Harley Benton Kahuna CLU-Bass Mahogany Uke

I have a standard bass guitar (a Yamaha) but I wanted to try out a U-Bass for several reasons - the unique sonics (sounding close to an acoustic double bass at a fraction of the size), the portability, the ease of play (no blisters or calluses with this bass...), sheer curiosity to how it would play and of course the eye-turning form factor...

My uses are mainly sofa playing in front of the TV as well as recording in my home studio.

So how did this U-Bass fare regarding my above expectations? Basically it excelled in most of them.

Pros:
- Great sound.
- Easy to play once you get used to the rubber strings.
- More that acceptable pickup which works well both with an amp as well as plugged in direct to the mixers insert.
- The ADG strings sound fantastic and stay in tune all the way up to the 22nd fret.
- Turns head...

Cons:
- The E string is problematic. It sounds different than the other strings. It's distinctly softer. It also feels muted and not as bright as the other 3 strings. And worst of all - it goes out of tune beyond the 5th fret, so basically you can go up from E to A and that's about it. Takes time to adjust playing style so that it blends with the rest of strings seamlessly.
- Tuning is weird, but that's due to the rubber strings. Basically - you have to turn the tuners several turns for even a slightest change in pitch.
- It doesn't stay in tune very well. Maybe this will improve over time as the strings settle.
- You need to adjust playing style slightly when recording in order to minimize finger noise (which can be rather loud through the pickup).

So overall - a great U-Bass definitely worth the price with a more than capable pickup for recording purposes.

The bass is constructed from laminate with very thin mahogany facings. I was a little disappointed by this as the description states the top back and sides are mahogany.
You can clearly see the composition of the laminate by examining the edges of the body. What looks like a lighter coloured binding is in fact the core of the laminate. The laminate is quite thick making the instrument feel on the heavy side.
Other negatives are the layout of the tuners on the headstock which results in the A string coming into contact with the windings of the E string on the adjacent tuner. I also didn?t like the operation of the active electronics which automatically switch to tuner mode when plugged in. You have to press the tuner button to hear the instrument every time it's plugged in. (This bass shares the same electronics as the Goldtone micro bass which is 3 times the price !)
I really like the traveller style body very like the Goldtone micro bass. I think standard ukulele bodies look out of proportion on a ubass. The setup out of the box was good with the twelfth fret action around 3mm. Most notes sounded cleanly and I only noticed a slight buzz on the A string at the 5th fret. Intonation was good on the EAD strings but a bit sharp on the G. This maybe down to the strings.
General finish was very good with a very nice looking fingerboard and no sharp fret ends.
Overall I'm very pleased with the instrument which for the price represents excellent value. Playability and sound are comparable to instruments many times the price.