Showing posts with label bass. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bass. Show all posts
8 Sept 2024
7 Sept 2014
7 Sept 2014T11:00
These ukes have been intriguing me for a while, so was delighted to get my hands on one for a test before I take it on to the Grand Northern Ukulele Festival where it has been generously donated to the raffle. Buzzards Field basses were founded by Darren Field in the UK as an alternative to the Kala U Bass, which he (and me too!) thought were too expensive for what they are. Thinking laterally (and in my opinion, very cleverly!) Darren avoided the route of building his own basses from the ground up and hit on a clever solution.
The Afan model (he makes other slightly smaller ones too) is essentially a modified small bodied guitar. In this case a Tanglewood half sized classical guitar, and because of that, the bulk of the construction is already in place. These guitars are laminate spruce topped and linden wood back and sides and come in either red, or this rather fetching electric blue colour (me like!). They are roughly baritone uke sized (perhaps a little bigger), and thats really the trick here - a good sized bass ukulele! As I say though, his 'Tintern' model is a little smaller if that is what you prefer and I believe Darren will also take instruments you can supply to make the conversion. In fact, he also sells build your own bass kits with the requisite parts to turn any small guitar into a U Bass.
This puts me in a slightly different position in this review that I am in with other ukes, as the build of the main parts of the uke (body and neck) are not Darrens. As such, if there are flaws on the finish (and there are, just here and there), that is down to Tanglewood and not Buzzards Field Basses! Sure he could work with higher end guitars, but it is important to note that part of his build plan in creating these uke basses was keeping the price reasonable. The base price (excuse the pun) of the Afan model comes in at £170, so considerably cheaper than the Kala U Bass.
So rather than go over the finish (its blue, its glossy, black binding, large sound hole rosette, 18 frets (12 to the body) no fretboard markers, side markers at 5, 7, 9 and 12), lets take a look at what Darren does to these guitars to make them all bass! First up, a standard guitar bridge is not going to be big enough to tie off bass guitar strings. (Incidentally, they come with Aquila Thundergut strings - you know my views on these....). So he has added in a wooden tailplate drilled through the body at the base of the top to take the strings. Not only does this provide the space for the strings to be tied off but also sets the spacing of the strings at the bridge end. Flipping the bass over and there is a hole drilled in the back with a rubber plug bung closing it off. It is through here that you feed the strings and tie knots behind the top to hold them in place. Clever. And it works - the strings are spaced just great.
Of course, this is not a ukulele sized neck, its a guitar, but that is just perfect for good spacing of the bass strings and feels very similar to other uke basses I have seen.
There is a similar issue with the gauge of strings at the nut, so he has removed the stock guitar nut and fitted a hand carved wooden nut that comprises four v shaped notches to hold the strings at the other end. It looks a little rough and ready, but it works. It is also removable if you wanted to adjust it easily.
Up to the headstock and what do you do with a guitar head that holds six tuners when you only need four? Well, the headstock is sawn down and the top two tuners (these are side mounted gears - typical classical guitar style) are removed, but the top of the headstock is reserved and then re fitted and held in place by the redundant metal frame of the tuners. Another clever idea, but another thing that looks a little rough and ready. To be fair though I am not sure what else he could have done and I do quite like it.
On the tuners, Darren warns that due to the tension, if mistreated one may shear the pinion cog on the tuner. One thing I have liked about Darren in his communications with me is how honest he is. I don't think they will shear, but he does go to the trouble of sending out spare cogs with the uke just in case! For me, if that concern is there I wonder whether he would look at fitting bass tuners for total peace of mind.
Tuning wise (and this is the key to pleasing true bass fans) it is tuned to EADG, but unlike the Kamoa E3E which I liked (and many readers didn't) its tuned an octave below that - so true bass. It is because of that the Buzzards Field needs to use the Aquila strings as steel string tension would be too much and pull the instrument apart.
Completing the deal on this particular model is a 4 band eq powered by a battery and a pickup fitted under the saddle, a jack socket on the butt off to one side and a butt end strap button. I think the whole thing looks great. Quirky, but great. And there is nothing wrong with quirky in my book.
So how do I like it? Well I am not a bass player, but I just keep picking this one up. It's partly the looks, but it is very nice to play and I just like the whole concept. The setup just works. His choices on the tail piece and the nut may look a little rough, but they do their job. Action is just right and I found it to be a fast comfortable neck to play, with comfortable string spacing too.
