Anxious anticipation - "out for delivery"

ichadwick

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That's what the Canada Post tracking site says for my Kala U-bass: out for delivery as of 8:58 a.m. this very day. I'm all a-tingle with anticipation.*

It's due here any time now. Which is great because the next delivery day would be Tuesday, since Monday's a holiday in Canada. A long weekend to play with my new instrument!

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.


:cool:

* Or, as in the Rocky Horror Picture Show, antici.............................................................pation!
 
Don't wear out the carpet with all your pacing! :)
 
Last time this happened, I decided to walk the dog first, so I would have no interruptions and miss the delivery. Since it was early morning, I figured Canada Post would not be delivering anything for at least another hour, so I took Sophie out for a 15-minute stroll. The uke arrived precisely the moment I turned the block with her, missing the van. I had to wait until it meandered back to the post office, after 4 p.m., where I could finally claim it.

I just came back from walking her today and there's no notice in the box, so I haven't missed it (I hope!). Probably arrive in the afternoon when we're out for the next walk...
 
I'd take soiled carpet over missed ukulele delivery any day.
 
I look forward to your impressions on the U-bass. Do you have any bass playing skills, or will this be your first exposure to this kind of instrument? I would be interested to know how a non-bass player adapts to the U-bass.

–Lori
 
Just arrived. Had a heart-stopping moement when I saw the box was damaged, but nothing inside seems to have been hurt. Just the box.

Spent the last hour or more tuning it. Strings slip a lot at first (I've read about that). Also playing along with some loops on my eBand amp, getting a feel for it.

No review yet - I have the weekend to work at it. I have played bass in the past, but the last time was 20 years ago. I aso played guitar since the mid 1960s. I had no problems figuring out how to play some basic blues runs to match the loops. More complex stuff like jazz and latin sounds will require some time.

The strings are FAT, and that takes more getting used to than the music. They're like big rubber worms and they want to squirm away from my fingers. Will take some practice to get the proper method of holding them in place.

Unplugged it's soft. Sounds somewhat like a stand-up bass. Lightweight, though a strap would be appropriate given how I play a bass. Seems like it will be fun. Will write it up on my site and report later.

Oh - I got it by mail. I never use UPS over the border because of the excessive "brokerage fee" they charge. A typical uke can have another $100 or more added to the cost by UPS. Then on top of that we have to pay the taxes the government charges on both the cost of the uke and on UPS's "brokerage" fee! So the cost is often 35-40% more than the original price when it lands.

I owned a UPS Store for the past 5-6 years and I stopped using UPS over the border myself. Fedex Ground is the way to go, or mail.
 
When I saw the topic title I thought, "That might make for a good ukulele song." I'll leave it for the forum composers to come up with one.

I'm not currently into bass guitars or bass ukes but I'll be looking forward to your review. :)
 
Glad it arrived in time for the weekend. I will also be looking forward to your write up once you've played with it for a while. As a bass player myself, a Kala u-bass is high on my wish list!
 
Played some more last night. Still struggling to revive any of the bass-playing skills I buried 20-odd years ago since I last played one. It's certainly an interesting instrument. My little amp isn't up to the task of producing the notes with any cleanliness, so I plan to take it to a local music store this weekend and use a bass amp.

You can play it without amplification, but it's difficult to hear more than a few feet away, especially the lowest notes. For practice, that's fine.

I've read that it sounds a lot like a standup bass - a slappy sort of sound. Unamped, that's true, but you can shape the tone a lot of other ways in your amp. Will see how it sounds through a better amp, though.

The strings require a different sort of handling, since they want to squirm a bit under your fingers. You need to be gentle but insistently firm. They don't let you slide as easily as steel, either. So you have to lift up a little before sliding a note so your finger moves cleanly. Not difficult, just something to remember.

It really needs a strap. I have not tried Lori's Uke Leash on it - might work but I think it really wants something to hang on both ends. It's very light (for a bass) but heavier than most ukes.

The short scale makes it easy to play and the reach is really not bad, so even a newbie can fumble around some basic runs without stretching fingers too far. Might be a good instrument for learning bass.

