U-Bass questions

[Cornfield]

I won a U-Bass in the drawing at the Aurora Uke Fest last weekend. This is a mahogany model with metal strings instead of the rubber ones, I'm not sure how I'll use it but need some basic information
Questions:
1) Can I plug it directly into my Yamaha Mixer (MG10XU) for recording? I use Studio One and OBS Studio.
2) Would it be better to use an amp and then mic it and send the mic feed to the Mixer?
3) For playing in a room with 20-30 people, how big of an amp would I need?
4) What amps are people using and how satisfied are they with them?
5) Where do you turn to learning bass playing techniques so you don't sound like an oompa tuba?

 

[UkeOkay]

Congratulations. Which specific brand/model do you have? U-Bass is a Kala trademark, but its often used as a generic term.

 

[Cornfield]

UBASS-WNDR-FS It's well built. I briefly had one of their rubber string models a few years ago and used it with a Roland Cube Street.

 

[Just a fan]

For a bass amp, I'd recommend what I use: a Fender Rumble 40. Super lightweight, great sound, relatively inexpensive, perfect for playing in front of 20-30 people and it has a line out to go to a mixing board if you're playing in a bigger place that has a PA.

 

[Cornfield]

I like the idea of a battery powered option. What about a Fishman Loudbox Mini Charge which is actually an acoustic amp but supposedly OK for these situations.

 

[AZChris]

Congrats on winning a bass! Uke basses are VERY fun. For recording, I run direct, no mic'ing the amp. It's convenient and easy. The past 2 weeks, I used a uke bass on my SOTU recordings and I love the sound of the rubbery strings -- very upright bass sounding.

I have a small MarkBass amp that is lightweight but pricey for someone starting out. I have a Pignose Hog 30 battery powered amp that works great for small situations. I am a huge fan of the portability aspect. Backyard parties, festivals, busking become a lot cooler when you can roam around.

For plugging in, the Fender Rumbles are great small venue amps.

 

[Steve_S]

Playing the BASS is great, especially if you want to improve your ensemble playing skills.

To answer the 5th question I am a member of ebassguitar.com. They have hundreds of hours of online material covering all standards plus other content and perks if you are a paid member. You can try it out for free for a limited period. This is where I would go if you want structured courses. I am sure there are similar alternatives.

 

[Bibs]

I just bought a U-bass and need instruction. I found on youtube. She is good. I haven't checked out some others that are supposed to be excellent also.

 

[KohanMike]

I've been playing bass uke (I say it that way with tenor uke, concert uke, soprano uke being the common terminology) since mid 2014. After a few attempts with various amps, and always wanting to be battery based, I bought a Phil Jones Double Four and added a laptop battery. The rig cost, but it works great with my 40 person uke group and most all of our gigs.

I record directly into my MacStudio computer via a Focusrite Scarlet Solo using GarageBand, no need to mic an amp. Any bass instructions will be good, the tuning and patterns are exactly the same as all bass guitars.

 

[Just a fan]

I like the idea of a battery powered option. What about a Fishman Loudbox Mini Charge which is actually an acoustic amp but supposedly OK for these situations.

I have that amp too and have used it for my bass in a pinch. Coincidently, the bass player in my uke band had his bass amp die during our farmer's market gig on Sunday. He used another uke player's Fishman Loundbox Mini Charge for the last few songs of our set. It seemed to work okay. Not as good sounding as my Fender Rumble, but not bad.

 

[Cornfield]

I located a great deal on the Loudbox Mini Charge so if that deal goes as planned, it will be mie soon.

 

[Cornfield]

I used it last night with my old Street Cube (not the bass one). It sounded OK as all the other instruments were acoustic. I'll continue to look at what's available while I try to learn bass technique. By the looks of things my right thumb is going to be bored

 

[jcap]

If your looking for something small to carry around to jams or to play where there's no power the Roland Bass Cube works pretty well but my favorite is the Phil Jones Double Four. While the double four isn't really battery powered, it can be used with an external battery pack. There was a thread on here talking about it but I can't see to find it.

 

[KohanMike]

...my favorite is the Phil Jones Double Four. While the double four isn't really battery powered, it can be used with an external battery pack. There was a thread on here talking about it but I can't see to find it.

To be specific, only the USA version is battery capable. A new Double Four will run about $480, plus about $100 for a 20v laptop battery. I've had mine for about 9 years, which comes out to $60 a year, and it's going strong with the same battery.

 

[Cornfield]

To be specific, only the USA version is battery capable. A new Double Four will run about $480, plus about $100 for a 20v laptop battery. I've had mine for about 9 years, which comes out to $60 a year, and it's going strong with the same battery.

How many mah in that battery Mike? Adjustable voltage?

 

[KohanMike]

How many mah in that battery Mike? Adjustable voltage?

The one I have, Lenmar, is very old 5500mAH, and lasts for hours. It has 3 volt settings, 5.3, 16, 19. New ones have up to 50,000mAH and many volt settings. The Double Four needs 20v continuous, and the battery should not include a peak power limiter.

 

[ampeep]

Also have a Fender Rumble 40 bass amp - no problem with rooms up to 100 people. For larger audiences, have connected the XLR out to PA systems, with the amp as a monitor.

Have used it on battery power with my 18 volt Ryobi string trimmer batteries ( I have 5 - 4 AH already) + Ryobi RYi150BGVNM which provides 120 v AC semi-sine wave power. Only thing is cannot use overdrive cuz that causes a hum. Can play for two hours & it only uses 1 bar (out of 4)

 

[Cornfield]

If I were to get the Phil Jones Double Four and an external lap top battery, what cord to I need to connect the two? I don’’t think the Phil Jones includes the needed cord and it seems that every DC device has its own proprietary plug.

 

[KohanMike]

If I were to get the Phil Jones Double Four and an external lap top battery, what cord to I need to connect the two? I don’’t think the Phil Jones includes the needed cord and it seems that every DC device has its own proprietary plug.

The battery comes with a variety of cords to connect to different devices, including the D4.

 

[LSamuels]

Another recommendation for #5: I loved "Beginner to Badass" at https://www.bassbuzz.com/lessons.