It Goes To Eleven

[mojobone]

Yeah, I just bought my eleventh guitar, but not because I suddenly realized I have ten keyboards and I'm a guitar player; I'm hoping to use the new uke bass to get something closer to an upright sound without the y'know, thousand dollar price tag. I've gotten encouraging results using an impulse response of an upright struck with a ceramic spoon to de-solidify a J-bass; not terribly practical for live work, but there's a bass resonance IR in my Zoom acoustic pedal that should get me just about there. I'll let y'all know how it works out. Am I done yet? Nope, still need a baritone and a 12-string, LOL, and I'll have room, cuz the U-bass is tiny.

http://www.rondomusic.com/product8218.html

[Paulie]

Damn it... now I want one.

Is this what you have? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VoEdvbAzTU&t=93s

[mojobone]

Naw, I popped for a solidbody that's similarly piezo-equipped, with the same preamp. I really woulda preferred a fretless, but the sub $200USD B-stock price was irresistible. I encountered the Guild Ashbory bass at a Dread Zeppelin show in my misspent youth, and never quite got over it. I theenk the model I ordered has a bit longer scale length than the model linked to in the OP, but it's otherwise similarly equipped. Or so I presume, since the device isn't scheduled to arrive, 'til tomorrow.

[mojobone]

After an hour's testing that went by all too quickly, I'm very happy with my purchase. A couple of things surprised me; I'd seen youtube complaints that the preamps on these ultra-cheap models are sub-par, but I have zero complaints about the tone and there's plenty of output, enough to overdrive a Fender Super Reverb slightly when playing diads low on the neck. The only niggle is the voicing of the (active) treble knob; you don't really get a lot of trebles or any more note attack, but it's effective for bringing out some very welcome growl. The bass knob goes from fairly flat to mega phat and all three grippy brass knobs have a quality feel and good resistance.

I was shocked also by how much this thing weighs; nine pounds isn't much for a guitar, but for this thing's size, it's very heavy and built like a tank. It'll make a very effective club if the crowd ever rushes the stage. It plays and sounds pretty much like a string bass, though I doubt you could use a bow on the plastic strings, which as advertised, have way less stretch than the silicone on Guild's Asbory basses, but...there's still some; only time will tell if they ever stop stretching. Thankfully the tuners' gear ratio is very, very low, allowing fairly precise tuning. These fat strings are way less sticky than I'd imagined and slides are easy enough, but too much of that could maybe cause blisters on tender noob fingers, and they have a tendency to roll under your fingers if you play with your fingers flat. It's a good thing slides work, cuz you will not be bending these strings; about a quarter-tone is all you'll get, and once you bend a couple times, you'll maybe need to re-tune.

At the end of the day, it does sound like a string bass, and nothing is miniature about the sound.

[mojobone]

See the full review in Recommended Gear: http://forums.taxi.com/hadean-uke-bass- ... 38040.html

[Kolstad]

Cool beans, mojo! Are you saying this could stand in for a regular scale bass in a track?

If you have an electric uke, you now just need uke drums and you could start a full uke trio

[mojobone]

Cool beans, mojo! Are you saying this could stand in for a regular scale bass in a track?

If you have an electric uke, you now just need uke drums and you could start a full uke trio

The scale is 22", but yes, it's tuned the same as a full size bass. I'll post a clip,on the other thread.