Build quality is okay. Typical Kala - no outstanding rough spots, very clean, frets are good. Satin finish, although gloss might have been nice. The back has a rectangular patch where you get at the string ends for replacing. It's held on by four small wood screws. Works, but looks like an afterthought (the wood doesn't match the back). I wonder how many people will lose those little screws? It's also not as smoothy finished as the rest of the instrument. It's not something you see up front. but it is very noticeable on the back.

More to come...
 
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Might be a good insrument for learning ass.

Now I'm not a grammar Nazi by any means, but it was all I could do to keep from spraying my coffee all over my screen and keyboard when I read that one.

Glad you're getting along well with it and am interested to see what you think of the tone through a proper bass amp. :cool:
 
The U-Bass seems like a fun toy, but I don't think I could ever get into bass enough to buy one. I used to live in a house with two musicians with a full band setup so I would "play" bass when nobody else wanted to. And by play I mean if we weren't playing one of the 4 songs I know on bass, I would watch the guitar player and noodle around in relation to where he was at on the fretboard. It was fun, but it's not something I'd want to do full time.

Looking forward to your review. The world really needs more bass players.
 
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Well Ian, Bass is one of my regular instruments and when I first sat down to try one in the store I couldn't put it down. I played for over an hour. I was playing it through a 100 watt bass amp. I did not find it difficult to play. It was easier and the reach much better than my regular bass guitar. I didn't mind the wormy strings at all. If I could have afforded it I would have bought it on the spot. I WILL be buying one when I can afford it and will likely use it in some of the bands I gig with. I can't wait to hear the comments of my band mates.
 
Well Ian, Bass is one of my regular instruments and when I first sat down to try one in the store I couldn't put it down. I played for over an hour. I was playing it through a 100 watt bass amp. I did not find it difficult to play. It was easier and the reach much better than my regular bass guitar. I didn't mind the wormy strings at all. If I could have afforded it I would have bought it on the spot. I WILL be buying one when I can afford it and will likely use it in some of the bands I gig with. I can't wait to hear the comments of my band mates.

When you bring it out, tell them you want to try it out on a few "SHORT" songs !!
 
Now I'm not a grammar Nazi by any means, but it was all I could do to keep from spraying my coffee all over my screen and keyboard when I read that one.
Me too. Thanks for catching that. The battery in my wireless keyboard is dying and it drops characters randomly, sometimes even replaces them. It can happen to the enjoyment of readers, like that was. And usually to my embarrassment. I've been lazy about getting to the store for a new battery, but obviously the time has come.
 
I was playing it through a 100 watt bass amp. I did not find it difficult to play.
I took mine downtown to the local music store and ran it through a bass amp, too. Very nice, much fuller and fatter than through my tiny micro-amp! Real organic sound to it. people stopped by and were asking questions about it while I was tinkering. Really impressed everyone.

I've read that the bass player on tour with Paul Simon is playing one on stage these days. Before you go buy one... check to see if I'm ready to part with mine. I have to commit to buying another amp if I want to keep it. So it's either a new amp or... trade in for a new uke. Who knows, I'm fickle that way...
 
Me too. Thanks for catching that. The battery in my wireless keyboard is dying and it drops characters randomly, sometimes even replaces them. It can happen to the enjoyment of readers, like that was. And usually to my embarrassment. I've been lazy about getting to the store for a new battery, but obviously the time has come.

Trust me, I wasn't trying to embarrass you...I'm a hoof in mouth kind of guy myself sometimes. But I love a good laugh, and you gave me one this morning. It was appreciated.
 
Not embarrassed. I'm so curmudgeonly about grammar and spelling on some posts that I deserve to have it come back and bite me on my own.
 
Before you go buy one... check to see if I'm ready to part with mine. I have to commit to buying another amp if I want to keep it. So it's either a new amp or... trade in for a new uke. Who knows, I'm fickle that way...

I have 2 bass amps and 4 guitar amps and a couple battery powered amps. I'm good to go. Is it the mahogany version? I believe you are on my side of the border. Did you order it from MGM and have it shipped? L&M sells Kala. I was going to buy it from them. They have a payment plan.
 
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