Best Ukulele Bass

These bizarre instruments look almost comically small & toy-like, but good LORD they sound enormous when amplified.  I first heard Bakithi Kumalo using one with Paul Simon, and I literally did not believe my eyes/ears.  Later I sought one out, and sure enough, this tiny little chihuahua of a bass does indeed make that enormous upright-like sound.  Astonishing.  It weighs like -10 ounces, fits in a backpack, sounds great unplugged, and when amplified has subs that have to be experienced to be believed.  Amazing.

The Hadean UKBE-24 is an impressive Electric Bass Ukulele at a surprisingly affordable price.

The swamp ash body is well designed and the preamp design is solid and helps to project the deeper tones.  A feature with the preamp that not all bass ukuleles have is the Hadean UKBE-24 has knobs for volume, bass, mid and treble controls.

The portability of these Bass Ukulele is a very convenient feature.  The light wood design varies depending on if you go with the UKBE-23 which is made with a mahogany body or the UKBE-24 which is made with a swamp ash body.  

For improved tuning control, Hadean went with Aquila Nylgut strings as they absorb less moisture than the traditional polyurethane strings.  A slight bonus, however many of the polyurethane strings are solid as well and do a good job staying in tune.

The Kala Rumbler is a sweet U-Bass.  The natural satin finish on the Mahogany wood looks exceptional. The Mahogany neck and walnut fretboard enhance the already elegant look of the mahogany body.  

This short scale electric-acoustic ukulele bass is perfect for traveling and looks great for a stage.  

The built-in tuner is solid as Kala continues to put out solid instruments.  While this is one of the more affordable ukuleles in Kala’s arsenal of U-Basses, it certainly didn’t lose any of the punch you can expect from a Kala Ukulele Bass. 

The shadow pickup and EQ really help boost the tone when using the Rumbler in an electric setting.  Even if you are unplugged the tone is great.

The Silver Rumblers are awesome too. 

The Kala Journeyman Acoustic Electric U-Bass is a beautiful Ukulele Bass that has the look of a violin or cello with it’s unique design with it’s two F-Holes set on a Mahogany body.

The UK-500B Piezo pickup captures the tone extremely well, offering both exceptional acoustic and electric tones.  With a standard bass tuning and a baritone range, the Journeyman is an excellent U-Bass.

With the Kala Journeyman U-Bass using silver-wound strings, this bass ukulele has the feel of a standard bass.  This features sets the Journeyman apart from some of Kala’s other bass ukuleles as many of their other models use polyurethane strings.

Overall, this is a solid Bass-Ukulele and offers nice variety to more traditional models.

The Luna Ukulele Bass has the name that matches the look.  This Baritone Uke has a Tattoo etched into the body which gives it a distinct look and style.  The artistic look is definitely something that catches the eye.

Beyond the look, this Baritone Uke Bass is well made.  The ukulele is constructed of a Mahogany Body, Sprue Top and Rosewood Fingerboard.

It is an absolute joy to play this Bass Uke.  

Be sure you are looking for a bass ukulele.  While this is a baritone ukulele, the strings are that of a Bass Ukulele.  The strings are also flat-wound which has benefits and drawbacks for a ukulele this size.  

Ultimately, It has a rich tone as a result and it’s quite nice.  Some owners of the LUNA BASS replace the flat round strings with the polyurethane strings found on the KALA U-BASS.

The Kmise Electric Acoustic Bass Ukulele is a well designed U-Bass.  The Built-In EQ is very solid for the cost featuring controls for volume, bass, mids and treble.  The design is well made and could work for a professional bassist as well as a beginner.

The accessories offered with the u-bass are a bonus as well.  The gigbag that comes with this bass ukulele is better quality than alot of the included soft cases that we have seen with other U-Basses.  There is also an included Allen Wrench with an easy-access to adjusting the action.  This is particularly handy for professional bassists that are particular about the action on their instruments.

Kmise did a nice job constructing this bass ukulele and it looks well made.  The mahogany not only looks great but it sounds great as well.  The added adjustment knobs on the bass neck help keep the U-Bass in tune, which can sometimes be an issue with other models.

While Kmise is a lesser known brand that Kala, they managed to put out a very competitive instrument, both in price and quality.

This Acoustic Electric U-Bass is outstanding and looks spectacular.  The Scout Mahogany Acoustic Electric U-Bass comes in fretted and fretless bass styles.

The wood choices and finishes that Scout has for their U-Basses are beautiful.  The cutaway Mahogany Acoustic Electric Bass has a Spalted Maple Top, Back and Sides, with a Mahogany Neck and Back Binding.

With the Satin Finish and the Rosewood Fretboard, this U-Bass has a stellar look.

The Scout line of U-Basses are from the Kala Brand which continues to provide some of the best consumer and professional music products when it comes to their ukuleles.

Oscar Shmidt makes a solid Bass Ukulele at a fair price.  I mean, his name is Oscar Shmidt, have you ever thought about that?  

Good old Oscar is using Mahogany to craft his U-Bass.  With a Satin Finish, Osc’ was able to make a very good looking instrument.

Old Mister Schmidt made a solid piece of equipment and should be proud of himself.  We also should be proud of Ol’ Oscar.  Old Oscar Schmidt.  The man that made the bass Ukulele that we all love and adore.

Thanks Oscar Schmidt.

The Ortega Guitars Lizard Series 4 String Ukebass is an extremely well made U-Bass.  

The Acoustic Electric, fretless Ukebass has a stunning Acacia wood top, back and sides that really shines with the gloss finish.   The Mahogany neck and walnut fretboard and bridge almost complete the classy design.  This particular model has the added bonus of an Abalone style shell purfling which you rarely see on bass ukuleles.

The venetian cutaway projects the acoustic tone very well and the Ortega MagusUkeBass preamp/pickup system does a great job of projecting the tones of this beautiful instrument.  The use of Aquila Thundergut Short Scale Uke-Bass strings work with the design as the more traditional bass strings would likely have hard time staying in tune on this type of design.  

Ortega Guitars have really dialed in a solid tone that is reminiscent of an upright bass guitar, especially when plugged in to a bass amp.

The Island Bell 30 inch Baritone D Bass Ukulele is a contrabass ukulele with an amazing contrabass sound.  

The solid mahogany body has an amazing natural reverb that creates a tone that avoids the downfalls of some of the intonation issues that other ukuleles can be challenged with.  

The Island Bell Ukulele has the signature ukulele sound associated with relaxing on the beaches of Hawaii.

As a 30 inch fretless bass ukulele, this model is great for the traveling bass player that needs a bass for practicing on tour, or just something easy to travel with.