Sound wise, a couple of plus points - it is quite a bit louder unplugged than the Kalas on account of the larger body. Sure you will need to amplify it to be heard in a band or club, but for practice at home it has a punch and that is part of why I keep picking it up. This is a good thing. Plugged in is a treat too. I don't think that pickup is too high a quality model, but it works, doesnt sound too 'electric' and carries lots of thump. It is also nicely balanced across the strings.
Negative points are simple, but as I say, I can't really blame the Company for the finish on the underlying guitar. I wonder whether a coloured finish / stain / gloss on the tailpiece may make it look a little nicer though, and the headstock joint does look a touch scruffy - but these are built to fulfil a requirement on cost and I admire them for that. Darren did tell me that he will work with buyers to meet all reasonable requirements so I suppose the sky is the limit. Personally though, I would try to respect his mission statement, and at the end of the day, a finish doesn't make sound. On sound it seems great to me. One other point on that - because they are bespoke and will depend on the core guitar used to make the bass, you are getting something unique every time too.
Yes I could moan about the strings, I still don't like them, but this is what it is, and can assure you that this review is not scored down in any way on account of the strings.
Overall, I am always a huge fan of innovation and people striking out on their own. As such, if you are in the Uke bass market and put off by the price of the Kalas, I really do think these should be on your list for checking out. Support your local innovator!
More details at http://www.buzzardsfieldbasses.co.uk
PROS
Innovation
Unplugged sound
Playability and setup
Quirky looks
Sensible price
CONS
Some rough finishing
SCORES
Looks - 8.5
Fit and Finish - 7.5
Sound - 9
Value For Money - 10
OVERALL - 8.8 out of 10
VIDEO REVIEW
Read More »
Buzzards Field 'Afan' Ukulele Bass REVIEW
You spend four plus years reviewing ukuleles and never come across a bass uke, then in the space of a month and a half, two come along at once! Yes, it's time for some LOW END, and quite an unusual one this. The 'Afan' ukulele bass from Buzzards Field Basses.
The Afan model (he makes other slightly smaller ones too) is essentially a modified small bodied guitar. In this case a Tanglewood half sized classical guitar, and because of that, the bulk of the construction is already in place. These guitars are laminate spruce topped and linden wood back and sides and come in either red, or this rather fetching electric blue colour (me like!). They are roughly baritone uke sized (perhaps a little bigger), and thats really the trick here - a good sized bass ukulele! As I say though, his 'Tintern' model is a little smaller if that is what you prefer and I believe Darren will also take instruments you can supply to make the conversion. In fact, he also sells build your own bass kits with the requisite parts to turn any small guitar into a U Bass.
This puts me in a slightly different position in this review that I am in with other ukes, as the build of the main parts of the uke (body and neck) are not Darrens. As such, if there are flaws on the finish (and there are, just here and there), that is down to Tanglewood and not Buzzards Field Basses! Sure he could work with higher end guitars, but it is important to note that part of his build plan in creating these uke basses was keeping the price reasonable. The base price (excuse the pun) of the Afan model comes in at £170, so considerably cheaper than the Kala U Bass.
So rather than go over the finish (its blue, its glossy, black binding, large sound hole rosette, 18 frets (12 to the body) no fretboard markers, side markers at 5, 7, 9 and 12), lets take a look at what Darren does to these guitars to make them all bass! First up, a standard guitar bridge is not going to be big enough to tie off bass guitar strings. (Incidentally, they come with Aquila Thundergut strings - you know my views on these....). So he has added in a wooden tailplate drilled through the body at the base of the top to take the strings. Not only does this provide the space for the strings to be tied off but also sets the spacing of the strings at the bridge end. Flipping the bass over and there is a hole drilled in the back with a rubber plug bung closing it off. It is through here that you feed the strings and tie knots behind the top to hold them in place. Clever. And it works - the strings are spaced just great.
Of course, this is not a ukulele sized neck, its a guitar, but that is just perfect for good spacing of the bass strings and feels very similar to other uke basses I have seen.
There is a similar issue with the gauge of strings at the nut, so he has removed the stock guitar nut and fitted a hand carved wooden nut that comprises four v shaped notches to hold the strings at the other end. It looks a little rough and ready, but it works. It is also removable if you wanted to adjust it easily.
