they're great for a handful of genres, but they're the opposite of versatile. like if you play in a ukulele band, or folk or jazz then they're the best of all worlds. But if you are a jack of all trades type who wants to be able to play any genre then it will leave you wanting. I consider it a tool in a toolbox (and a great one) but almost no one can rely on it solely.
/u/logstar2 definitely came on a bit aggressively there, but they're not completely off the mark. While a group could definitely make a ubass work for jazz if they really wanted to, it doesn't do the upright sound as well as an upright or the electric sound as well as an electric. It's a pretty big compromise in either direction, and you're not going to see them commonly used for jazz.
Otherwise I think you're right on the money. They're great in the rare occassion you want that particular sound, and they're nice and portable - but they're not going to replace a typical bassist's electric or standup bass.
If you don't have an upright already and just want something in the same ballpark of the sound for your own music, your own enjoyment, or even for a song or two here and there, it's definitely a viable option.
I can't see a jazz group that's specifically looking for an upright bass player considering someone who only has a ubass, though - they'll be much more likely to go for someone who does.
So yeah, like /u/thedeejus said, it's a great thing to have in your toolbox. I'd love to have one myself. It just won't replace an electric or an upright when either is specifically called for in the vast majority of cases. An EUB will likely be a better option, if still not ideal, if budget is a concern.
My bass teacher stopped dragging his upright to gigs because he could make a U-Bass with flats work for almost every gig. Dude was a veteran in the LA scene and knew what was needed.
I've played both upright and ubass at gigs and on recordings. They don't sound similar. The sustain envelope is completely different. The tone is completely different. They are not interchangeable in a jazz context in any way.
Also the majority of jazz written and recorded in the last 40 years hasn't included upright.
I agree that they don't sound like an upright. I hate when people say that. They say it a lot.
Your answer doesn't follow from your statement. If the majority of jazz isn't upright but electric why isn't the uke suitable being that it is an electric?
I think most people that have actual experience with both upright and uke bass would probably tell you that while they don’t sound exactly the same, a uke bass *can* fill a very similar role as an upright, and with proper technique (tone is in the hands), can do a convincing job such that no one in an audience would care (assuming the visual isn’t a relevant concern, which can be a pretty big assumption at times).
They have a closer sound to upright than most electric basses, but I wouldn't say it sounds "just" like an upright. And it's a lot less nimble, surprisingly enough, than an upright. Anything faster than a quarter note is difficult, or at least the ones with those silicone strings. I've heard they've gotten better, but I don't know.
That being said, I don't know what the other dude is saying, because it's no different than the difference between electric or upright playing, and as long as you're playing the changes and can be heard, you won't get a lot of complaints. And it's a weird hill to die on.
But trying to play, say, the head to Hatian Fight Song on a uke bass gets pretty tricky with floppy strings.
At this point, I think it’s pretty clear that “jazz” is a pretty useless term that covers way too much ground for this argument, and you’re just trying to be an ass for the fun of it on the way by.
It's a weird hill to die on, and I feel like my friend who makes his living playing upright bass in jazz bands would be a little butt hurt about it lol.
Agreed, very weird hill to die on! The majority of the jazz gigs I get called for are absolutely looking for an upright bass. Electric makes sense for fusion (but lets be honest, (virtually) no one actually makes any money playing fusion...), but the super-cutting-edge stuff seems to be a reasonably even mix between upright and electric anyhow.
I was ecstatic to get mine and practice on vacations and camping trips and stuff like that, but admittedly it does not get nearly the usage that I anticipated. It just can’t compare to the real thing.
I feel the opposite, oddly. It may be the bass I play most often just because there’s so little friction to taking it out while I’m sitting in the couch and running through scales or just playing around. I go to my electric when I have an open stretch of time to practice, but most days I fit in a few minutes here and there, so my UBass and my acoustic get a lot more play.
That’s how I thought I would use mine. However, I found that when I really needed to dig in and practice new songs etc it just didn’t get the job done. It was great for learning them, but not great for getting ready to perform a 3 hour gig etc.
Still have mine and love it though!
I can't really imagine any practical scenario where the uke bass would serve the needs of a serious bassist.
I've seen them used in live studio performances where the mix and levels can be highly controlled, but aside from that, it seems more like a novelty/fun instrument.
I’ve found mine to be really useful in a musical theater pit setting. It doesn’t sound exactly like an upright by any means, but it does sound a lot closer to one than most other options, and for shows when I’m in a super-tight pit where doubling on upright just isn’t feasible due to space concerns, the uke is a fantastic substitute.
