Kala U Bass Review ­- Big Sound From A Small Package

Body And Neck:
Hardware:
Sound:
Value:

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If you are familiar with the ukulele market, you have probably heard of Kala. Their instruments are near the very top of the range in quality and performance. Because of that, it is no wonder that Kala U Bass is by far one of the best bass ukuleles out there.

Body and Neck

Ukuleles are generally simple instruments. Unless you for the super high end models, you generally won't find that much attention being focused on aesthetics. That's not the case with Kala U Bass. This thing looks gorgeous. Kala went with an exotic mahogany for back and sides, while the neck is pure mahogany as well. Finish resembles quilted maple although it is classified as natural. Speaking of cosmetics, Kala used dark brown binding all around the top and the back of this uke. Moving on to the neck, we see a standard rosewood fretboard that features 16 frets on a 21 Inch scale. In terms of build quality, the whole thing inspires a lot of confidence. Overall, Kala did an amazing job with both selecting the right materials for this build, but also putting it all together in a way that delivers best performance and aesthetics.

Hardware

With regard to standard ukuleles, hardware is usually not a topic that many pay attention to. However, when you add four heavy gauge strings into that equation, hardware becomes a rather important factor. Kala U Bass features a rosewood bridge with four independent saddles, all of which are compensated. Headstock is where we find four beefy tuning machine. They come from Kala's die cast collection and are more than tough enough to ensure proper key retention even under prolonged use. One thing you will notice about this bass uke is that it packs a set of on board electronics. The systems is Kala's in­ house design and features an active EQ as well as a built in tuner. While it may not be as advance as some other on­board preamps, it gets the job done and gives you plenty of manoeuvring space to dial in a good sound.

Sound

Finally, lets talk about what this thing actually sounds like. Introducing an uke player to abass version of this instrument might cause some confusion. It is pretty hard to combine the looks of a ukelele with a deeper sound that is much closer to conventional basses. Well, Kala U Bass offers one of the best representations of uke basses you can find. It has a rather deep range for such a small instrument, but it doesn't sound muddy. We can thank that mahogany body for that. It is snappy, precise but also refined. When you plug it into a PA system or an amp, you get more of the same only amplified. That set on­board preamp is actually pretty impressive considering how limited it appears to be in terms of controls. What you hear over the speakers is very close to what this instrument sounds like unplugged.

Conclusion

Kala did an awesome job with creating a bass ukulele that not only looks great, but sounds as good too. Great choice of materials combined with good build quality and fine tuned hardware, have proven to be the way to go. Kala U Bass is an instrument you can trust.`

For more info about the Kala U Bass, click here.
For more Bass Ukulele you might like, click here.