Bass comparisons

KohanMike

Los Angeles, Beverly Grove West
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Here's an interesting video comparing various basses, upright, bass uke, electric bass. It actually validates the decision I made recently to get rid of the poly strings on my bass ukes for flatwound, Gold Tone/La Bella MBLS 25" and Galli 20.5", 23".




This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly Grove near the Beverly Center
8 tenor cutaway ukes, 4 acoustic bass ukes, 12 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 38)

Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
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Only thing I can point out as a double bass player is that a plastic acoustic-electric DB that "makes very little acoustic sound unless plugged in" is unlikely to be representative of a Kay with gut strings or a fully carved DB with Spirocore strings.

And listening bears that out.

So really you're talking about comparing a handful of electrically amplified basses. None of them is a double bass in the sense of what Ray Brown or Charles Mingus or Paul Chambers or Jake Tullock played.
 
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Michael, Thank You for posting this delightful lady with such enlightening info. For you, the flatwound decision was reaffirmed. I preferred the roundwound sound of the fretted Warwick with the double humbuckers. I grew up listening to guys like John Entwistle and Tim Bogart (who recently died). Each of us has a sound preference. Regardless, all of us short scale sister and brother pluckers have one thing in common. We play a little bass.
 
It also helps if you pluck in the same spot relative to the scale length as you would on an upright when you're trying to get that upright sound from something else.
 
Just thinking on getting started on bass, have near hundred ukes now, love the but also time to see if a bass is something I would enjoy besides uke. I was looking at journeyman by Kala, what you all think?
 
Just thinking on getting started on bass, have near hundred ukes now, love the but also time to see if a bass is something I would enjoy besides uke. I was looking at journeyman by Kala, what you all think?

You can buy the exact same bass uke without the Kala name for much less from Rondo Music in New Hampshire. Some people will say they are not exactly the same, but they are. Rondo also has other choices as well.

https://www.rondomusic.com/bassguitars4.html
 
Just thinking on getting started on bass, have near hundred ukes now, love the but also time to see if a bass is something I would enjoy besides uke. I was looking at journeyman by Kala, what you all think?

Great choice, Kala has great customer service, and they're just down the road from you in Petaluma, CA! Way better quality control than Rondo...
 
Great choice, Kala has great customer service, and they're just down the road from you in Petaluma, CA! Way better quality control than Rondo...

Not in my experience. I bought a Kala Journeyman early last year, out of the box the A string rattled like crazy no matter how I adjusted it. I took it to Sam Ash, an authorized dealer, after a week they said they couldn't fix it. When I went to pick it up, they took out one of their in stock Journeyman and it had the exact same problem out of a previously unopened box. I had to send it to Kala to fix, I sold it shortly after. Rondo does have great customer service.
 
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I absolutely love my Hadean bass and get remarkable sound from it, blowing away people who have much more expensive basses. Hey, where did you get that stand up bass you used on that recording? Stand up? Sit down over here and try this. Dig these cool rubber strings. So nice on the paws. Wow! Get one cheap at Rondo Music. Nice guys.
Highly recommended by Kohanmike if my recommendation ain’t good enough for you.
 
Here's an interesting video comparing various basses, upright, bass uke, electric bass. It actually validates the decision I made recently to get rid of the poly strings on my bass ukes for flatwound, Gold Tone/La Bella MBLS 25" and Galli 20.5", 23".

That is an interesting video and I like her presentation.

Is the primary (or only) reason to use flatwound strings instead of poly the difference in tone? Is one or the other easier for a beginner to play (kind of like the comparison of a nylon string uke to a steel string guitar)?
 
That is an interesting video and I like her presentation. Is the primary (or only) reason to use flatwound strings instead of poly the difference in tone? Is one or the other easier for a beginner to play (kind of like the comparison of a nylon string uke to a steel string guitar)?

My main reason for switching to flatwound is to avoid having to remount the poly strings that stretch so much, and as much to avoid the stickiness when the weather is a little humid. I've done gigs outside in those conditions that made it much more difficult and noisy to play. The poly strings are more flexible, which makes them easier to play, but also causes them to stretch so much.
 
My main reason for switching to flatwound is to avoid having to remount the poly strings that stretch so much, and as much to avoid the stickiness when the weather is a little humid. I've done gigs outside in those conditions that made it much more difficult and noisy to play. The poly strings are more flexible, which makes them easier to play, but also causes them to stretch so much.

Thank you, that makes sense! You are obviously way beyond the beginner stage so I can see how the flatwound strings would appeal.

Can the flatwounds be installed on any UBass or does it have to be specially designed to handle the flatwounds?
 
Thank you, that makes sense! You are obviously way beyond the beginner stage so I can see how the flatwound strings would appeal. Can the flatwounds be installed on any UBass or does it have to be specially designed to handle the flatwounds?

The Galli flatwounds work on any bass uke because they have a nylon core, and I've used the Gold Tone/La Bella MBLS all steel on a variety of bass ukes with no problems, that's because I don't heed the so called warnings, I test each myself. It's possible the nut would need to be changed, which I've had done, but not always, also with no problems.
 
The Galli flatwounds work on any bass uke because they have a nylon core, and I've used the Gold Tone/La Bella MBLS all steel on a variety of bass ukes with no problems, that's because I don't heed the so called warnings, I test each myself. It's possible the nut would need to be changed, which I've had done, but not always, also with no problems.

Good info, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions!
 
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