! Funny how I had never noticed that before until I had a look now.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

It looks like the current batch is sold out. The bass is showing on the Thomann site as "not part of the current product range anymore." http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_kahuna_clu_bass.htm so I guess the slightly weird neck profile isn't enough to return it - I'll live with it for now & maybe reshape it sometime later.

I had heard reports that on the previous batch the response was not even across the strings - some people were saying the E string was very quiet. On mine it seems perfect. The output is fairly low compared to magnetic pickups or how I remember the preamp was in my old Ashbory, but that isn't a problem. Turning the eq knob to the treble side sounds scratchy and not very pleasant but turning to the bass side sounds full & punchy. The tuner is pretty useless & doesn't help much.

Regarding the talc: I don't think that the oils in fragranced talc will do the strings any good which is why I use 'simple' talc, but the plastic containers simple comes in is quite large and it dumps too much out at a time - I refilled an empty 100ml travel pack of 'johnson's' with 'simple' which can sprinkle just a tiny amount into your hand and fits neatly into a gigbag.

[oscaraluke]

I received mine the other day.

[b]I really like the instrument[/b], apart from these little[b] details to be improved:[/b][list=1]
[*][b]The strings from factory do are sticky[/b]. I hope the Aquilas are better than them.
(do you know the brand of the originals?)
[*][b]The instrument body has sharpy, unfinished edges[/b]. So you have to sand them (not a huge problem though!)
[*][b]it is not very confortable for the forearm [/b](as it happens with my electro-acoustic bass guitar).
I think the solution could be a wooden rest for the forearm (more on that [url="http://www.guitarbench.com/2008/07/17/guitar-armrests-part-1-after-market-armests/"]here[/url] ).
[*][b]At first moments the "tunning" button worked. Not now[/b]. Hopefully the tuner does not work now but the instrument sounds connected.
Maybe it is something purely mechanic at the same button, so sooner or later I will try to get out to try to solve it.
[*][b]I don't like the batteries used,[/b] I would have preferred standard ones, not buttons.
Of course, It would have needed 4 AAAs to achieve the 6V I think it needs
[*][b]It lacks a place to rest the thumb [/b](as happens with this kind of instruments) Ok, you can rest it at the end of the fretboard,
but it is not the best position for the 4th string.
[url="http://bassbuddy.net/"]Something like this[/url] or [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/kala_u_bass_thumbrests.htm"]this[/url] could be a solution, provided it sticks to the instrument instead of being screwed.
Kalas have the same trouble though, that's why they sell them apart.
[/list]

[b]But overall, I am pretty satisfied[/b]. It seems [b]sturdy[/b], it is very [b]cheap[/b] and , having chosed a fretless one for a change,
it has new possibilities I had not at my other basses. [b]I like its sound, close to a contrabass, but also a little synthetic.[/b]

Forget about calling it "ukulele": it is something between a 1/2 to a 3/4 guitar size. Bigger than kalas,
so it can be played at home alone with acoustic sound only and it is enough. Not with other people, of course.

BTW, all them[b] seem to be gone at thomann site[/b] again. Not even in catalogue.

Edited July 25, 2014 by oscaraluke

[DorsetBlue]

[quote name='oscaraluke' timestamp='1406276280' post='2509954']
BTW, all them[b] seem to be gone at thomann site[/b] again. Not even in catalogue.
[/quote]

Dammit!!!!

Can any of the new owners give their impressions on the ability to convert it to leftie as discussed earlier in the thread. If the responses are positive I will have to jump on the next batch!

[dannybuoy]

[quote name='oscaraluke' timestamp='1406276280' post='2509954'][b]The strings from factory do are sticky[/b]. I hope the Aquilas are better than them.
(do you know the brand of the originals?
[/quote]

The factory strings are Aquila Thunderguts as far as I know, they are renowned for being sticky. If you want a less sticky, warmer sounding string, try the Road Toad Toad Pahohoes.

[Happy Jack]

I don't do impressions ... sorry.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

In case anyone's after one of these, a new batch of these Frey Bentos uke basses seems to be available at Thomann: [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_kahuna_clu_bass.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_kahuna_clu_bass.htm[/url]

[stoo]

I've just been lent one of these with a view to starting up a band comprised mostly of silliness. Market research has suggested there's a definite bonus to targeting the drunk demographic, so I'm more than happy to give it a go!

Seem to be having a bit of a nightmare keeping the thing in tune though - do the strings ever stretch enough to the point they settle down? Or is that just a quirk of rubber band strings that I've got to get used to?

Not helped by having loads of friction over the net - winding the tuners only seems to affect the tension between tuner and nut until I pull the string away from the nut and shuffle it over a bit. anyone else found a decent solution to this? Not sure what's best to try and use - ground up graphite in the nut slots? talc on the strings? adjust the shape of the nut slots? If it was my own I'd take a gamble and just keep trying stuff until something worked, but I don't want to do anything that might muck the thing up.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I've had mine a couple of weeks & it still needs tuning every time I pick it up, but it has seemed to settle down a bit since it was brand new. I'll probably try some kala/aquila Rumber silver strings (once I've checked they'll fit) which may help improve tuning stability, but compared to my (now sold) Ashbory bass the uke bass seem a lot better behaved. I think some smoothing of the nut slots and application of graphite may help with the stings catching when tuning, but if its possible to make some kind of roller nut that would be ideal. For now I just raise & lower the string from the nut to even the tension when tuning - which seems to work as the strings are so stretchy.

[dannybuoy]

The black Pahoehoe strings feel and sound the best to me but they aren't very stable. The Aquila strings are brighter and stickier, but hold their tuning better. Repeatedly lifting the string out of the nut slot when tuning is par for the course with these strings!

[Pixiechick23]

Strangely I'd literally just been looking at Harley Benton fretless basses then came back on here and spotted this thread. I'm more after the electric bass myself, anyone had any luck with those ones?

[RussFM]

I ordered the Kahuna bass last night, looking forward to seeing it. It looks very similar to the Tanglewood version, I played one od those at the Birmingham Guitar Show, was tempted then, but these are half the price. Not sure if I'll play it live or if it will be a novelty thing, but it will be useful for quiet late night practice anyway.

[Annoying Twit]

I'd like to know how the size of the HB compares to the Tanglewood.

[Annoying Twit]

[quote name='Pixiechick23' timestamp='1407534572' post='2521658']
Strangely I'd literally just been looking at Harley Benton fretless basses then came back on here and spotted this thread. I'm more after the electric bass myself, anyone had any luck with those ones?
[/quote]

A number of people including myself are interested in the fretless jazz bass, but I'm not aware that anyone here has bought one yet. (If I'm wrong, someone please direct me to the thread). The few reviews on the Thomann site are complimentary. There's a guy on youtube called Hingstier who posts a lot of Harley Benton fretless bass clips on both acoustic and electric Harley Benton basses. He makes them sound ... like fretless basses. But his electric bass is the older version 'modern' HB fretless bass, and they've revamped their range recently.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RXUyLkYKWg

Edited August 14, 2014 by icastle
Link fixed.

[Pixiechick23]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1407667448' post='2522684']
A number of people including myself are interested in the fretless jazz bass, but I'm not aware that anyone here has bought one yet. (If I'm wrong, someone please direct me to the thread). The few reviews on the Thomann site are complimentary. There's a guy on youtube called Hingstier who posts a lot of Harley Benton fretless bass clips on both acoustic and electric Harley Benton basses. He makes them sound ... like fretless basses. But his electric bass is the older version 'modern' HB fretless bass, and they've revamped their range recently.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RXUyLkYKWg
[/quote]

Yeah I watched this and I must admit I do like the sound. I'm gonna behave because I bought an Ibanez not too long ago and have noooo room for more but for the price I might well buy one eventually!

Edited August 14, 2014 by icastle
Link fixed.

[RussFM]

It arrived! Double boxed and well packaged. Opened it up and it was smaller than I was expecting. I've played a Kala and I've played the Tanglewood, my memory of the Tanglewood is hazy but I'm sure it's somewhere between the two. A couple of the frets are sharp and the finish is rough in places, but for £99 I have no complaints. The tuner works fine and the EQ has a decent range but full bass sounds best. I'll need to get used to careful finger placement, slightly over a fret and there's a nasty buzz, but correct placement gives a nice warm, deep sound. It's not loud enough for acoustic accompaniment but it's loud enough for solo acoustic practice. Very happy with it!

Edited August 14, 2014 by RussFM

[dannybuoy]

This Korala looks like another good value Kala alternative, £250 but fit and finish look much better than the HB or Tanglewood:

http://omegamusic.co.uk/buy/korala-ukbb-310fe-fretless-bass-ukulele-with-built-in-tuner

[Owen]

Mine is here. I have not plugged it in yet but acoustically it is fine and dandy. The finish is not up to Kala standard and the edges are nasty but at 25% of the price I can live with a bit of sanding. It is a lot of fun

[Annoying Twit]

The Korala has a very fancy top. It's said to have a 'okume' body which has been 'flamed'? What does it mean by that? Photoflame?

For those who have received one, happy new bass uke day! Any more sound clips?

[DorsetBlue]

Just ordered mine.

[dannybuoy]

I notice the bridge is mounted a lot further forward than the on the Kala. Anybody got a Harley Benton and a Kala to post a side-by-side pic?

[DorsetBlue]

Mine arrived on Monday, which was pretty prompt. Comments about sharp edges and frets are valid but should be easily fixed. Sounds lovely, which is the important bit. Now for the leftie conversion....which will now involve:

1) No bridge work (other than a little hole reaming), there is no compensation.
2) The nut is not reversible, so will need to make a new one.
3) There is a difference in the tuner slot size, so will need to look if this is a problem or whether they are reversible etc etc.
4) Reverse the strings and that should be it.

[Owen]

I am enjoying mine but do not NEED it. I am having one of my periodical tidy up phases and if anyone wants mine then it can be yours for £80 inc the Thoman case I bought.



I have paid the fees so I am kosher to sell.

[gafbass02]

I must admit, much as I enjoy mine, it's just sitting there most of the time.