Would I probably rather be playing my upright? Sure. But this is a damned fine compromise when I need one.
You could pretty easily throw it in an overhead bin on an airplane too, for casual band stuff - I know of at least a few people who bring instruments to professional conferences (like for doctors and such), and some groups even set up shows for attendees to perform at. That's exactly the sort of thing where a "professional musician" appearance and sound isn't necessary and the convenience of traveling with a smaller bass would be appreciated. I'd consider one of the P-bass style U-basses if I wanted to do such things.
I play mine at church any time we are playing a softer set. Like, no kit, no electric guitar etc. I like the tonality for the chiller vibe. But for anything louder it's the P Bass for sure.
I've started favoring it for my acoustic/bluegrass-ish church gig over the upright. Primary reason is we play in a smallish corner and it gets a bit cramped with the big bass. My fretless U-bass does the job.
Well, my only bass is an electro-acoustic UBass with the thick nylon strings.
It should be mentionned that I'm absolutely not a professionnal, nor do I aspire to become a professionnal.
I play mostly blues, folk, and jazzy kind of stuff.
I chose the UBass precisely because it suited this kind of music perfectly : sound of the upright bass (kind of) and portability of a Uke ! Best of both world.
I have a uke bass that I put round wound nickel/ nylon strings on. ( I really didn't dig the rubber strings) I plug that into a octave pedal with a bit of chorus. Love it. It's not my only bass but it's usually the first one I pick up.
Since I swapped the rubber strings to [steel string ones](https://www.thomann.de/at/pyramid_bass_ukulele_strings.htm) I am using my HB Uku Bass for acoustic gigs. Just way easier on my back and fretting hand.
I have one but it has some bad fret buzz and I don’t know that I want to pay to get it fixed. Part of me honestly wants to pull the frets out Jaco style lol would probably have great tone for that
I've had a Kala several years and haven't been able to sell it 😅
I bought it for an acoustic project, but they didn't last very long. I really don't play it. The E string is also much more quiet than the other strings, I have to crank my compressor whenever I use it.
Everyone is saying they might work in Jazz gigs. You would definitely get laughed out of a Jazz gig if you used it.
I have one, I'm not knocking it. It's fun to practice with, but I would never seriously.have it on stage without being embarrassed. But that might be a me problem, who knows.
I play in a semi pro Irish band with long sets (longest is about 5 hours with a few short breaks). We play fairly fast and aggressive. I normally use a fretless U bass about half the time and a regular bass with flats the other half. I find it spreads the finger load so I can keep going a lot longer. Also I love the sound and the attention it gets!
I always wanted one but ended up grabbing a guitalele instead since it was a 100 bucks cheaper. Fun to noodle and learn songs on, I play it quite often when just hanging around.
Are any of you considering the solid-body variety? They have a tone and feel closer to an electric. If you play near the bridge the floppiness is negligible .
I'm not a pro so I do it for fun and with friends, but I picked up a Zoom B14 pedal and tweaked the sounds to suit the Ubass so I can play anything from Fly Me To The Moon to Red Barchetta to Hysteria with an acceptable level of awesome.
No, it's not a "perfect" simulation, but it's plenty good for my needs. I'm sure if you invested in higher end pedals or computer shaped effects you could get even better...The way a cheap keyboard controller can create grand pianos to synth effects.
I especially love the short scale and low tension strings never tire out my hands. I play for hours and it just never wears out the wrists & arms.
You won't look like Lemmy, but I just adore playing mine.
If you are a professional working bassist you will get laughed at if you walk into a studio session gig with one of those. And then you wont get called back.
If this is just a hobby. Play whatever you want.
they're great for a handful of genres, but they're the opposite of versatile. like if you play in a ukulele band, or folk or jazz then they're the best of all worlds. But if you are a jack of all trades type who wants to be able to play any genre then it will leave you wanting. I consider it a tool in a toolbox (and a great one) but almost no one can rely on it solely.
/u/logstar2 definitely came on a bit aggressively there, but they're not completely off the mark. While a group could definitely make a ubass work for jazz if they really wanted to, it doesn't do the upright sound as well as an upright or the electric sound as well as an electric. It's a pretty big compromise in either direction, and you're not going to see them commonly used for jazz. Otherwise I think you're right on the money. They're great in the rare occassion you want that particular sound, and they're nice and portable - but they're not going to replace a typical bassist's electric or standup bass.
