Don’t you love when someone revisits a weird idea from the past — and makes it even weirder?
I got a new bass last week, right before I left for the NAMM show. I finally had a chance to try it out yesterday. I think I’m in love. View the incriminating evidence in this brief video:
Usually I’d rather scoop the catbox than play through a piezo pickup. Yet I dig the way the piezo’s stringy/slappy highs helps bass lines slice through a mix. You can hear the line loud and clear, even when I slather on the loud guitars.
Kala makes several U-Bass models — this is the fancy mahogany one. It lists for around $600 US, and sells cheaper.
10 replies on “The Bass That Shouldn’t Be”
Joe, this makes me happy:)
groovy!
I’m not sure if this qualifies as weirder than the Ashbory. 😉 But definitely cool. I saw the solid body versions of these at NAMM, and i’m very tempted to pick one up.
I think it sounds great! I saw a Ash Solidbody bass Uke at the Kala booth at NAMM, It had a natural finish, Black Hardware and 3 knobs it was Sweet!!! I was so impressed I even took a pic of it!
Wow…
I played your video 3 times in a row. Definitely cool.
Shucks! I was just having fun with my silly but cool new bass. 🙂
Very cool tune. I have a reissue Ashbory that I love to death, I intend to get the Kala style strings to replace the standard Ashbory sili-rubber strings for my next string replacement ( I have read it is quite an improvement). Is the Kala you have fretless like the Ashbory? I prefer fretless but I have a friend that thinks he would like one if they were fretted (which I am not even sure would work with the rubber strings). Thanks for the great demo.
Thanks for the kind words, Matthew. No, my Kala is fretted. I wouldn’t have dared post any examples of my inept fretless playing! 😉
Well my friend will be glad to hear that the fretted ones work so well. I think a real short scale is the easiest fret-less bass to play (like an Ashbory), just seems easier to find the note to me (but I play slide 95% of the time so YMMV). Maybe there is just less bass to obsess over.
I think this might be the same bass that Paul Simon’s bass player uses. He plays something similar at least, at he gets amazing tone from it!