Please talk to me about Bass Ukuleles

steel rider

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Hi there,

I have a Pono AT with a Fishman Isys pickup that I'm thinking about selling or trading. At first a baritone made sense but the bass is just sexy - and I like sexy!

Can the bass players out there tell me about the bass ukulele? Questions I have are:
Do I have to learn new chords?
Is there much solo music or is it almost all done to accompany others?
Are there a lot of tabs/music online at all?
I assume I'd go fretted. Is that easier?
Can I use my Roland Cube (not microcube) amp or do I need a Bass Amp? Would something like a Fishman Loudbox work?
What was your bass journey like, especially if you were not a bass player of any kind before?
Is it realistic to ask someone to trade a bass for a Pono tenor?

Clearly I'm just looking at this on a whim but I like the idea. Any feedback is appreciated!
 
Do I have to learn new chords?

The bass is not really meant as a chordal instrument (although you can do it). But yes, since the bass is tuned in fourths, if you want to play chords on it you will need to learn new chord shapes.


Is there much solo music or is it almost all done to accompany others?

First and foremost, it is a bass and intended to be played as such, just in ukulele form. So, the large majority of what you'll do with it - with others - is accompaniment. You can certainly play solo music on it, but given the tonal range of the instrument itself, much of the solo bass repertoire that is out there (whether it's from classical double bass pedagogy or transcribed solo bass guitarists) will not sound very good on it.


Are there a lot of tabs/music online at all?

Given that it's an actual bass (just in ukulele form), there is a wealth of tabs and music to be found.


I assume I'd go fretted. Is that easier?

If you are starting out, it really could go either way.


Can I use my Roland Cube (not microcube) amp or do I need a Bass Amp? Would something like a Fishman Loudbox work?

The Roland Cube should work okay for some small things, depending on what you're doing with it.
 
What he said. I have a Kala U-Bass and it has served me well for recording, jamming with others etc. It's a small sized bass ... sounds sort of like a stand up, not at all like a uke, very much like a bass :)

I play mine through a Pignose ... but a Loudbox should work, I just wouldn't push it too hard.

If you're planning on gigging with it, I've heard the solid body models are better as they apparently have less feedback.
 
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I haven't pulled out my Aria pro 2 bass in forever! Its a medium scale full sized bass and its huge after playing ukuleles. I tell myself I so want a kala sub bass but $500 is quite a drop in the bucket for an instrument that basically does the same as one I have. It just takes up less space.

From what I remember years ago picking up a bass period you need to start listening to music differently. Bands like Black Sabbath or music from the disco era has had some very talented bass players.

As to what can you do with a bass this video I was watching a few days ago tells much.



The strings are like playing large springs on a regular bass compared to guitar strings. Its different as I'm certain the large ukebass strings are.
 
All great information. I think I will put the Pono AT up for sale to make room for a u-bass. Then I have a lot of actual music learning to do. Will force me to be a better ukulele player too.
 
I would tend to stick to using a Bass amp for a Ubass or any bass guitar.

Some say a bass can fry the electronics of regular guitar and acoustic amps
 
Some say a bass can fry the electronics of regular guitar and acoustic amps

Totally depends on the OP's use. For beginning and playing in the comfort of your home, you'll be fine. If the OP starts playing out with the U-Bass, a dedicated bass amp will not only sound better but also have more headroom and volume.
 
Totally depends on the OP's use. For beginning and playing in the comfort of your home, you'll be fine. If the OP starts playing out with the U-Bass, a dedicated bass amp will not only sound better but also have more headroom and volume.

My daughter plays piano and my son has real trumpet skills (if I can get him to play some jazz). Would love to be able to play with them. I imagine I'd need a bigger amp for that. Ideally I can have one that works for both ukulele and bass ukulele. Is that possible?
 
Congratulations. That was fast.

I am a bass player and I bought a Kala Hutch Hutchinson U-Bass last December.

Here's my answers to your questions:
Do I have to learn new chords?
EDIT: They are the same chord shapes as the lowest 4 strings of a guitar.

Generally I use just two notes when I play chords on bass. The classic I and V notes (power chord) works well, but also try the extended I and III (example: fifth fret on the lowest string (A) with the sixth fret on the highest string (C#)) for a nice open sounding chord.