Up to the headstock and what do you do with a guitar head that holds six tuners when you only need four? Well, the headstock is sawn down and the top two tuners (these are side mounted gears - typical classical guitar style) are removed, but the top of the headstock is reserved and then re fitted and held in place by the redundant metal frame of the tuners. Another clever idea, but another thing that looks a little rough and ready. To be fair though I am not sure what else he could have done and I do quite like it.
On the tuners, Darren warns that due to the tension, if mistreated one may shear the pinion cog on the tuner. One thing I have liked about Darren in his communications with me is how honest he is. I don't think they will shear, but he does go to the trouble of sending out spare cogs with the uke just in case! For me, if that concern is there I wonder whether he would look at fitting bass tuners for total peace of mind.
Tuning wise (and this is the key to pleasing true bass fans) it is tuned to EADG, but unlike the Kamoa E3E which I liked (and many readers didn't) its tuned an octave below that - so true bass. It is because of that the Buzzards Field needs to use the Aquila strings as steel string tension would be too much and pull the instrument apart.
Completing the deal on this particular model is a 4 band eq powered by a battery and a pickup fitted under the saddle, a jack socket on the butt off to one side and a butt end strap button. I think the whole thing looks great. Quirky, but great. And there is nothing wrong with quirky in my book.
So how do I like it? Well I am not a bass player, but I just keep picking this one up. It's partly the looks, but it is very nice to play and I just like the whole concept. The setup just works. His choices on the tail piece and the nut may look a little rough, but they do their job. Action is just right and I found it to be a fast comfortable neck to play, with comfortable string spacing too.
Sound wise, a couple of plus points - it is quite a bit louder unplugged than the Kalas on account of the larger body. Sure you will need to amplify it to be heard in a band or club, but for practice at home it has a punch and that is part of why I keep picking it up. This is a good thing. Plugged in is a treat too. I don't think that pickup is too high a quality model, but it works, doesnt sound too 'electric' and carries lots of thump. It is also nicely balanced across the strings.
Negative points are simple, but as I say, I can't really blame the Company for the finish on the underlying guitar. I wonder whether a coloured finish / stain / gloss on the tailpiece may make it look a little nicer though, and the headstock joint does look a touch scruffy - but these are built to fulfil a requirement on cost and I admire them for that. Darren did tell me that he will work with buyers to meet all reasonable requirements so I suppose the sky is the limit. Personally though, I would try to respect his mission statement, and at the end of the day, a finish doesn't make sound. On sound it seems great to me. One other point on that - because they are bespoke and will depend on the core guitar used to make the bass, you are getting something unique every time too.
Yes I could moan about the strings, I still don't like them, but this is what it is, and can assure you that this review is not scored down in any way on account of the strings.
Overall, I am always a huge fan of innovation and people striking out on their own. As such, if you are in the Uke bass market and put off by the price of the Kalas, I really do think these should be on your list for checking out. Support your local innovator!
More details at http://www.buzzardsfieldbasses.co.uk
PROS
Innovation
Unplugged sound
Playability and setup
Quirky looks
Sensible price
CONS
Some rough finishing
SCORES
Looks - 8.5
Fit and Finish - 7.5
Sound - 9
Value For Money - 10
OVERALL - 8.8 out of 10
To understand my review scoring and see this result in context - visit my review page at
VIDEO REVIEW
7 Aug 2014
7 Aug 2014T14:01
Confession first though. I am not a fan of ukulele basses. When I started on uke, there really was no such thing and then Kala came through with their U Bass models, the ones with the rubbery strings. I don't want to be controversial but I just don't like them. I just cannot get on with those thick, grippy strings that kind of twist on the fingertip and take an age to settle into tune. Don't get me wrong, in the right hands (and I am no bass player) they have a terrific woody sound, very like a double bass, but those strings and their low tension just niggle with me. But there is another reason too..... Why a 'ukulele' bass? A ukulele is the size it is because of its history and heritage. Its a ukulele, that is how they look! So why the drive to make a bass guitar smaller? Why does it need to match the ukulele on scale? At a gig of ours some time ago somebody said to me afterwards (having spied our full scale bass guitar) 'oh I suppose you 'get away with' playing a bass guitar because it has four strings?'.... I was lost for words.... Getting away with what?? Because we play ukes doesnt mean everything has to be miniaturised... We use a regular bass guitar because we like the sound. End of! As such I have always been confused as to why there is a U Bass market. But... there is, and it is growing, I just never felt compelled to join the clamour for one on account of THOSE STRINGS!