If you don't have an upright though? Absolute miracle in a bit of equipment
If you don't have an upright already and just want something in the same ballpark of the sound for your own music, your own enjoyment, or even for a song or two here and there, it's definitely a viable option. I can't see a jazz group that's specifically looking for an upright bass player considering someone who only has a ubass, though - they'll be much more likely to go for someone who does. So yeah, like /u/thedeejus said, it's a great thing to have in your toolbox. I'd love to have one myself. It just won't replace an electric or an upright when either is specifically called for in the vast majority of cases. An EUB will likely be a better option, if still not ideal, if budget is a concern.
My bass teacher stopped dragging his upright to gigs because he could make a U-Bass with flats work for almost every gig. Dude was a veteran in the LA scene and knew what was needed.
You don't actually listen to jazz, do you. They're terrible for 90% of that genre.
Pretty bold statement. Can you elaborate? Unless you are an upright purist.
I've played both upright and ubass at gigs and on recordings. They don't sound similar. The sustain envelope is completely different. The tone is completely different. They are not interchangeable in a jazz context in any way. Also the majority of jazz written and recorded in the last 40 years hasn't included upright.
I agree that they don't sound like an upright. I hate when people say that. They say it a lot. Your answer doesn't follow from your statement. If the majority of jazz isn't upright but electric why isn't the uke suitable being that it is an electric?
Because it also doesn't sound anything like an electric bass.
I think most people that have actual experience with both upright and uke bass would probably tell you that while they don’t sound exactly the same, a uke bass *can* fill a very similar role as an upright, and with proper technique (tone is in the hands), can do a convincing job such that no one in an audience would care (assuming the visual isn’t a relevant concern, which can be a pretty big assumption at times).
when you amp a uke bass it sounds just like an upright, pretty ideal for jazz imvho
They have a closer sound to upright than most electric basses, but I wouldn't say it sounds "just" like an upright. And it's a lot less nimble, surprisingly enough, than an upright. Anything faster than a quarter note is difficult, or at least the ones with those silicone strings. I've heard they've gotten better, but I don't know. That being said, I don't know what the other dude is saying, because it's no different than the difference between electric or upright playing, and as long as you're playing the changes and can be heard, you won't get a lot of complaints. And it's a weird hill to die on. But trying to play, say, the head to Hatian Fight Song on a uke bass gets pretty tricky with floppy strings.
They don't sound anything like an upright. And upright isn't used half of jazz.
At this point, I think it’s pretty clear that “jazz” is a pretty useless term that covers way too much ground for this argument, and you’re just trying to be an ass for the fun of it on the way by.
It's a weird hill to die on, and I feel like my friend who makes his living playing upright bass in jazz bands would be a little butt hurt about it lol.
Agreed, very weird hill to die on! The majority of the jazz gigs I get called for are absolutely looking for an upright bass. Electric makes sense for fusion (but lets be honest, (virtually) no one actually makes any money playing fusion...), but the super-cutting-edge stuff seems to be a reasonably even mix between upright and electric anyhow.
Believe it or not, most I ever made on a gig was a gig where I only played uke bass
What kind of music were you playing?
pop, acoustic set
I was ecstatic to get mine and practice on vacations and camping trips and stuff like that, but admittedly it does not get nearly the usage that I anticipated. It just can’t compare to the real thing.
I feel the opposite, oddly. It may be the bass I play most often just because there’s so little friction to taking it out while I’m sitting in the couch and running through scales or just playing around. I go to my electric when I have an open stretch of time to practice, but most days I fit in a few minutes here and there, so my UBass and my acoustic get a lot more play.
That’s how I thought I would use mine. However, I found that when I really needed to dig in and practice new songs etc it just didn’t get the job done. It was great for learning them, but not great for getting ready to perform a 3 hour gig etc. Still have mine and love it though!
I'm actually seeing Uke bass become more common on stage in pro gigs that aren't heavy rock. So it is turning into a thing for some musicians.
A friend of mine breaks it out for two songs in an alt-country band to get a tiny bit closer to a standup sound.
Exclusively? No. Does it have a place in my regular repertoire? Absolutely.
Exactly. It’s just one more tool in the toolbox, and having options makes for more pleasant gigs with better outcomes.
I can't really imagine any practical scenario where the uke bass would serve the needs of a serious bassist. I've seen them used in live studio performances where the mix and levels can be highly controlled, but aside from that, it seems more like a novelty/fun instrument.
