Enter to Win a $8000 PA System!

Kala U-Bass Fretless Acoustic-Electric Bass Ukulele - Striped Ebony

Short-scale Acoustic-electric Ukulele Bass, Fretless, with Ebony Top, Back, Sides, Mahogany Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, and Fishman Electronics - Striped Ebony
$449.00

Or pay $74.83 for 6 months with Easy Pay

See all payment options
In Stock!

Add to Cart
Notify me about deals

Ask An Expert

Our expertly trained Sales Engineers are ready to help!

What is a Sales Engineer?
Sweetwater Gear Exchange

Have one to sell?
Check out Sweetwater's Gear Exchange!
Learn More

Most Popular Accessories & Related Items

Kala U-Bass Fretless Acoustic-Electric Bass Ukulele - Striped Ebony
In Stock!
$449.00
Add to Cart
Add to list
Back to navigation

This article was Written By

Our Product Research Team

Get to know them!

Compact Acoustic-electric Bass with Huge Tone

Get amazing bass tone and exquisite looks with Kala's Striped Ebony Fretless U-Bass. The Kala U-Bass series is a truly unique line, offering players a compact instrument that puts out huge sound. Featuring a compact 21" scale, the U-Bass has made a name for itself as an instrument small enough to fit in the overhead compartment of a plane but big enough to fill a room with full bass sound. Many players, including those here at Sweetwater, have compared the tone and volume of the Kala U-Bass to that of an upright — big, full low end that is ideal for backing a variety of genres.

Beautiful tonewoods and tone

One of the standouts on this U-Bass is the gorgeous striped ebony top, back, and sides. The deep brown of the ebony is accented by reddish-brown stripes, giving it a truly mesmerizing visual appeal. Maple binding accents the entire body as well. And the fretless rosewood fingerboard is yet another visual delight that offers stellar playability and response.

Special strings, special sound

The secret behind the big sound of the Kala U-Bass is almost as cool as its small, ultra-portable format. It comes from the combination of the right tonewoods and Kala's unique polyurethane strings. These lightweight, large-diameter strings provide plenty of low-frequency oomph, which resonates with a deep, rich, and wooden quality that's reminiscent of the coveted upright sound yet colored with a uniquely musical U-Bass quality all its own.

Standout appointments and standout tone

Other standout appointments that add to the rich sound and stunning looks of the U-Bass Striped Ebony include a GraphTech nut and rosewood bridge that offer another layer of overall tone quality and aesthetic delight. In addition, custom Hipshot Ultralite tuning machines keep you in tune and are a nice visual enhancement to the ebony body. Finally, Fishman U-Bass EQ electronics kick out great amplified tone when you plug in. There's even a built-in tuner with Volume and Tone control — no more fiddling with clip-ons or tuner pedals.

Kala Fretless U-Bass Striped Ebony Features:

  • Compact 21"-scale acoustic-electric bass
  • Gorgeous striped ebony top, back, and sides look great and produce great low-end tone
  • Fretless rosewood fingerboard offers stellar playability and response
  • Lightweight polyurethane strings provide plenty of low-frequency tone
  • GraphTech nut and rosewood bridge support tone and look great
  • Custom Hipshot Ultralite tuning machines keep you in tune
  • Fishman electronics kick out great amplified tone when you plug in
  • Built-in tuner with Volume and Tone control makes staying in tune simple

Additional Media

Warranty Info

Sweetwater's FREE 2-Year Total Confidence Coverage Warranty

Extra peace of mind at no extra cost.

  • Save money with FREE parts and labor
  • Get back to making music with the industry's fastest turnaround time
  • Fix it the first time with our award-winning, factory-certified Service Department
Learn More about Total Confidence Coverage

Free 2-year Warranty

Sweetwater's 2-year Total Confidence Coverage™ Warranty gives you extra peace of mind at no extra cost.

Learn More about Total Confidence Coverage
Tools Icon

Save money with free parts & labor!

Fast Icon

Get back to making music with the industry's fastest turnaround time.