The Kamoa arrived though and I was extremely pleased. You see the E3E is a bass in every way, down to the fact it uses steel flat wound bass strings and not the rubbery ones. I was always led to believe that Kala went with the plastic strings to keep the tension down and therefore not destroy the uke, but Kamoa seem to have done it, and with more tension than a U Bass too! Let us take a closer look.
The Kamoa E3E is essentially a far eastern made baritone ukulele body with a wider bass neck stuck on to it. The body is in traditional figure of eight shape and is made from solid woods (spruce on the top and maple on the back and sides). The top is made from two pieces and is stained in red satin finish which just about allows the wood grain to show through. The sides are finished in a similar way and there are no flaws in the finish whatsoever making it feel very tactile if a little one dimensional. The top and back are joined to the sides with inner notched kerfing, and outer cream binding with some black white black trim. The back has a slight arch to it too. It all looks very clean though I think and goes together well.
The saddle (which appears to be NuBone or similar) sits in a rosewood bridge mount with a nice shape to it, and the strings are held by traditional acoustic guitar pins. I find pins fiddly on ukuleles but with this instrument using ball end bass guitar strings, tying knots in the 'ukulele way' would look a total mess. Aside from a small simple sound hole ring (a transfer) there is little other bling on the E3E at all.
The neck is wide to accommodate the extra string girth but is fairly shallow in profile. It is made from two pieces of maple with a joint at the heel and again is stained to match the body. The fingerboard is rosewood and appears to be edge bound (though that may just be darker stain) to hide the fret edges. It is a nice even piece of wood and holds 17 nickel silver frets with 12 to the body. One really nice thing to see is that the fretboard is 'radiused' meaning it has a very slight curve across the face to allow for easier playing, particularly with a wide fingerboard such as this. Edges of the rather chunky frets (this is a bass!) are very nicely finished and we have large pearloid fret markers at the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th and a double marker at the 12th. For the player there is a single small side marker at the 7th (well done Kamoa!).
Past the chunky dark wood nut (rosewood again I think) we have the standard Kamoa headstock shape. I do like it, and whilst it is still yet another crown shape it tapers from the base to the top and I think looks very classy. It is faced with what I think is rosewood with a small diamond Kamoa logo inlay in maple. All I would say is this headstock shows how nice a finish Kamoa can come up with but it kind of jars against the expanse of red on the rest of the instrument.
The tuners are unbranded metal sealed gears finished in black. Basically they are small ish bass guitar tuners and work just fine.
Finishing the package is an onboard active pickup system which is branded Kamoa but looks generic to me, perhaps a Belcat. It comes with volume, bass and treble faders and a low battery indicator and runs from a 9v battery. I am not much of a fan of these systems, but there you go. It is functional enough at this price.
So in short, it is a bass acoustic guitar in baritone uke size and retails in the UK for about £300. It is also designed to be tuned EADG like a regular bass but an octave up (same tuning as a U Bass, but the U Bass is the same as a regular bass guitar or double bass).
Testing it for play is not the easiest thing I can do as I am not a bass guitar player, but the thing that struck me first is that it is considerably louder unplugged than a Kala U Bass, and dare I say it, feels more solid and 'bassy' too. An acoustic bass is never going to be super loud, even at full scale guitar sized, but it sounds great for unplugged practice on account of those steel strings. Oh, and a pick makes it even louder!
The neck feels great in the hand and very much like a full scale bass to me. The setup arrived spot on with very little buzz (in my clumsy bass experience I always tend to create a bit of resonance buzz when I play one), but it is all nice and clear. Accurate across the neck too.
As I said above, the tuners work just fine. They are perhaps a little sloppy when starting to wind, but when in tune they hold just fine.
But it was the pickup I really wanted to try out and it works. I did find that strings 1 and 4 were a touch louder on this, with string 4 giving the uke an overly bass sound even without the bass fader anywhere high. This would just be a simple tweak to ensure the bottom of the saddle is seated properly and through a fuller bass rig I am not sure I would notice all that much. It doesn't sound anywhere as woody and thumpy as the Kala U Bass, and you may not like that, but these are steel strings so it is natural I guess. I do find it a lot brighter sounding than I would expect from a bass though and think that cheaper Piezo pickup has something to do with that as it sounds very 'electric' if that makes sense. A good pre amp or amp generally may well work wonders here.
Overall though it is very well put together and looks the part. I like the red colour I guess, but underneath it is actually a fairly plain ukulele and some more glamorous wood choices may have improved it I guess, as it looks a touch uninspired to me. As I say though, the build is great.