Is there much solo music or is it almost all done to accompany others?
Yes. Both. A lot of solo bass arrangements out there. But the U-bass with the stock strings really favors the lowest register, lowest positions on the fretboard, while many solo bass arrangements favor the upper range of the electric bass. Look at solo works for the upright bass too.

Are there a lot of tabs/music online at all?
Yes, covered by previous posts.

I assume I'd go fretted. Is that easier?
Fretted is a lot easier than fretless, especially with shuch a short scale length on the U-Bass. That said, I tried a fretless earlier this month and it was quite easy to play in tune.

Can I use my Roland Cube (not microcube) amp or do I need a Bass Amp? Would something like a Fishman Loudbox work?
I would think you could as long as you keep the volume levels low. I use a Roland Bass Cube that I had for my electric bass prior to getting the U-Bass. Since then I bought the Roland Bass micro-Cube and that makes a great little amp for the U-Bass (and the upright as well).

What was your bass journey like, especially if you were not a bass player of any kind before?
I've been a bass player for a very long time. I started in music in grade school band as a clarinet player. I dabbled on guitar, but the electric bass is my instrument. I still dabble on other instruments, which is great for understanding how the various voices in music fits together.

Is it realistic to ask someone to trade a bass for a Pono tenor?
Looks like you already have your answer.

Good luck!
 
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Totally depends on the OP's use. For beginning and playing in the comfort of your home, you'll be fine. If the OP starts playing out with the U-Bass, a dedicated bass amp will not only sound better but also have more headroom and volume.

It is not a matter of sounding better, but avoiding damage to your amps.

Bass guitara play at a lower frequency at stronger levels than regular acoustic and guitar amps are designed to handle. You could be putting strain onto the electronics and the speaker cones.
 
Congratulations. That was fast.

I am a bass player and I bought a Kala Hutch Hutchinson U-Bass last December.

Here's my answers to your questions:
Do I have to learn new chords?
Yes, but they are the same chord shapes as you use on your ukulele. They are just different chord names. Generally I use just two notes when I play chords on bass. The classic I and V notes (power chord) works well, but also try the extended I and III (example: fifth fret on the lowest string (A) with the sixth fret on the highest string (C#)) for a nice open sounding chord.

Is there much solo music or is it almost all done to accompany others?
Yes. Both. A lot of solo bass arrangements out there. But the U-bass with the stock strings really favors the lowest register, lowest positions on the fretboard, while many solo bass arrangements favor the upper range of the electric bass. Look at solo works for the upright bass too.

Are there a lot of tabs/music online at all?
Yes, covered by previous posts.

I assume I'd go fretted. Is that easier?
Fretted is a lot easier than fretless, especially with shuch a short scale length on the U-Bass. That said, I tried a fretless earlier this month and it was quite easy to play in tune.

Can I use my Roland Cube (not microcube) amp or do I need a Bass Amp? Would something like a Fishman Loudbox work?
I would think you could as long as you keep the volume levels low. I use a Roland Bass Cube that I had for my electric bass prior to getting the U-Bass. Since then I bought the Roland Bass micro-Cube and that makes a great little amp for the U-Bass (and the upright as well).

What was your bass journey like, especially if you were not a bass player of any kind before?
I've been a bass player for a very long time. I started in music in grade school band as a clarinet player. I dabbled on guitar, but the electric bass is my instrument. I still dabble on other instruments, which is great for understanding how the various voices in music fits together.

Is it realistic to ask someone to trade a bass for a Pono tenor?
Looks like you already have your answer.

Good luck!

Thanks for taking the time to answer
 
I've been learning bass for about 5 months to play with my ukulele group. I passed on the Kala U-Bass because I didn't like the configuration, so I went with a Gold Tone GT MicroBass, it's 23" scale with two more frets and cutaway. I also replaced the "sticky" Aquila Thundergut strings with really smooth Road Toad Pahoehoes, much better, especially the intonation.

