Kala SUB UBass

rorym

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A black Kala SUB UBass has come up for sale on craigslist very near me. I’m wondering if this model stands the test of time. How would it compare to, say, a Hadean solid body?
 
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Generally better components (tuners, electronics) across the board. Strings are a matter of preference and you may need to replace. If it’s in good condition I’d definitely buy that one rather than a new Haden at a comparable price. If it weren’t for the border closure I’d race you for that one.
 
I went ahead and bought the thing! It's quite nice, actually.

* It's got an old set of round wounds on it - I'll replace them, with another set of round wounds in all likelihood.
* On a related note, the nut slots are way oversized for the round wounds.
* The screws that hold the back cover on need to be replaced. I think the previous owner used the wrong size Phillips on them and damaged the head slightly.
* The case has a strong fragrance smell, as does the fretboard to a lesser degree. Probably from laundry detergent -the seller said it had been under his bed for a while. The case is hanging out on the line to air out, probably for a week or two. I'm not sure what the best thing to do for the fretboard would be - a mild cleaner plus reconditioning is probably the best route.
 
I think the original strings for these would have been the polyurethane rubbery strings rather than Roundwounds.

Personally I think the original Ubass strings - the Road Toad Pahoehoe are the best.
They're slick, smooth and sound nice and mellow. Last forever too.

The newer Aquila Thundergut tend to be sticky.. not as pleasant to play.


I think the Kala Sub Ubass had a Shadow electronics system. They would be a tier above unbranded pickup systems that come in cheaper bass ukes.
 
Congrat's, pic's or it's not true...:shaka:
 
I’ll post pics when I put the new strings on. I ordered a set of flat wounds yesterday, so it’s thumb twiddling time right now.

I have an acoustic UBass with Thunder Reds, as kissing said, the ones that came with it were much too sticky. I have original strings that came with the SUB, I was going to toss them, but I’ll keep them instead. Like the case, the need to air out for a good while. What is it with all the nasty persistent fragrances these days?
 
I feel compelled to point out that Kala does not recommend the flats on the solid bodies. However, I also know of owners who have disregarded that advice with no ill effects reported - yet. I'm not risking it on my California, but it's your bass so make your own decision.
 
Kala's recommendation not to use metal wound strings is specific to the California UBass line. On another thread someone thought the reason was the lack of a truss rod on the California. I can confirm the SUB does have a truss rod.
 
Kala says the round-wounds are "Not for use on California Solid Body U-BASS(R)".

They say the "The Kala Flatwound strings are only compatible with our acoustic-electric U-BASS(R)".

The reasoning is unclear - somebody on Facebook said that Kala gave them several rounds of warrantee support for round-wounds popping off of a California before adding the disclaimer. End story, your mileage may vary.

My personal risk-averseness would be much higher with a $1500 California* than a $150 used SUB, and I've considered putting flats on my Hadean.

--Rob
[*]Yes, there are less expensive Californias. The one I want is up there. If you're just window shopping you might as well window shop big!
 
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I don't. I later acquired a "new old stock" fretless California and liked it better enough to let the SUB go. I'm sticking with fretless because I like the sound, and I can fix intonation issues easier than fretted. I currently have just the Cali and a Magic Fluke Timber, but I have a commission underway now that will hopefully replace the Timber as it will be designed from the ground up for the Kala/Gallistrings flatwounds
 
I installed the new strings today. The flats are certainly nice to the fingers. Expensive, but nice.

The G string has significantly less volume than the others. On my acoustic UBass I had a similar problem but on the E string. On that bass I made cuts to the saddle to allow the pressure to equalize and that worked well. This bass, however, has a solid saddle with the pezio glued to the bottom, so I can’t use the same hack.
 
I've been posting that Talk Bass fix for a few years now, I've done it to 4-5 of my basses with that kind of saddle, works perfectly. It's not that hard to do.


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
Member The CC Strummers: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
 
Rorym, it's been a few years since you installed the flats on your sub ubass. Did you keep them on? If so, have you noticed any problems with bridge strain?

This was the concern Kala expressed to me when I contacted them about putting the flats on the sub bass. I mentioned the truss rod and they said that was helpful but the real issue was bridge strain since the bridge was not designed to handle the additional pressure and tension that the flats have.
 
Rorym, it's been a few years since you installed the flats on your sub ubass. Did you keep them on? If so, have you noticed any problems with bridge strain? This was the concern Kala expressed to me when I contacted them about putting the flats on the sub bass. I mentioned the truss rod and they said that was helpful but the real issue was bridge strain since the bridge was not designed to handle the additional pressure and tension that the flats have.
If you're talking about the Kala/Galli flatwound with nylon core, I've been using them on all my Hadean bass ukes, and a Kala Journeyman without any problems. I find the nylon core not to add all that much tension. If you're talking about a set with metal core, yes, those do add more tension.
 
If you're talking about the Kala/Galli flatwound with nylon core, I've been using them on all my Hadean bass ukes, and a Kala Journeyman without any problems. I find the nylon core not to add all that much tension. If you're talking about a set with metal core, yes, those do add more tension.
Thanks for the reply. You are correct, I was referring to the Kala/Galli flatwound with nylon core. Kala is selling a nut on their website specifically for their nylon core flatwound strings as well. I've read that may be necessary if you don't want to file the nut that came with the instrument. They just put the fear in me that even the nylon core flatwounds should not go on the solid body SUB or California ubass. I was hoping someone would give me confidence to make the switch. I'm torn between experimenting with this or just selling and buying something with flats straight from the manufacturer.
 
I also don't change the nut. I have all my work done by one of the best repair places in the US, Eric's Guitar in Van Nuys, CA. Eric says there's no need to change the nut.

I guess if you're an ultra professional who records all the time or does major gigs, it would be important, but I play with a local uke group for the fun of it, doing occassional gigs.
 
I ended up selling the SUB. There was nothing wrong with it, it just didn’t suit me.

The SUB is built like a tank. I would not hesitate to put on another set of flat wounds on it.

I never noticed any wear problems with the bridge, but I did need to be careful about where the strings sat on the bridge so that the piezo pickup was even
 
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