mattyb Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I'm on the look out for one of these U Basses and the obvious choice is the Kala but on ebay and amazon, the Korala versions have caught my eye, being slightly cheaper, having a nicer finish (in my opinion) and a built in preamp. Has anyone ever seen or played one? Finding information seems pretty limited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musashimonkey Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I've only played a Kala, well built and lots of fun, but the piezo was well off centre so was not picking up the e string. Seems this may be a fairly common issue with them after a little Internet research. Sent back and now u-bass-less! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_kahuna_clu_bass.htm In terms of bangs per buck, these take some beating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andytre Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 +1 on the thomann Ubass, had one for about a month and it's awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoham Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Gigged twice with my Harley Benton. It has a basic preamp on board, but i run it through the Fishman model on my Zoom B3 and it sounds great. Just straight in to the PA last week (small gig), and in to an amp (plus PA) this week. Fine in both cases, and a whole lot of fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musashimonkey Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Quite right, the fun factor shouldnt be underestimated with these. Such rich bass from such a small unit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Got the Harley Benton last night. First U-bass and it sounds great. Finding the smaller neck a challenge but I'll stick with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyb Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 Wow I wish I checked back, those Harley Bentons are cheap! I ended up winning a Kala about a week ago on ebay after a lot of hassle with the Korala sellers because I'm in Northern Ireland...sigh. It should be here tomorrow, I can't wait to give it a rattle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Couple of things I've notice with the Thomann. Talc really helps when the strings get sticky. Nivea fine talc from the £shop A lighter touch is needed,too heavy with attack and the strings rattle of the fretboard and accuracy when fretting notes is paramount. A quick measure gave E string at 4.8mm and G at 2.4mm or .190 and .90 so heavy gauge strings. Heaviest string I've tried before was a Rotosound F# at .175. When take into account the wee frets, being bang on the mark matters. I get 21.4mm at the fifth fret compared to 35.6mm. Well worth it though for that tone,DB for a thing weighing 2.2lbs Magic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Agreed to all the above, but you have to make a decision early on as to whether this is going to be a "serious" instrument or a bit of fun. I use mine mainly with a steampunk folk outfit, where I play most of the set on a DB (oh look, he knows how to play properly) but shift to the Uke for a couple of rockier numbers near the end (oh look, he can have fun too). I don't think my intonation or accuracy are particularly bad on the Uke but, more importantly, I don't worry about it. It's a bit of fun at the end of the set for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyb Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 My Kala arrived yesterday - just in time for practice at church. My initial impressions were very good, sounds fantastic - no one could believe how big it sounded for such a small instrument - and plays really well too. I've been playing fretless exclusively for ages now so I didn't expect to notice much difference, but I was slightly taken a back by the lack of sustain compared to my P. Thinking about it, it makes sense but it just didn't cross my mind. I can't see myself using it for any upbeat numbers in church or with the wedding band but for acoustic gigs and travel light pub gigs I'm hoping its going to impress me there. I was weighing up putting together a pedalboard for playing acoustic or the U Bass and the U Bass evidently won but whether it's here to stay or not is still up for debate. I want to use it for a proper gig before making any decision! What I can't fault at all is the build quality and finish, some might argue that paying close to £300 (used) for a Ukulele is excessive, but this thing feels like a much more expensive instrument! Do I possibly have an old model as theres no tuner/preamp/battery on mine at all? It still sounds super fat though through my rig (Diamond Bass comp -> U5) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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