mcnach Posted December 19, 2022 Share Posted December 19, 2022 Not exactly NBD as I've had it for just over a week... and that's nearly as long as it took for the strings to stop stretching and the tuning to stay relatively stable. Which was great, as I was starting to think that I would never ever be able to play this thing in tune! I've been curious about these things for a while. I owned one of those Ashbory basses with silicon strings years ago. It was ok but never really gelled with it. However I have listened to a few of these 'uke' basses and they often had a 'doublebassiness' vibe that was missing on the Ashbory. I recenly came across these "Batking" basses (made by a company called Musoo, you sometimes find them under the Musoo label and others) and for £135 delivered... I had to bite. There's a channel on Youtube where you can see this (and others) in action. The woman does talk a lot but there's good info in her videos... It's great fun, it's got a basic 3-band EQ and tuner built-in, standard 1/4" output socket and an XLR... and sounds pretty good once the strings settle in. There's a fretted version too, and a solid body one as well. The solid body may actually be a good thing if you're planning to use it live. I took mine to band practice last week and it worked great but there were a few times when I got terrible feedback... you need to be careful the amp is not pointing at the bass, easy to avoid, but a solid body would probably make life easier in general. That's the very bass, with the strings it came with: and this is the same bass with some rather tasty Aquila Thunderbrown strings: 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted December 19, 2022 Share Posted December 19, 2022 (edited) Slightly dissapointed. With a name like 'Batking' I was hoping for something a bit more black, spikey and gothic. Like a sort of BC Rich Warlock Uke. Oh well, congratulatioms on scoring yourself something that looks like it'll give you a lot of fun. Edited December 19, 2022 by Cato 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted December 19, 2022 Share Posted December 19, 2022 They have to be properly hollow to get that DB dull thud we love. I spent an eyewatering amount of money to discover that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted December 20, 2022 Share Posted December 20, 2022 I have a similar instrument, I don't think that the strings have stopped stretching yet. Love the tone but requires constant retuning. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamIAm Posted December 20, 2022 Share Posted December 20, 2022 11 minutes ago, TheGreek said: I have a similar instrument, I don't think that the strings have stopped stretching yet. Love the tone but requires constant retuning. Similar, Kala ElectroAcoustic with Aquila Thunder reds that are a couple of years old ... must retune at the start of a session and every few minutes. Kala Solid Body with Aquila Thunder Browns that are a few weeks old ... needs a retune every other song! Once in tune, the solid body (5 string fretless) sounds amazing and I can accommodate off tuning a wee bit with finger positioning, but ... one of the most frustrating things I've found with UBASS is string instability. S'manth x 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted December 20, 2022 Share Posted December 20, 2022 Just got my Kala SUB 5-string off the wall - haven't used it for ages, not since the original tune-up session, as many circumstances changed. All tuned up again. That Batking does look tempting - I prefer fretless for rubber-string basses. Used to have fun with the ceilidh band, taking an EUB (NS WAV-4), Warwick Thumb fretless, and an Ashbory along to gigs, and swapping between them as the fancy took me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamIAm Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 53 minutes ago, tauzero said: Just got my Kala SUB 5-string off the wall - haven't used it for ages, not since the original tune-up session, as many circumstances changed. All tuned up again. That Batking does look tempting - I prefer fretless for rubber-string basses. Used to have fun with the ceilidh band, taking an EUB (NS WAV-4), Warwick Thumb fretless, and an Ashbory along to gigs, and swapping between them as the fancy took me. That sounds like a really fun trio! The call of an EUB is like a siren song for me ... I was so very very tempted by the Stagg that was for sale for £300 ... but in the end I just don;t think my back would be up for lugging it about My endgame at present in to use my Kala California (fretless fiver), the TMB35 and hopefully manage to get Phoenix (Self build short scale headless fretless) off the ground next year. S'manth x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted December 21, 2022 Author Share Posted December 21, 2022 13 hours ago, TheGreek said: I have a similar instrument, I don't think that the strings have stopped stretching yet. Love the tone but requires constant retuning. The first few days were the worst, the first week even. After a week or so, I still retune it everytime before I use it but it's now just a very small adjustment and typically only on the D and G strings. Of course, now that it is stable enough... I just received the Aquila Thunderbrown strings, so the whole process will repeat The Ashbory with silicone strings took a lot longer to settle, but it was a cool bass. I wish I had kept it, it would sound a lot better with the strings available today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 There's 5 available from this seller for £113 delivered, if you have the current FUN10 code (I do and am trying hard not to buy one) they're £102: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363555959883 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 I've never considered owning a Uke bass, but now I want one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted December 21, 2022 Author Share Posted December 21, 2022 2 hours ago, lemmywinks said: There's 5 available from this seller for £113 delivered, if you have the current FUN10 code (I do and am trying hard not to buy one) they're £102: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363555959883 That's the seller I got mine from. Took 2 days to arrive. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 With that code and some other code that was automatically applied, £96.84. And I'll still be OK for the 2023 gear challenge! