Comments on: Mahalo and K Wave Telecasters, Bass Ukes on eBay

By: Woodshed

Woodshed — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 18:00:43 +0000

Tuscadero: Congrats on the new uke. If you’ve got any photos of the new look uke, I’d love to see them.

By: Tuscadero

Tuscadero — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 23:34:26 +0000

I picked up a tele mahalo today. If it’s true that 1 of 5 mahalos sound great then I think I lucked out. This one sounds pretty sweet. I agree it looks a little weird without a strikeplate, but the guitar store I shop at had some cheapo deapo stick-on strikeplates for only $6. I trimmed it to size and shape and stuck it on and it really balances out the design. Granted, I wouldn’t do that with an expensive uke, but this is a novelty, so the cheesy solution doesn’t bother me much. I’m off to your rock riff tab section to pick up some hot licks for my cool uke!

By: Woodshed

Woodshed — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 21:50:09 +0000

Thanks for that, Alan. Really interesting that Teles are more resonant than LPs in both cases.

By: Ukisociety

Ukisociety — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 03:17:50 +0000

I just bought the Mahalo tele. Had a chance to play both it and a Les Paul style Mahalo and the tele sounded much more resonant. It was the same way when I bought my K-Wave Kiwaya tele. Sounded better that the LP version. I wonder why…. But also the butterscotch tele I bought sounded better than the brown tele – both by Kiwaya. strange… I haven’t compared the Mahalo tele to the K-Wave, but for 50 bucks, the Mahalo is the winner. It sounds great!

By: Woodshed

Woodshed — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 17:40:57 +0000

The Ashbory bass doesn’t look like a uke though.

By: Cardboardfrog

Cardboardfrog — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:05:47 +0000

surely an ashbory bass would suffice? they’re small scale and bassy.
is it just me whos noticed how many uke players start off playing bass?

By: Woodshed

Woodshed — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 18:15:42 +0000

Andrey: Have fun with it.

Chris, cbf and Hobbit: I think the description ‘bass ukulele’ is fair enough. Even if it’s not technically right, you know what to expect from it.

I think Hobbit is right about the advantages. I also think it would be good for uke groups. You need a bass sound in a uke group, but having a huge bass in their spoils the concept a little.

By: Howlin' Hobbit

Howlin' Hobbit — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:27:06 +0000

If it kicks out a good bass sound its benefit is its small and lightweight size.

Actual electric basses are heavy. They also take up more room in the vehicle when you’re trying to cram a whole band and their gear into one car.

By: Cardboardfrog

Cardboardfrog — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:38:03 +0000

it looks like its tuned EADG too, which would make it technically a bass and not a ukulele and surely then a member of the viola family.
Mind you its possible that the scale would classify it as a ukulele,
a cute idea but i mean REALLY, do you need one?

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 22:05:59 +0000

I was checking out those Bass ukes the other day out of curiosity. They all say something like that ebay ad:

“Due to the acoustic nature of this instrument and low bass frequencies a amplifier must be used with this ukulele.”

Does that just mean it’s so quiet it needs to be amplified? Overall it seems strange to even call something like that a ukulele. I don’t know much (anything) about instrument classification but what makes a “bass ukulele” a ukulele at all? Is it the physical specifications of the instrument?