geoham Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 So the singer from my (fairly) new originals band has got a bee in his bonnet about booking acoustic gigs. There are five of us - two guitars (one of whom sings), violin, bass & drums. We did one acoustic gig just before Christmas that I didn't really want to do, but eventually agreed to keep the peace. I just used my P bass - it sounded fine, but I was lost without a drummer (other than my singer's ridiculous loud foot stamping). Anyway, politely made it clear that I have no problems with the other three playing acoustic shows, butthey're far from what I want to be doing. FWIW - I do love our electric shows. My blooming drummer has only gone and bought himself a cajon (i.e - a big wooden box he sits on and bangs out a beat!), so I'm kind of backed into a corner now! I don't have an acoustic bass guitar, and while I'd love to have a double bass, it's not really possible! So anyway, I've gone and ordered one of Thomann's Kala U bass clones. I've gone for the fretless option. http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_kahuna_clu_bass_fl.htm Has anyone tried one of these yet? Looks like a whole lot of fun to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 It's all about the strings. The ones it comes with will probably be awful, and you'll be thinking in terms of upgrading to Aquila Thunderguts or something. Also, and I'm absolutely serious, always use talcum powder on your fingers when playing. As gigging instruments, these things are a load of fun and work very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoham Posted February 1, 2015 Author Share Posted February 1, 2015 It apparently comes fitted with Aquila strings - don't know if they are the 'Thundergut' ones - however they are white in colour. Does anyone know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornats Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Let us know how you get on with it as I tried an Ashbury bass ukulele with flatwound strings and it was so much fun to play. I've tried the Kala u-bass too which sounded immense but I preferred the flatwound strings to the ultra sticky black ones that were on the Kala. The HB one is half the price of the Ashbury so I'd rather spend £100 than £200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andytre Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 I just had one if these come through the other day, it does come with Aquila strings I believe. I haven't been able to put it down since it came (along with a deko 4 string acoustic) I think it sound pretty darn good some where between an upright and an acoustic bass, it's a little bit quiet through an amp but does sound good! I got mine B-stock for £77. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoham Posted February 1, 2015 Author Share Posted February 1, 2015 Quite looking forward to using now! Have a gig with my function band on Thursday, if it arrives on time I might sneak it in somewhere.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DorsetBlue Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Enjoy playing mine but don't get to do so often. It needed a little fettling (and I converted mine to left handed) but cracking for the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Got my hands on one last night. As my prior experience was limited to watching some YT videos last Saturday I really didn't know what to expect So I un-boxed this wee thing[attachment=184539:Bass Uke.jpg] As you can see it's tiny.Coming into this blind I can see some rethinking will be needed. First will be getting used to the strings,as they stretch a lot of turning is required to get in tune,and with the frets being so wee the thickness of the strings means you have to be bang on position to play. An alteration in attack is another thing I must work on to avoid the strings bouncing of the neck.Unplugged it quite quiet but I got a real surprise when I plugged it in. What a great sound,no background hiss just very deep tone Think me and this will get along just fine and I'm going to join a Uke forum for some tips. Don't see this as being a straight transition from bass,some time needed getting used to it's nuances like fretting properly and the strings being so thick.Might try different strings too. For the record it's 825mm long and 297mm wide by 80mm deep and weighs a colossal 2.2lbs or 1 Kg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 The stretchy strings is something you just have to live with. They never actually seem to stabilise. Get yourself some cheap talcum powder from Boots or wherever, dust your hands before you play. You'll be surprised how much difference it makes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Cheers I'd heard that for the Ashbory and was meant to get some today. On tomorrows list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 KB - how would you compare the sound of the HB to the Tanglewood Traveller bass? [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjhGanOoS0Y[/media] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornats Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I got a "deko" Harley Benton uke bass from Thomann and unfortunately it's got a few issues. Some people have been lucky with the deko series but not me. The truss rod doesn't seem to do much and there's some backbow in the neck. This means the E and A strings buzz massively. I've levelled, crowned and polished the frets but it made little difference. The E and A strings are really quiet when plugged in too but this could be a badly seated pickup (as per the FAQ here: http://www.b-band.com/index.php?page=faq). I tried putting a little bit of paper underneath to help push the pickup into the bridge a bit but it's made little difference. So my options are to a) try higher tension strings than the Aquila Thunderguts that came with it to solve the backbow and try again with the pickup seating or strip it down and sell it for parts. Maybe £30 for the pickup/preamp and a tenner for the strings maybe and I'll only a couple of quid down. Any idea whether flatwound strings (for example the ones that come on the Ashbury bass: http://www.hobgoblin.com/local/products/GR35081/ukulele-bass-strings/) are higher tension than the Thunderguts? Or maybe I can try some old roundwounds cut down to size. It looks like it will be an absolute pain to restring it so I'm not keen on trial and error here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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