Ubass for $150-300: used Kala vs new Hadean vs new Oscar Schmidt?

I've been coveting a ubass for a while now. I played a new Kala in-store and I've been keeping an eye out on eBay for a good used deal ever since but now I'm also considering a new Hadean or Oscar Schmidt.

So, two questions:

(1) Has anyone played any of the new Oscar Schmidt uke basses? Someone is selling them on ebay for $210-240. In this price range, a reputable brand could be a strong contender or it could be a serious budget model. I'm hoping someone will know how they compare...

(2) Anyone have an opinion between a new Hadean and a used Kala? I haven't played a Hadean but people seem to like it "for the price." I'm moderately confident I'm really going to like ubass. If I buy the Hadean, will I eventually wish I'd just bought the Kala? What do you really get for the money? Better playability? Better tone? How significant is it? Etc.

Jason


BTW, this is my first post. I've learned so much reading the forums here. Thanks to everyone for sharing!

Search this site with Google using the site switch. Using the following example you get something like this.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=hadean+bass+site:ukuleleunderground.com

hadean bass site:ukuleleunderground.com

From what I've read the accoustic versions get great reviews the solids not so much. Expect cheap pots, wiring and electronics in either one.

I have an Omega//rondo bass that I don't play that I'd sell. I think it's the same as the Haeden.It plays and sounds fine. like a ubass. I would,'t go the extra $ for a solid wood one, most of the sound comes from the pickup.. pm me if interested.Swamp ash laminate.acoustic/electric.I paid $140 for it, which was a great price.

I never heard about the Oscar Schmidt uke bass before you mentioning it here, so I have no opinion on that.

You might want to check the following threads:

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?97547-rondo-music-hadean-ubass

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?106528-I-m-at-it-again-BAS-has-replaced-UAS

See my comments (and those of other fine folks here on UU) in each thread.

What you want 'for the money' depends upon how often you will play it for a uke bass IMHO.

For my needs, which are to compose and record bass lines to accompany the other musical parts in my songwriting, I cannot justify the cost of a more expensive uke bass that is going to spend 80% of it's life unplayed.

If you plan to study bass and plan for it to become a new primary instrument, you may have a different agenda and budget.

To me, the Hadean models are just fine, but I've never played the more expensive brands/models, so take that as you may. YMMV.

I have the acoustic Hadean, sent back the solid body one. I have the acoustic Kala. I have the Kala Sub Bass and the California Ubass. You get what you pay for. The Kala's are leap years better than the Hadean. The Hadean acoustic is kind of cool but I think the tuners are really cheap and will probably break.

The Ubass I play all the time is the California. It was a lot more expensive and you get what you pay for. The Acoustic is OK but I really like the size of the solid body and no worries about feedback.

I just bought two Rondo Hadean solid body u-basses to modify, a blue that the horns are being cut down and pickguards added. I bought chrome HipShot fat barrel tuners (the last chrome ones they had), and will use Road Toad Pahoehoe yellows when I get back the bass. I actually never played it, I immediately stripped it and sent it to the luthier.

The second, a sunburst solid body is going to get a new violin style solid body, that one I played and found that the D string amplification was way low, so I traded it in for another, but that too has a slightly low D volume string, which Rondo said could be that the saddle pickup (which looks exactly like the saddle pickup on my Gold GT MicroBAss) jarred a little during shipping. That will be addressed when I have the body replaced. With both, the Thundergut strings had very obvious string noise since they are rough, which is somewhat better with Pahoehoe strings I tried.

After Booli's review of the acoustic, I've been very tempted to get the flame maple version, but holding off for now to see if I can fix a problem I'm having with a custom u-bass I put aside a few weeks ago.

Thanks everybody! Yeah, I think I've read all the ubass threads on UU. I also forgot to mention up front that I'm pretty well settled on an acoustic. I really like the convenience of practicing without an amp and I expect any performing would be with small groups at moderate volumes, so feedback shouldn't be a big concern. And I can always cover the soundhole.

Katysax, you said the Kalas are leap years ahead, but presumably that includes the solid bodies you prefer. How does the acoustic Kala compare, apples to apples, so to speak? And which acoustic Kala do you have?

Playability and sound are probably the biggest factors for me. The stickiness of the Aquilas sounds unpleasant to me so Pahoehoes are a $25 tilt toward a Kala. Money is not the biggest factor, it's just hard to justify larger sums. Used Kalas seem to be common enough that comparing a used kala and a new hadean seems practical. (Whether it's fair or not, is a different question.) If a good deal on a Kala came along, I'd probably jump. I'm just getting itchy, so I'm considering the others.

It's really hard not being able to try them all myself. My own personal UAS has been more like an expensive version of comparison shopping. I can't expect stores to have huge inventories of less mainstream instruments so the only way to find out what I like has been to buy stuff. I'm just trying to avoid BAS (or whatever acronym Booli was using) unless/until I actually consider myself a real bass player.

For the price and early bass involvement, my suggestion is to buy one of the Rondo Hadean acoustics, get a set of Pahoehoe from Road Toad, learn, play, make a judgement, then if you're inclined, buy a Kala. I learned a lesson with my ukes, always have a second instrument on hand if one has a problem and can't play.

As you can see by my signature, gear acquisition syndrome has me pretty good. Since starting the ukulele almost two years ago, I've gone through sixteen, and now I'm up to six basses.