Best Bass Ukulele Reviews in 2023: Buying Guide

The best bass ukulele is a super hybrid instrument that has gained a lot of popularity among musicians over the last few years, along with traditional ukuleles like a popular Concert, Soprano, Tenor, and Baritone. This ukulele-sized bass surprisingly creates a big melody that makes it an amusing option for bass guitars and upright basses.

However, today we will review all about the Bass Ukulele. In our list below, we have highlighted our top ukulele bass choices. If you are interested in classic uke sound, you will probably like your desired modern instrument from the list. So, let’s start a journey to seek the best bass ukulele for you.

You might think that Donner is a relatively lesser-known brand in the world, especially when you compare it to the likes of Kala and others. But this North Carolina-based ukulele company is producing quality instruments at a reasonable price. No doubt, Donner DUB-1 is one of the most popular bass ukuleles among its quality products.

To clarify, the brand has designed the DUB-1 to play the same notes as a standard bass guitar. For an enriched and bright sound, they use high-quality mahogany to build the body and neck of this best bass uke. On the other hand, the 26-inch uke offers an EQ and a preamp for amplified use that features volume, bass, mid, and treble control.

Also, it includes 18 Brass Frets with Fret position Marks at the 5th, 7th, 10th, and 12th frets on the neck and top of the fingerboard. The DUB-1 gives Aquila Nylgut strings to ensure the accuracy and durability of its tunes. It has an integrated tuner.

Moreover, this bass uke comes with a bag to protect the instrument. Beginner and professional ukulele players can choose it for easy portability, captivating sound, excellent playability, and affordable price.

Pros:

• Constructed with quality materials
• Good sound and tune
• Beautiful design
• 30 Days Unconditional Money-Back Guarantee

Cons:

• No additional accessories included

If you have an idea about the market of the ukulele, you probably know about the Kala Ukulele brand. Their instruments are at the top of the range in terms of quality, performance, and popularity. For that reason, it’s no surprise that the Kala U-BASS-SSMHG-FS Bass is one of the best bass ukuleles.

Kala gives extra visual options for the Bass player. With mahogany back and sides, it affixes a mid-range punch with the solid spruce top U-Bass. It has a mahogany neck. Kala has utilized dark brown binding all around the top and the back of this uke that makes it look unique. Going to the neck, we find a standard rosewood fretboard, featuring 16 frets on a 21-inch scale.

Further, the electric U-Bass offers a new custom-designed shadow pickup system that is acclaimed for its colossal low end. You can wire it up to your amp to amplify the sound. After connecting, you will find a sound like an upright bass instrument.

Finally, many bass players pick Kala’s UBass-EM-FS due to its performance. Despite the slightly higher price, it can be considered for its quality.

Pros:

• High-standard bass uke
• Beautiful appearance
• Inclusion of a gig bag

Cons:

• Quite expensive for someone

Hadean is not such a well-known brand in the ukulele market. Yet, they produce quality instruments at an affordable price. That’s to say that the Hadean UKB-23 is one of the best-selling bass ukuleles on Amazon.

The body is crafted of walnuts instead of the more common Koa. The walnut will make a warm sound, not produced by any other wood. As a result, it in itself becomes different from other instruments. Likewise, its look also creates a separate dimension.

Also, the UKB-33 includes a rosewood neck with a simple inlays truss rod. When you choose this tool, it feels quite good, which hints that it is a well-made material.

Further, this Bass Ukulele has a rosewood bridge with four individual saddles and at the headstock four die-cast tuners. They don’t seem glamorous but do their job accurately. It offers like a little package-a preamp with treble, bass, mid and volume control, a tuner, and a three-band EQ.

In the end, in terms of sound, it is undoubtedly an outstanding device. True, this 30-inch tool will give you a great feeling at a low price.

Pros:

• A well-built machine
• Eye-catching design
• Extraordinary electronics with tuner and EQ

Cons:

• No case or gig bag

Another product of the Kala Brand is the Kala U-Bass Fretted. We mention it because it is easily portable, and anyone can move around with it.