To me though it is really just a small acoustic bass guitar and the jury is still out for me as to why there is a need to call it a ukulele when it isn't... That isn't a criticism of the instrument itself, more of the uke bass fad - the instrument is a great little thing I think. If you are already a regular bass guitar player or a Kala player who doesn't get on with U Bass strings, these have got to be worth having a look at.
But it is the price that should really turn your head - £300 is on a par with the Kala Rumbler, and cheaper than other U Basses including the Ortega. Great great value in my view and a must see for anyone moving to the bass side!
Check out the video review below and then the scores on the doors!
PRO's
Price
Steel strings
Build quality
CON's
Cheap pickup system
Striking red finish but underwhelming woods underneath
VIDEO REVIEW
SCORES
Looks - 8
Fit and Finish - 9
Sound - 8
Value For Money - 9
OVERALL - 8.5 out of 10
Read More »
Kamoa E3E Bass Ukulele REVIEW
You know, it surprises me that out of all the instruments I have reviewed on this site, I haven't yet looked at a ukulele bass. I suppose there are not that many about if the truth be told, but they are becoming increasingly popular. I was therefore delighted to have this Kamoa E3E Bass ukulele sent to me on loan by the good folks at Southern Ukulele Store.
Confession first though. I am not a fan of ukulele basses. When I started on uke, there really was no such thing and then Kala came through with their U Bass models, the ones with the rubbery strings. I don't want to be controversial but I just don't like them. I just cannot get on with those thick, grippy strings that kind of twist on the fingertip and take an age to settle into tune. Don't get me wrong, in the right hands (and I am no bass player) they have a terrific woody sound, very like a double bass, but those strings and their low tension just niggle with me. But there is another reason too..... Why a 'ukulele' bass? A ukulele is the size it is because of its history and heritage. Its a ukulele, that is how they look! So why the drive to make a bass guitar smaller? Why does it need to match the ukulele on scale? At a gig of ours some time ago somebody said to me afterwards (having spied our full scale bass guitar) 'oh I suppose you 'get away with' playing a bass guitar because it has four strings?'.... I was lost for words.... Getting away with what?? Because we play ukes doesnt mean everything has to be miniaturised... We use a regular bass guitar because we like the sound. End of! As such I have always been confused as to why there is a U Bass market. But... there is, and it is growing, I just never felt compelled to join the clamour for one on account of THOSE STRINGS!
The Kamoa arrived though and I was extremely pleased. You see the E3E is a bass in every way, down to the fact it uses steel flat wound bass strings and not the rubbery ones. I was always led to believe that Kala went with the plastic strings to keep the tension down and therefore not destroy the uke, but Kamoa seem to have done it, and with more tension than a U Bass too! Let us take a closer look.
The Kamoa E3E is essentially a far eastern made baritone ukulele body with a wider bass neck stuck on to it. The body is in traditional figure of eight shape and is made from solid woods (spruce on the top and maple on the back and sides). The top is made from two pieces and is stained in red satin finish which just about allows the wood grain to show through. The sides are finished in a similar way and there are no flaws in the finish whatsoever making it feel very tactile if a little one dimensional. The top and back are joined to the sides with inner notched kerfing, and outer cream binding with some black white black trim. The back has a slight arch to it too. It all looks very clean though I think and goes together well.
The saddle (which appears to be NuBone or similar) sits in a rosewood bridge mount with a nice shape to it, and the strings are held by traditional acoustic guitar pins. I find pins fiddly on ukuleles but with this instrument using ball end bass guitar strings, tying knots in the 'ukulele way' would look a total mess. Aside from a small simple sound hole ring (a transfer) there is little other bling on the E3E at all.
The neck is wide to accommodate the extra string girth but is fairly shallow in profile. It is made from two pieces of maple with a joint at the heel and again is stained to match the body. The fingerboard is rosewood and appears to be edge bound (though that may just be darker stain) to hide the fret edges. It is a nice even piece of wood and holds 17 nickel silver frets with 12 to the body. One really nice thing to see is that the fretboard is 'radiused' meaning it has a very slight curve across the face to allow for easier playing, particularly with a wide fingerboard such as this. Edges of the rather chunky frets (this is a bass!) are very nicely finished and we have large pearloid fret markers at the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th and a double marker at the 12th. For the player there is a single small side marker at the 7th (well done Kamoa!).