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 5 minutes ago, tauzero said: With that code and some other code that was automatically applied, £96.84. And I'll still be OK for the 2023 gear challenge! That's showing for me as well, auto applies an extra £5.66 as well as the FUN10 10% discount. So now there's only 3 left. Don't even need it, however it will do as a stopgap until I source a fretless parlour bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 Just a heads up the FUN10 10% expires on 22/12 and the 5% seller discount expires on 23/12, as well as there being 3 left it might be worth buying now and thinking about it later. Well at least that's what I did and this is most likely some sort of attempt to rationalise it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 10, 2023 Author Share Posted January 10, 2023 It turns out that this was a gateway bass... I've ended up buying also a Gold Tone ME. The Gold Tone has a 23" scale. I wasn't sure that 3" would make a huge difference (stop sniggering at the back!) but it feels substantially easier to play, and the lines do help. I'm happy on unlined fretless with the usual 34" scale basses, but the 20" Uke required a lot of focus. The 23" Gold Tone is a little bit easier... and it turns out that getting used to it helps me when I go back to the 20" Batking. The Gold Tone is also a nicer sounding bass, but I still like the Batking too. It has a bit more of that double bass-like 'thump'. Build quality is not much better than the batking, to be honest, but it sounds and plays really good [1] and being solid body with a bolt-on neck it would be very easy to modify/fix. They're really simple instruments. [1] Initially I was not terribly happy, as the E string was a lot quieter than the others. It turns out the saddle was not sitting properly and when pressing on it I'd get a 'pop'. Pressing on the saddle and plucking at the same time showed me that all I had to do was ensure the saddle pressed well against the transducer below. I was going to return it but the fix is simple and those saddle transducers cost less than a tenner (yup!), so no great loss if I messed it up. As a quick test, I put a small piece of plastic between the string and the saddle and that fixed the issue entirely. There are similar reports on Talk Bass with this kind of transducer on various other brand basses. It looks like cutting the thin strip between the offending saddle and the rest is usually enough. It seems a lot easier than the hassle I had with DHL last week to get the bass delivered... so that pushed me towards keeping it. Not ideal after spending over £500, but I'm really fed up with Evri and DHL so I'll fix it myself. I'll try to get some kind of discount from the seller instead... fingers crossed. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted January 10, 2023 Share Posted January 10, 2023 I keep looking at my Kala and wondering how much it would cost for me to get a 5 string neck made and fitted, and modifying the bridge? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3below Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 23 hours ago, Owen said: I keep looking at my Kala and wondering how much it would cost for me to get a 5 string neck made and fitted, and modifying the bridge? Whilst investigating a short scale replacement fretless neck for my Warwick Corvette I can give you some advice on that. You should now sit down and have tissues to hand since your eyes will be watering at the expense . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 54 minutes ago, 3below said: Whilst investigating a short scale replacement fretless neck for my Warwick Corvette I can give you some advice on that. You should now sit down and have tissues to hand since your eyes will be watering at the expense . Sad times 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3below Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 (edited) Yes and no for me. I am just going to build my own. I have recently bought the same Gold Tone me, a real fun thing Edited January 11, 2023 by 3below 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamIAm Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 I sense UAS rearing its head! Would be great to hear about your ukes in S'manth x 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linear Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 @mcnach Did you try out the Thunderbrown strings? I'm curious to know if they really do give a more upright-ish tone than the usual uke bass rubber band twang, and if they are grippy like the white aquilas or slippy like the black road toad strings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamIAm Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, linear said: @mcnach Did you try out the Thunderbrown strings? I'm curious to know if they really do give a more upright-ish tone than the usual uke bass rubber band twang, and if they are grippy like the white aquilas or slippy like the black road toad strings. I've got the Thunder Browns on my ubass (5 string fretless solid body) and I totally love them. They seem to run a wee bit thinner than the other strings I've tried (The original blacks that come with the kala and Thunder Reds); they have a slightly rough, non-sticky feel and they give a more thuddy sound, I can even get a wee bit of mwah in the lower notes. Just in case you've not seen these ... S'manth x Edited January 12, 2023 by Smanth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3below Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 @Smanth What string action height are you using with the Thunderbrowns? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamIAm Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 41 minutes ago, 3below said: @Smanth What string action height are you using with the Thunderbrowns? Nut action for all strings is apx 0.5mm, I can not quite get a credit card under. At the 24th fret, B is 4.5mm, the other strings decrease evenly to the G at 3.5. S’manth x 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 12, 2023 Author Share Posted January 12, 2023 6 hours ago, linear said: @mcnach Did you try out the Thunderbrown strings? I'm curious to know if they really do give a more upright-ish tone than the usual uke bass rubber band twang, and if they are grippy like the white aquilas or slippy like the black road toad strings. No, not yet. I decided to wait a little and enjoy it as it was now that the tuning had settled. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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