I played guitar for about 50 years, and I was often told to take up the bass, but I didn't want to be encumbered by a large electric bass. When I started playing ukulele over 18 months ago, I learned about the small basses available and with the encouragement of Cali Rose our group leader, I went for it. It's been great fun learning, I take lessons from Denny Croy at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica California, he's a great teacher. I'm progressing quickly, I'll be the only bass player April 18 when we play at the 1st Santa Monica Ukulele Festival, we normally have two bass players, but the other can't make it. For the last couple of weeks I've been putting together the bass arrangements for the 15 songs we're going to perform, and I don't know music, but by learning patterns, I've been able to.

The bass is tuned the same as the low 4 strings of the guitar, so I was somewhat used to that, but being different than the uke, I have to lock my brain into each when I move between them. My acquisition syndrome took over shortly after starting bass and I ordered a custom 21" scale fretless u-bass, then converted an Epiphone Les Paul Express 22" scale guitar to a bass, and just recently received another custom 22" scale bass I designed like a Fender Telecaster guitar.

I have a very nice Crate Limo battery amp that I bought 15 years ago for my guitars, but works great for bass. It's 50 watts, two inputs, lasts about 8 hours on a charge since I replaced the 7 amp hour battery with a 12. It's the good USA made one, not the lower quality Chinese one made later.

Here are a couple of videos I made:

 
It is not a matter of sounding better, but avoiding damage to your amps.

Bass guitara play at a lower frequency at stronger levels than regular acoustic and guitar amps are designed to handle. You could be putting strain onto the electronics and the speaker cones.

I understand that, which is why I mentioned at low volumes the OP would probably be okay. Countless people do that for just playing in the comfort of their own bedroom, which if that was the OP's original needs, would work. The amp would handle it, and it would be fine.

You're not going to destroy a guitar amp (electric or acoustic) by just plugging in a bass and playing it. However, diming the EQ on the amp and cranking the volume to get a BETTER sound will (which I've watched countless people do) will.

Given that he mentioned he'd like to play with his kids, then using his existing amp is not an ideal solution, for the reasons you mentioned. At that point, since he'd like an amp he could use with both uke and bass, either grab a good bass amp OR a keyboard amp, which has a larger frequency range and could get you a better tone when using the uke through it.
 
I understand that, which is why I mentioned at low volumes the OP would probably be okay. Countless people do that for just playing in the comfort of their own bedroom, which if that was the OP's original needs, would work. The amp would handle it, and it would be fine.

You're not going to destroy a guitar amp (electric or acoustic) by just plugging in a bass and playing it. However, diming the EQ on the amp and cranking the volume to get a BETTER sound will (which I've watched countless people do) will.

Given that he mentioned he'd like to play with his kids, then using his existing amp is not an ideal solution, for the reasons you mentioned. At that point, since he'd like an amp he could use with both uke and bass, either grab a good bass amp OR a keyboard amp, which has a larger frequency range and could get you a better tone when using the uke through it.

My point is, why take the risk?

Just get a bass amp. Even inexpensive ones are loud enough for bedroom and some live use.

Eg: A Vox Pathfinder bass amp works very well for a tiny price.


I don't consider it "optional" to get a bass amp right away.
For me, using a bass through a normal guitar amp is a huge no-no.
 
My point is, why take the risk?

Just get a bass amp. Even inexpensive ones are loud enough for bedroom and some live use.

And my point is, if the OP was looking at this on a whim, why spend the extra money on something he may sell in a couple weeks? Since my original comment, he has mentioned that he wants to play with his kids, at which point having a dedicated amp is then preferable. But based on the original thread? Don't bother.
 
Here's my answers to your questions:
Do I have to learn new chords?
Yes, but they are the same chord shapes as you use on your ukulele. They are just different chord names. Generally I use just two notes when I play chords on bass. The classic I and V notes (power chord) works well, but also try the extended I and III (example: fifth fret on the lowest string (A) with the sixth fret on the highest string (C#)) for a nice open sounding chord.

They are not the same chord shapes, due to the different tunings of the instruments. The Amaj10 that you mentioned (with the root on the fifth fret of the E string and the tenth [because it's above the octave] on the sixth fret of the G string) will not work on a ukulele, and result in an Amin chord instead.

If we were discussing the chord differences between a baritone uke and a tenor uke, they would be the same chord shapes but different chord names. But not in the case of a bass and a ukulele.
 
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