Past the chunky dark wood nut (rosewood again I think) we have the standard Kamoa headstock shape. I do like it, and whilst it is still yet another crown shape it tapers from the base to the top and I think looks very classy. It is faced with what I think is rosewood with a small diamond Kamoa logo inlay in maple. All I would say is this headstock shows how nice a finish Kamoa can come up with but it kind of jars against the expanse of red on the rest of the instrument.
The tuners are unbranded metal sealed gears finished in black. Basically they are small ish bass guitar tuners and work just fine.
Finishing the package is an onboard active pickup system which is branded Kamoa but looks generic to me, perhaps a Belcat. It comes with volume, bass and treble faders and a low battery indicator and runs from a 9v battery. I am not much of a fan of these systems, but there you go. It is functional enough at this price.
So in short, it is a bass acoustic guitar in baritone uke size and retails in the UK for about £300. It is also designed to be tuned EADG like a regular bass but an octave up (same tuning as a U Bass, but the U Bass is the same as a regular bass guitar or double bass).
Testing it for play is not the easiest thing I can do as I am not a bass guitar player, but the thing that struck me first is that it is considerably louder unplugged than a Kala U Bass, and dare I say it, feels more solid and 'bassy' too. An acoustic bass is never going to be super loud, even at full scale guitar sized, but it sounds great for unplugged practice on account of those steel strings. Oh, and a pick makes it even louder!
The neck feels great in the hand and very much like a full scale bass to me. The setup arrived spot on with very little buzz (in my clumsy bass experience I always tend to create a bit of resonance buzz when I play one), but it is all nice and clear. Accurate across the neck too.
As I said above, the tuners work just fine. They are perhaps a little sloppy when starting to wind, but when in tune they hold just fine.
But it was the pickup I really wanted to try out and it works. I did find that strings 1 and 4 were a touch louder on this, with string 4 giving the uke an overly bass sound even without the bass fader anywhere high. This would just be a simple tweak to ensure the bottom of the saddle is seated properly and through a fuller bass rig I am not sure I would notice all that much. It doesn't sound anywhere as woody and thumpy as the Kala U Bass, and you may not like that, but these are steel strings so it is natural I guess. I do find it a lot brighter sounding than I would expect from a bass though and think that cheaper Piezo pickup has something to do with that as it sounds very 'electric' if that makes sense. A good pre amp or amp generally may well work wonders here.
Overall though it is very well put together and looks the part. I like the red colour I guess, but underneath it is actually a fairly plain ukulele and some more glamorous wood choices may have improved it I guess, as it looks a touch uninspired to me. As I say though, the build is great.
To me though it is really just a small acoustic bass guitar and the jury is still out for me as to why there is a need to call it a ukulele when it isn't... That isn't a criticism of the instrument itself, more of the uke bass fad - the instrument is a great little thing I think. If you are already a regular bass guitar player or a Kala player who doesn't get on with U Bass strings, these have got to be worth having a look at.
But it is the price that should really turn your head - £300 is on a par with the Kala Rumbler, and cheaper than other U Basses including the Ortega. Great great value in my view and a must see for anyone moving to the bass side!
Check out the video review below and then the scores on the doors!
PRO's
Price
Steel strings
Build quality
CON's
Cheap pickup system
Striking red finish but underwhelming woods underneath
VIDEO REVIEW
SCORES
Looks - 8
Fit and Finish - 9
Sound - 8
Value For Money - 9
OVERALL - 8.5 out of 10
To understand my review scoring and see this result in context - visit my review page at
20 Nov 2010
20 Nov 2010T10:22
Kala U Bass ukulele
Had a couple of questions as to what the ukulele is that Dave Pegg of Fairport Convention is playing in my post HERE
Read More »
Well its by Kala and its called the U-Bass - thats right, Bass! A Bass Ukulele - how cool is that?
Its basically a baritone ukulele with a piezo pickup, strengthened bass tuners (hipshots) and polyurethane strings - kind of rubbery. Solid wood tops too.
They dont sound like ukes, they sound like a bass guitar - the reviews I have read have been very promising, and having seen Fairport play their ukes live, I saw Simon Nicol play one of these and it sounded great. Dont think you get much sound from it unplugged, but what a great idea for playing in a band.
They dont sound like ukes, they sound like a bass guitar - the reviews I have read have been very promising, and having seen Fairport play their ukes live, I saw Simon Nicol play one of these and it sounded great. Dont think you get much sound from it unplugged, but what a great idea for playing in a band.
A really fat sound, and they also do a fretless version!
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