Ashe

She’s only made from tonewood, copper, plastic, metal and varnish,

highly machined and carved by skilled craft workers, 

with hidden electronics in nooks and crannies,

but fit together like a fine sports car.

Could it be that these material came together to form

something more alive than some people I’ve met?

Yes, I know that’s not a nice thing to say but Ashe, my little bass,

sings in a low mellow voice, has curves in all the right places, 

is built like a brick you-know-what, and was sent to me through the mail 

in a cardboard box about a year ago already strung and swaddled in bubble wrap.

Between the times we meet to work out together, she waits patiently, 

standing in the wings like a diminutive ballet dancer awaiting her cue.

On my honor, if I ever take advantage of Ashe, fail to respect her,

or abuse our alliance, I will give her away to someone who can 

appreciate her beauty, charm, elegance and faithfulness more than me.

But, that would be the end of a beautiful relationship.

Billy Radd

Asheville

I Like

A Kala California UBass with a solid swamp ash body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, and break through Mi-Si Align Pickup System flanked by a Fender Rumble 15 Bass practice amp, and Digiteck RP1000 stomp effects.

I like this little bass.  I mean really like it.  After selling my beautiful pearl white Fender P Bass to a worship music bassiet, and then my year-old acoustic Ubass to an ecstatic uke player for basically what I paid for it, I jumped on this little American-made beauty at a nice close-out price from Elderly Instruments.

I almost don't know where to begin.  Well, lets see . . .

1.  I have small hands with correspondingly proportional but short fingers.  The ubass size dimensions are much closer to a baritone ukulele than a typical Fender Bass.  Great for my particular Snausages, as a friend of mine's wife calls his own stubs.

2.  All Ubasses can be tuned to standard string bass tuning - E A D G.  The strings that came with it are Kala's proprietary polyurethane strings which were specially developed by Road Toad Music in Hawaii.

3. The Mi-Si Align System features an active battery-free preamp. The preamp uses Mi-Si custom piezo linearization scheme which allows for the most truthful and accurate sound from the pickup. Align also includes onboard volume, bass and treble controls. You only have to power up for 60 seconds using the Mi-Si Power Charger for up to 8 hours of performance time.

4.  The California Ubass, called that to denote its place of birth, arrived in beautiful condition from Elderly Instruments and really thumps through my little practice amp or vintage Ampeg fliptop, and especially is fun to route through my Degitech RP 1000 which adds some really wild or subtile effects to the Ubass lowside.

Everyone is surprised at this little wonder's booming bass voice, but they quickly learn to love and respect her power and depth.

If you ever run across one, I'd pick it up and try thumping it a bit.  Most people say it feels like rubber bands, but you quickly get used to that.  And, your fingers don't get sore even after playing for a few hours.

Whether you're a bass player or not, I think you'll appreciate its thoughtful design, even balance, beefy construction and detailed build quality.  It plain just feels good to the touch and has a classic character that reminds me of fine hand-crafted furniture.

I'd buy more than one but I can only play one at a time.

A New U-Bass Is Born

It doesn't take a genius to figure out when something just flat works.

I believe that's the case with the new solid body U-Bass from Kala Ukuleles.  It's the next step in the evolution of the diminutive little bass with the pudgy urethane strings and big sound, but with a price tag of $1,200 it might be a while before I get my hot little hands on one.

What a great new musical invention!

I've owned four electric bass guitars in my life; a Framus short scale when I was in high school, a beautiful Gibson Ripper that I bought in the middle '70s, a Fender active P bass I bought last summer, and my little Kala U-Bass which I bought a few months ago.  They all had different advantages, features and tonal qualities, but the little U-bass sounds the most like an upright or double bass AND is the easiest to play.  I'd love to play one of the new solid models of U-bass but I'm afraid I'll have to wait until they possibly become available at a local music store here in Asheville, which may take some time.

The other remote possibility would be that I could buy one at the $1,200 introductory price.  So, I'll just have to wait until they get cheaper (which doesn't usually happen with quality built musical instruments), or until they become known as a novelty, in which case the value may go up as well.

Anyway, in their current manifestation, the solid body U-Bass comes in four cool colors, freted or fretless, and in 4 or 5-string models.  I prefer the natural colored finish since it looks like what a Hobbit bass player might jam with on the vales and in the taverns of Middle Earth.  Rustic and small.

The new Kala solid body U-Bass is currently made and assembled in Petaluma, California, which may explain their premium price tag.  But, my hollow body spruce-top U-Bass, which I believe is manufactured in China like seemingly most everything else affordable, seems to be built very well so I have no complaints and only good things to say about my little baritone uke with the fat strings.

If you play bass at all, I'd check out both models.  They are a real hoot to play and everyone loves their low, broad tone.  And, they weigh about as much as your lunch box.

Check out Hutch Huchinson, an experienced session player and bassest for Bonnie Raitt.