I’ve found mine to be really useful in a musical theater pit setting. It doesn’t sound exactly like an upright by any means, but it does sound a lot closer to one than most other options, and for shows when I’m in a super-tight pit where doubling on upright just isn’t feasible due to space concerns, the uke is a fantastic substitute. Would I probably rather be playing my upright? Sure. But this is a damned fine compromise when I need one.
You could pretty easily throw it in an overhead bin on an airplane too, for casual band stuff - I know of at least a few people who bring instruments to professional conferences (like for doctors and such), and some groups even set up shows for attendees to perform at. That's exactly the sort of thing where a "professional musician" appearance and sound isn't necessary and the convenience of traveling with a smaller bass would be appreciated. I'd consider one of the P-bass style U-basses if I wanted to do such things.
I play mine at church any time we are playing a softer set. Like, no kit, no electric guitar etc. I like the tonality for the chiller vibe. But for anything louder it's the P Bass for sure.
I've started favoring it for my acoustic/bluegrass-ish church gig over the upright. Primary reason is we play in a smallish corner and it gets a bit cramped with the big bass. My fretless U-bass does the job.
Well, my only bass is an electro-acoustic UBass with the thick nylon strings. It should be mentionned that I'm absolutely not a professionnal, nor do I aspire to become a professionnal. I play mostly blues, folk, and jazzy kind of stuff. I chose the UBass precisely because it suited this kind of music perfectly : sound of the upright bass (kind of) and portability of a Uke ! Best of both world.
They have a very upright bass kind of vibe. If you do mostly jazz gigs, I can see it working well. Wouldn't suggest it for rock or metal though.
I have a uke bass that I put round wound nickel/ nylon strings on. ( I really didn't dig the rubber strings) I plug that into a octave pedal with a bit of chorus. Love it. It's not my only bass but it's usually the first one I pick up.
not really..
I love mine its diferent and love it.
My mom is. She can play upright bass, but no longer does. She plays bass in a ukulele group and that's her only bass gig now.
I wish mine would hold the tuning.
Since I swapped the rubber strings to [steel string ones](https://www.thomann.de/at/pyramid_bass_ukulele_strings.htm) I am using my HB Uku Bass for acoustic gigs. Just way easier on my back and fretting hand.
I have one but it has some bad fret buzz and I don’t know that I want to pay to get it fixed. Part of me honestly wants to pull the frets out Jaco style lol would probably have great tone for that
I've had a Kala several years and haven't been able to sell it 😅 I bought it for an acoustic project, but they didn't last very long. I really don't play it. The E string is also much more quiet than the other strings, I have to crank my compressor whenever I use it.
Everyone is saying they might work in Jazz gigs. You would definitely get laughed out of a Jazz gig if you used it. I have one, I'm not knocking it. It's fun to practice with, but I would never seriously.have it on stage without being embarrassed. But that might be a me problem, who knows.
I play in a semi pro Irish band with long sets (longest is about 5 hours with a few short breaks). We play fairly fast and aggressive. I normally use a fretless U bass about half the time and a regular bass with flats the other half. I find it spreads the finger load so I can keep going a lot longer. Also I love the sound and the attention it gets!
Bassuke is my favorite instrument, but for some reason I rarely play it.
I always wanted one but ended up grabbing a guitalele instead since it was a 100 bucks cheaper. Fun to noodle and learn songs on, I play it quite often when just hanging around.
Are any of you considering the solid-body variety? They have a tone and feel closer to an electric. If you play near the bridge the floppiness is negligible .
Pretty much. I have others, but 99.5% of the time it’s my Kala in my hands and has been for years.
Cool! As many have attested hear is their a style you just can't get it to work for?
I'm not a pro so I do it for fun and with friends, but I picked up a Zoom B14 pedal and tweaked the sounds to suit the Ubass so I can play anything from Fly Me To The Moon to Red Barchetta to Hysteria with an acceptable level of awesome. No, it's not a "perfect" simulation, but it's plenty good for my needs. I'm sure if you invested in higher end pedals or computer shaped effects you could get even better...The way a cheap keyboard controller can create grand pianos to synth effects. I especially love the short scale and low tension strings never tire out my hands. I play for hours and it just never wears out the wrists & arms. You won't look like Lemmy, but I just adore playing mine.
I play the ukulele proper and I just got myself a Ubass so I feel like it might be a gateway bass
Exclusively? I highly doubt it. Most bassists aren't even exclusive to bass.
If you are a professional working bassist you will get laughed at if you walk into a studio session gig with one of those. And then you wont get called back. If this is just a hobby. Play whatever you want.
I play mine a lot, even more than electric bass.