Owner’s Manual
Revision 2
Introduction:
Congratulations on the purchase of your Kala Solidbody U-Bass! You are about to embark on a new
musical journey with this portable yet powerful instrument. It is our goal to provide you with a versatile
new instrument that is capable of producing remarkable bottom end in live and studio applications. The
heart of the U-Bass tone lies in its polyurethane strings in conjunction with its size (21” scale length) and
active pickup system. These create a sound that is both traditional and progressive. Paired with a high
quality amplification or recording system, the applications for the U-Bass are limited only to your
imagination. This owner’s manual will give you an overview of the set up, care and maintenance of your
U-Bass as well as detailed specifications.
Setup, Care, and Maintenance
Set Up:
To achieve the fundamental tone and feel of the U-Bass, polyurethane strings are used. When
you first open the case to your U-Bass, the strings could be slackened. Because the strings are
polyurethane, they will go through a short period of stretching until they arrive at their final state. You
can expedite this process by gently tugging on the strings, then tuning the strings to pitch several times
until the strings no longer drop in pitch. Upon inspecting the instrument, you will notice that the string
posts of the tuning machines are larger than your average bass guitar. This is to accommodate the large
diameter of the U-Bass strings. The ideal number of wraps for each string should be between two and
four, depending on the string. If, after stretching the strings, you have more than that, you may want to
consider unwrapping the string and re-tuning it with fewer wraps. This may seem challenging but the
time you spend on this crucial step will have considerable rewards.
Your U-Bass has its intonation preset. The saddle and bridge are positioned in such a way that proper
intonation is achieved through use of a compensated saddle assembly. This means that each individual
string saddle comes to its peak point at a different location than its adjacent string. This allows your U-
Bass to play in tune on the lowest of lows and the highest of highs.
Care and Maintenance:
Whenever practical and possible, keep your U-Bass in its case or gig bag. Since
the U-Bass is smaller than your average bass or guitar, you may want to purchase a hanging style
