I’ve made an amazing and a somewhat frustrating discovery! That discovery is a Kala U-Bass.  This instrument is slightly larger than a traditional ukulele and uses polyurethane strings.  When I first saw this instrument I thought it looked very strange and felt very strange.  The strings feel kind of plastic-y and rubber-y and without plugging the instrument in, it sounds a little strange.  (I play ukulele so that’s probably why I find it weird.)

Anyway, when you plug this instrument in, the sound you get sounds almost identical to an upright bass. However, while an upright bass could cost more than $1,300, a U-Bass runs at about $550. Also, it’s small, portable, safe to take on flights, and it sounds amazing.  The tone is warm, smooth, and it definitely stands out.  I wish I found this earlier!

If you don’t believe when I say how cool this instrument is, you can check it out in this video.