Kala manufactures their ukes out and out, and this instrument is no exception. In general, the body of mahogany is famous for providing full-bodied sound. Also, it is slightly a smaller body but creates a warm resonance on the deep notes.

Kala uses more quality woods to build the walnut fingerboard inlaid with dots. The bridge is also constructed of walnut and individual saddles for each string for a better setup. There are diecast tuners at the top end.

This U-Bass includes a Piezo electronics pickup that grants the bass uke some power. The active EQ helps to generate your tone with bass middle and treble controls. Again, the control panel comes with an onboard tuner.

If the bass uke is to form an instrument that looks like an upright bass, they are entirely successful. The selection of the wood is pretty good, making a warm, deep sound. This Bass offers a custom padded gig bag that adds value to the purchase.

Pros:

• Prosperous materials and superb structure
• Sounded like a full upright double bass
• Instrument suitable for travel

Cons:

• Some say it is expensive for a short-scale bass uke

Oscar Schmidt is well-known for its acoustic guitar production. This time it has manufactured a bass uke that is high-standard.

Oscar has utilized Mahogany for the top, back, and sides. Mahogany is beloved by all for its natural color but also noted for its resonance. Therefore, this wood is an ideal choice. Also, the Satin Finish makes it spectacular.

This Series characterizes the rosewood, which provides an extra level of comfort for your arm. Plus, it has a Rosewood partial cutaway for access to the upper frets. It includes 16 frets with Dot inlays.

They have ended the body design beautifully by tying it around the main body even up to the top, paying it a magnificent look. The quality of the structure is praiseworthy. So, it has become an eye-catching instrument.

The sound is unparalleled. The preamp tone controls deliver you additional space to generate a sound. On the other hand, the resonance of the instrument never misses out through amplification.

In the end, we can say that you will get better service at a reasonable price by using one of the best bass ukuleles.

Pros:

• Beautifully built
• Prosperous materials use
• Elegant sound

Cons:

• No accessories

It is another standard bass ukulele from Kala.  Kala UBASS-JYMN-FS is a bass ukulele, which is crafted to the high quality of the brand, featuring in these instruments.

Firstly, you can see the shape and design of this tool. Its design has a stunning feel to it, and it tends to be too cello or steep for its appearance. Indeed, it is not a bad thing at all. Even the ‘F’ hole and the Venetian cutaway prove its class.

The main body of this uke is mahogany, and the back, top, and sides are the same too. Mahogany is famous for creating warm tones and deep resonance. Therefore, this wood is a good selection for building a quality bass ukulele to make a flawless tone. Also, they use a cream binding to make the ukulele look spectacular.

The Journeyman comes with a mahogany neck and a rosewood fingerboard with sixteen frets. The Acoustic-Electric U-Bass has a piezo pickup with an active EQ for giving it the amplified sound.

Above all, you can add this beautiful-designed instrument to your collection as a bass ukulele.

Pros:

• 20.875″-Scale mahogany neck
• UK-500B piezo pickup
• Offers a padded gig bag

Cons:

• Not enough accessories included

For the second time, we include the acoustic-electric bass ukulele of Hadean. There have been some improvements from previous versions (UKB 22). The difference between the UKB-22 and UKB-24 is the use of material.

The remarkable thing is that Hadean uses the finest high-quality materials to craft it, including a swamp ash body. They set it up with the same notes as a full-size bus guitar. Its swamp ash body has distinguished the UKB-24 from other models.

This Electric Bass Ukulele has a preamp that helps for the amplified use of the volume, midsection, treble, and bass. It consists of the installed Aquila Nylgut strings that ensure tuning stability and offer increased accuracy of fret-intonation.

It also comes with a truss-rod adjustable neck and a built-in chromatic tuner with an LCD display. Its sound is decent.

As a bass player, you can use it because its quality is of a high standard. On the other hand, its price is reasonable too.

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Portable bass ukulele
• Good performance

Cons:

• No Accessories

Hilo Acoustic Upright Bass is another Deluxe Mahogany uke that is fitting enough to grab the attention of any ukulele fan. It is slightly big compared to your usual uke and is complementing the sound of the bass. With a light mahogany finish, this bass uke is comprised of top-notch mahogany wood.

The important thing is that this uke brings actual frets on its wooden fingerboard. So, it has become a beginner-friendly instrument. This 4-String Acoustic Upright Bass offers the best quality geared machines that give authenticity to its sound quality.

In brief, it is one of those luxurious ukuleles capable of fulfilling your desires. Most importantly, it is as good as a reasonable price. We can say that this uke is affordable when compared to other mahogany ukuleles. It is one of the best bass ukuleles in its price range.

Pros:

• Constructed with top-notch quality wood
• Generates an enriched and thick bass sound
• Quite affordable

Cons:

• Craftsmanship is inconsistent
• The tuners require further improvement

A bass ukulele is a modern inclusion to musical instruments and is made being inspired by traditional ukuleles and bass guitars. The idea for the Bass ukulele was first revealed by a small company called Road Toad at the time of designing the Bufo Bass by the founder Owen Holt. It gained popularity, but the problem with Big Buffo was its high price, which was beyond the reach of most players. So, in 2007 Rod Todd formed a team with the famous ukulele manufacturer Kala to find an effective solution. Together they introduced the U-Bass, which is today known as the bass ukulele.

Why choose a bass ukulele instead of another type of musical instrument?

From the name, we understand that this instrument has a specialty in making bass sounds. So, it is the instrument to opt for if you have a particular attraction to low-end tones.

They not only cover much fewer registers than other ukuleles but also are fascinating. These instruments become durable because the materials used are highly standard.

You already understand from the reviews above how light and small this instrument is. As a result, you will not fall into any challenge to move around with it. It may be small but generates a marvelous loud sound.

We find that there are two types of this instrument t that need to be known.

• Bass ukulele: It is a bit small (around 30 inches) and is played with the same open notes as a standard bass guitar (EADG) except for one octave higher.
• Contrabass ukulele: It is somewhat large (around 32 inches), and we play it using the same standard bass ukulele tuning.

Depending on their body type, they are available in solid-bodied (like an electric bass) or hollow-bodied (like a ukulele or acoustic guitar). There is nothing to say that body type plays a vital role in producing sound.

A solid-body bass uke produces a sound more compared to an electric bass guitar.

A hollow-body bass ukulele delivers a sound that becomes like an upright bass.

So, your music style will play a vital role in choosing the perfect body type.

Yes, bass strings are usually tuned to a lesser register compared to a guitar, strings stay between dense and less pressure, and sometimes the necks become longer. So, Strings become longer too.

None of these Bass factors function in any ukulele size. The fatter strings seem to be dead and lifeless. You can’t lengthen the neck. You can’t reduce the tension, or the Strings will become loosen.

The way is that the standard strings should be denser rather than thicker. You will find a few types of high-density polyurethane blends with nylon cores on the market. Others have a metal wound like the strings of the usual bass guitar.

Now, it is a topic that depends on individual preferences. Frets are helpful for inexperienced players who want to learn to play the instrument without looking at the neck consistently.

If you have any previous experience playing at least one other fretless instrument, you might pick one. Some players think that their instruments are just an extended thing to themselves because they only feel what they are playing. As a result, fretless models become a fantastic choice for them.

You won’t find any magic formula for picking the best bass ukulele. It can be said that the bass ukulele is still a new musical instrument because it started its journey almost a decade ago. This instrument still needs plenty of development.

Although the early days of the bass ukulele and the fact that the original owners are continuing to dominate the top edge of the market. Consequently, most of the products on the market at this moment are not very different from each other.

We suggest that you pick just like any other similar instrument. So, you go for the best tonewood considering your budget. Above all, to choose quality options, do a lot of research and find out what you desire.

It’s difficult not to be biased, but the Kala models we see today are the benchmark bass ukulele.

From this list, we like the Donner DUB-1 due to its quality construction and functionality.