Over on the website, ukuleleyes.ca there is an excellent article that describes the different choices of bass instruments that you could add to a ukulele ensemble. One of options mentioned was the upright bass which has also been considered a must-have for many classrooms. I have one where I teach that has been around since before I came along.
The thing about the big upright bass is that mine isn't the highest quality bass and I find it quite difficult to play. With D6 tuning, you can do a lot of I-IV-V chords in the key of D by playing all open strings. However, since I made the switch to C6 tuning, the open strings aren't a viable option anymore. In the ukuleleyes article I link to above, the authour Steve Boisen mentions the Kala U-bass as another alternative for adding a bass to a ukulele group or classroom.
The thing about the big upright bass is that mine isn't the highest quality bass and I find it quite difficult to play. With D6 tuning, you can do a lot of I-IV-V chords in the key of D by playing all open strings. However, since I made the switch to C6 tuning, the open strings aren't a viable option anymore. In the ukuleleyes article I link to above, the authour Steve Boisen mentions the Kala U-bass as another alternative for adding a bass to a ukulele group or classroom.
The Kala U-bass is what I had been dreaming of getting. When I finally tried one I was a little disappointed. The strings seemed a little too slack in my opinion and it didn't really get a great sound on the lower notes. I was presently surprised when I discovered the Gold Tone version of the instrument that made some changes to the design. They made the body larger, the scale length longer, and the strings tighter. The result is an instrument that actually has some sound when not amplified - at least enough to fool around with while sitting on the couch - and the amplified sound is much better too, at least to my ears.
I found one on Kijiji. Because of various circumstances, I had to buy it sight-unseen. I discovered later that It is a little worse for wear. This particular one has decent intonation on the G and D string but it is out by pretty much out a half-step for the A and E strings. I was told by the Gold Tone company that new strings should help. The other problem is that the fret edges are sharp.
I am a little sad because after the added expense to fix the frets and strings, it will no longer be that much cheaper than new. But on the bright side, we do learn some things here. First, there is something about the strings. I don't know exactly what it is yet, but the rubber strings seem to require some added maintenance, or maybe these ones were just really abused. The other thing has to do with the fret edges which are sharp. This is likely because of a lack of humidification for this instrument. Even with dry air that probably shouldn't be happening but it seems that it is simply the reality of new cheaply manufactured instruments where the wood is not dried out properly before the building process.
Anyway, I am still excited about the Gold Tone bass even with some of the problems I noted. I look forward to trying it out with some ukulele classes after the busy Winter Concert season is over. I also look forward to trying it out with the ukulele circles I run. I will let you know how it works out.
I found one on Kijiji. Because of various circumstances, I had to buy it sight-unseen. I discovered later that It is a little worse for wear. This particular one has decent intonation on the G and D string but it is out by pretty much out a half-step for the A and E strings. I was told by the Gold Tone company that new strings should help. The other problem is that the fret edges are sharp.
I am a little sad because after the added expense to fix the frets and strings, it will no longer be that much cheaper than new. But on the bright side, we do learn some things here. First, there is something about the strings. I don't know exactly what it is yet, but the rubber strings seem to require some added maintenance, or maybe these ones were just really abused. The other thing has to do with the fret edges which are sharp. This is likely because of a lack of humidification for this instrument. Even with dry air that probably shouldn't be happening but it seems that it is simply the reality of new cheaply manufactured instruments where the wood is not dried out properly before the building process.
Anyway, I am still excited about the Gold Tone bass even with some of the problems I noted. I look forward to trying it out with some ukulele classes after the busy Winter Concert season is over. I also look forward to trying it out with the ukulele circles I run. I will let you know how it works out.