Award Icon

Fix it the first time with our award-winning, factory-certified Service Department.

Back to navigation

Tech Specs

  • Number of Strings: 4
  • String Type: Proprietary Polyurethane
  • Body Type: Acoustic Bass
  • Body Shape: U-Bass
  • Left-/Right-handed: Right-handed
  • Color: Natural
  • Finish: Satin
  • Top Wood: Striped Ebony
  • Back & Sides Wood: Striped Ebony
  • Binding: Maple
  • Neck Material: Mahogany
  • Fingerboard Material: Rosewood
  • Fingerboard Inlay: Dots
  • Number of Frets: Fretless (16)
  • Scale Length: 20.375"
  • Nut Width: 1.75"
  • Nut/Saddle Material: GraphTech Tusq/Composite
  • Bridge Material: Rosewood
  • Tuning Machines: Custom Hipshot Ultralite
  • Electronics: Fishman U-Bass EQ
  • Strings: Road Toad Strings, Proprietary Polyurethane
  • Case/Gig Bag: Gig Bag
  • Body Length: 14"
  • Body Width: 10.25" lower bout, 7.75" upper bout
  • Body Depth: 3.25"
  • Overall Length: 29.37"
  • Manufacturer Part Number: UBASSEBYFL2006

What Makes Our Sales Engineers Great?

Sweetwater Sales Engineers are a world-class team of experts dedicated to you. Hand selected from across the globe, each brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the world of music gear to provide you with unparalleled service completely free of charge. Friendly relationships, real trust, and the right gear are only a call or a click away!

Back to navigation

Customer Reviews

Write your review
Rated 5/5

Small Bass - Huge Sound!

I have had this KALA bass (Striped Ebony) for about 6 months now, and absolutely love it. I was looking for a "as close as possible" Upright bass sound for playing Bluegrass, Western Swing and some Country & Country Gospel tunes. Previously I've experimented with tape and Flat wounds of various types and brands on my Long, Medium & Short Scale electric basses and although sounding "close" to an upright, it was never quite there.

Now, with the KALA and the Pahoehoe strings (that it came with), I have that solid, punchy Upright bass sound that I was looking for, without the cumbersomeness of an actual double bass, and it is So lightweight, you hardly know it's there, which is particularly great if your playing a gig and having to stand while playing. If your looking for a lightweight and compact bass with Big Upright sound, look no further than this KALA U-Bass or any of the KALA U-Basses.

I will also say, that I bought this particular model (Striped Ebony - top of the line) because it is equipped with the world renowned Fishman electronics and pickup. Dealing with Sweetwater Sound has been terrific through multiple other purchases over the last few years now, and has become my "go-to" for all my musical needs.

Thank you, Sweetwater & Loui for the fabulous service and knowledge that you provide for all musicians, through employees who actually care about their patrons needs... a Very rare, valued and greatly appreciated trait in an otherwise and increasingly non-caring business world. Please, don't Ever lose those value's.. it's what makes Sweetwater, such a "standout" and Special place to do business with in the world of music.
Music background: Re-living my youthful years, in retirement and friendly jam sessions. : )
Rated 4.5/5

Comes alive when plugged in.

Ive had this just over a week, and for the first week I did not have access to an amp. It took a bit of getting used to. Especially the strings. Eventually they started to hold their tune and I started to enjoy this bass. Unamplified it is certainly loud enough to practice on your own, it is relatively well set up and in tune with itself. Which is just as well as there is no way to fine tune the instrument, other than filing the nut i don't know what you could do to set up this thing. Unamplified I found the E string a bit dead, but once I plugged in the E string woke up and this baby came alive and I started to have a lot more fun. I am very impressed with the amplified tone. Full and smooth with no obvious weakness, and I haven't moved the eq one way or another (yet).
Music background: former pro now serious amateur.
Close Close $8,000 PA System Giveaway -- input your email address below to enter or click here to learn more.

See giveaway details & rules or check out our past winners!

Success!

Your email, test has been entered to win this giveaway. Good Luck!