Kala U-Bass Spruce Top (Fretted)

Ended up buying two of these through Amazon after trying my brother's. The first was a gift for a friend and that one fortunately is fine. The one I bought for myself however, is not. I'm sending it back for rework because the D and G strings buzz all the way up and down the neck. Service from George's Music (Jimmy) has been very good, but ultimately they recommended returning it to Kala for repair because the headstock nut (I offered to swap it out myself for a re-cut version) is epoxied in place and consequently there is a risk of damage upon unskilled removal. So Kala will replace it and hopefully this will lift the action sufficiently to eradicate the dreaded buzz. Otherwise, I think the bass is a great innovation and is well-crafted. Just know there is some risk of getting one that's not set up quite right, and though this is often the case with string instruments, there's not a lot you can do about it on this unit - no truss rod and nuts are epoxied in at the factory.

This really is an amazing instrument. Plugged in you get the thickest double bass sound that will have you reaching for your Ray Bans. The passive piezo setup is crystal clear, and well balanced between strings. Unplugged, you can sit on the sofa in your duplex apartment at 11pm and noodle for hours feeling the rumble in your chest, all while your neighbor dreams of torturing someone else. Aguilar Thunderguts help tone, and feel a little closer to what your used to. Be prepared to clean them often, and don't be sloppy about sliding those digits about. It's not quite as bad as balloon animals, but the piezo amplified sound of fingers running up and down a dirty rubber band can get quacky (quackish?). The small scale mixed with low tension strings means this thing plays like butter, so easy your gonna get spoiled if you don't go back to steel often, but this is not a do everything ax so that shouldn't be a problem. I love my U-Bass like all my ladies, but like most mail order brides (especially those from overseas) she needed some civilizing. Out of the box the fret ends could saw through skin if you tried, tuning machines where flopping around, endpin jack was nowhere near tight and sucure. I'm used to imports "Set up in the USA" and see the work as part of my own inspection set-up, so a couple hours and a new set of strings later and I was ready to go all night. If you don't do your own work be prepared to pay another fifty or so (Ouch!). Wood finish, assembly, and appointments where near perfect however, and the frets where level. Intonation is acceptable. If you need a back packer, a new tone to work with, or new inspiration, and you already have Your PB and your 'Ray, this instrument is just plain fun.

I bought this uke through a third-party seller, but it was "fulfilled by Amazon". When I received this uke, I tuned it up, and realized that the "acoustic" sound was going to be unacceptable for anything other than practicing in a silent rood. No problem, thought I, and plugged it in. To my dismay, I got no sound out of my amp at all. A quick check of the internal cavity revealed that the 1/4 plug was literally connected to nothing. I could see a single wire coming from the peizo, which dangled helplessly, also connected to nothing. Being fairly experienced with the workings of peizos, I looked to see if this was simply a matter of a solder connection that had come loose, but I could see no immediate way to repair the issue. Given that this was a $400+ instrument, I packed it up and sent it back to Amazon, and am awaiting my refund so that I can reorder through a different vendor.The only reason that I would ever order a musical instrument through Amazon would be to take advantage of Amazon Prime's shipping speed, as was the case here. Unfortunately, my decision to buy this from Amazon has left me $400+ out of pocket for more than a week (I shipped the uke back the very day it arrived), and with nothing to show for it. I'm sure Amazon will eventually refund my money, and I'll be able to buy a better-built uke somewhere else, but overall this has been a very disappointing experience.I own other Kala acoustic/electric ukes, and have been very happy with them. The build quality on this one seemed to be lower, in addition to the broken electronics. I don't know if the problem with my uke was a sloppy manufacturer, a shady third-party seller, or shipping damage, but the end result is an unplayable instrument.