Practicing Practice

Live From Neil's Man Cave Studio

So this is how it goes.  

Neil Laurence and I are rehearsing a few times a week for four or five hours at a stretch in his home recording studio getting ready to begin performing together in front of people here in Asheville - two seasoned men on their ukes.  The whole process makes me very aware once again of the value and absolute necessity of the discipline of practice.

Practice makes perfect.  How do you get to Carnegie Hall?  Practice.

Practice, practice, practice.

There is no substitute for practice.  Neil told me about country guitar virtuoso Chet Atkins.  Why do we know his name?  He practiced guitar 4 hours a day.

I've only been playing my new Kala U Bass for a month, but already there is a small shiny smudge forming on the spruce face of the uke above the strings from constantly resting my right hand there to pluck the strings, physical evidence of my dedication to practice. 

I can easily trace my acquiring the skill of practice because it came at at substantial investment in time - studying Martial Arts for 15 years.  It was worth every minute and it not only was great physical exercise, the practice of Tae Kwon Do either alone, with my daughters, or in class as a student and teacher benefited my brain in positive ways that I hadn't anticipated.  I highly recommend the practice of martial arts, any martial art, to anyone, at any age, at any time.  It will change your life and your brain in wonderful, unexpected ways.

But, so will the study of music.  I am proof of that.

Devolving

Elvis Costello? Kid Rock? Popeye Doyle? No, Billy Radd.

Well, I got this new hat so now I have to wear it, right?  Will it make my playing sound any better? You betcha! 

I need all the help I can get.

My buddy and co-conspirator, Neil Laurence and I are practicing half days two or three times a week to get ready for our premier together in front of an audience in Asheville NC, and I think I need "an attitude".  Maybe people will think that the chapeau is sooooo cool that they won't notice any minor slip ups on my part of the deal, playing bass accompaniment to Neil's singing his songs, strumming his uke, blowing the harp, and whistling.

If I could get away with it, I'd simply record my part and play a CD of it behind Neil as he performs solo.  But, no!  He expects me to stand next to him, to just hang it out there, so to speak, and play.  This takes a measure of bravery and devil-may-care panache that I am not used to displaying in public.  Sure I've exhibited lots of my paintings at art auctions, written, produced and shot hundreds of TV commercials, and other genre of visual media.  The latter endeavors typically involved much planning, feedback from other professionals, and a kind of distance that insulated my ego from the reactions of the end user.  

Not so with performing live music in front of an audience.  For one thing, people will be looking at me personally, not just my work.  Thus, the hat becomes an embellishment and a prop, a distraction and perhaps a point of interest to any specific listener.

So, it has finally come to this.  Where I used to consider myself to be an author of a work, now I am part of the work, part of the "show".

Eeeeeeek!  I'm "devolving".

But, then again maybe it's like my old mentor at film school, Tim Baar used to say.  "Sometimes you have to go back to go forward".  I had assumed that he meant that you merely backed up for a while.  I didn't realize that I would actually have to turn around and face my future full on. Another Life Lesson learned by Billy - The Future is ALWAYS in front of you.

I'll let you know how it works out in about a month.  Say, maybe I can wear the hat over my face.

Uh, probably not.

Steppin' Up

Singer/Songwriter Neil Laurence

Jeff Skolnik, the owner-operator of Dryden Street Studios in Fairview, North Carolina, is a cut above the rest.  The former US Navy Engineer lifer welcomed us at the door to his beautiful studio by saying, "I thought I heard a car pull up."  

There are probably two good reasons for this statement.  First, after many years as an audio engineer, Jeff's hearing is no doubt superb.  He demonstrated his aural acuity to us many times in the 6 hours he worked with us as Neil Laurence and I began to lay down tracks for one of Neil's many compositions called "Life is Sweet".

Second, Jeff's studio, a handcrafted audio paradise that more resembles a comfortable contemporary home than hi-tech sound recording studio, is nestled on a hill in the woods in a beautiful, very quiet neighborhood in western North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains.

Jeff's recording talents were only exceeded by his warm hospitality and positive humor.  As a working bass player himself, Jeff was impressed by the low "woody " tones emitted by Mela Kani, my diminutive Kala U bass, while Neil and I were blown away by Jeff's impressive collection of one-of-a-kind bass guitars which he shared with us like a proud papa.

The three of us spent hours laying down multiple tracks of bass, ukulele, and double-tracking Neil's vocals, including whistling, and harmonica.

What a great experience it was for Neil and myself to find this gem of a collaborator, Jeff the Recording Master.

As Neil and I were driving back to Asheville after our session, I asked Neil, "Where did you get hooked up with Jeff?"

"The same place that I found you - Jeff responded to my Craig's List ad," Neil said.

Well, that's pretty random, I thought.  

But, hey, sometimes things line up in the Cosmos just right.  And, like my Dad used to say, "Don't fight it".