Kala U Bass Fun

[nofi]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ1TUQoQkN0&feature=related

[iamthatguy32]

First off, you guys sound GREAT!

I've never seen one of those things, but it's sound reminds me of the upright tone an Ashbory bass gets... except more organic. I love it! This makes me miss playing upright in a swing band. I could have so much fun with one of these!

[nofi]

sadly that's not me. that is magnus sjoquist.

[rahock]

I thought that was you too .  All I could think was " Damn, you are one badass SOB!!". Anyway, it sounded great ,and for the record, I still think you're a badass SOB .
Rick

[ilan]

It's charming and that guy sure can play the snot out of the bass uke, but it sounds nothing like an upright to me.

[Dave W]

It's charming and that guy sure can play the snot out of the bass uke, but it sounds nothing like an upright to me.

Agree. It's funny how many people seem to think putting a piezo on an acoustic guitar-family instrument makes it sound like an upright. Not to my ears.

[rahock]

ABGs can get very uprightlike, but no, they are not an upright. For me, a big part of that uprightlike sound is the way I act when I have an ABG in my hands. I tend to aproach everything a little different, more like I would if I were playing an upright. I use an acoustic instrument different than I would a solid body electric. Even though I play pretty much the same notes, I do it differently. A lot of it is just hanging on to the note a little longer to get that sweet acoustic sustain like you would an upright. Often a matter of plucking the string once instead of twice, like I may do with an electric. Sometimes it's about using more open strings and using that mellow low acoustic tone to kind of ooze out and fill the room rather than an edge of treble to cut through and fill the room as on an electric. At a glance of listen , it sounds a lot like an upright. If you did a side by side comparison with an upright you are certainly going to be able to tell the difference......It's a different instrument. I don't know if this makes a lick of sense to anyone, it's kind of hard for me to describe, but I love my ABGs . Even though I play electric much more than I do ABG, playing ABGs has taught me more about being a bass player than probably anything I've ever done.
Rick

[nofi]

what rick said. however, i rarely touch an electric since i got my first abg in 2004. i got hooked on the tone and feel and now an electric just does not appeal to me anymore.

[rahock]

I would love to be doing a much heavier diet of ABG but it is tough to round up a few good players who want to do acoustic blues and jazz. I would really like to do stuff like on that video you posted. It seems like whenever the acoustics come out you wind up doing Neil Young and the like. Not knocking Neil Young, it's just not my thing.
Rick

[Dave W]

I'm not knocking ABGs. They have their own sound, and I do get what you mean. They just don't sound like uprights to me. I think some people seem to think that a piezo on an acoustic equals upright sound. Not to me.

[nofi]

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/advice-wanted-greatest-abg-ever-831347/index3.html#post11861896

[Rob]

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/advice-wanted-greatest-abg-ever-831347/index3.html#post11861896

Hard time deciding which was more road worn the player or the fridge  

http://www.rigelinstruments.com/publish/abg.shtml

[Dave W]

That looks about as big as a Gibson Mandobass.

[Pilgrim]

I think that Rigel looks extremely cool!!  I could really dig having one of those!!

[hieronymous]

Kala has new solid-body U-Basses now.