Here’s a case study on how a simple upgrade can massively improve the look of an already handsome instrument!
The Kala Solid Body UBass is making waves in the ukulele bass world; not just for its striking looks, but also the way it feels, plays, and sounds much more like a full-size bass guitar than regular U-Basses.
However, general consensus is that the stock pickguard on the U-Bass SB series, shown below, is a bit of a blank canvas- on this striking candy apple red bass, the 1-ply white scratchplate is seen by some as a little underwhelming compared to the depth of the finish.
Here it is below:
Bass looks awesome, but the pickguard could be upgraded, right?
After some careful consideration, we decided that a simple upgrade to 4-ply white pearl would be just the ticket, and upgraded our bass with a handmade, bespoke pickguard from our chosen sheet material.
We feel it’s a massive improvement!
Click to order yours
But what do you think? Is our guard an improvement, or was the minimalism of the original single-ply white guard better? Or should we have chosen something crazier, like the legendary 4-ply Leopard Print Pearl..?!
If you have one of these awesome basses, or anything else with a pickguard that you think could be improved with a fancier material, here’s the only link you’ll need to order your new favourite scratchplate: SCRATCHPLATE ORDER FORM
(and for you U-Bassists, I’ve specially added this exact model on as an option!)
[update] …couldn’t resist. I made one in 4-ply Leopard Pearl too. Feast your eyes! -Steve
We’ve manufactured several of these for customers already- here’s another we made for a customer in the UK, this time from Black Bakelite: