History of the
U•BASS
® 2007 Kala owner Mike Upton meets U•BASS ® architect Owen Holt at a luthiers convention.
The Kala U•BASS ®, the original short scale bass,
2008
was designed by Owen Holt f rom San Jose, CA.
Mike and Owen develop and
Owen and Kala founder Mike Upton formed a
f inalize the def initive design
f riendship in 2007 and together brought the
of the original U•BASS.®
Kala U•BASS to the masses in 2009. Known for its immense low end, the compact U•BASS packs
2009
a thunderous punch and is suited for any genre
The f retted Solid Mahogany
of music or style of play. The portable U•BASS
U•BASS ® debuts at Summer
makes a great addition to any bassist’s arsenal.
NAMM. The f retless Solid
With the player always in mind, Kala strives to
Mahogany U•BASS follows soon
f ind a balance between innovation and tradition
after, debuting at Bass Player LIVE!
to support you on your musical journey. 2010 2011 At Winter NAMM, the Hutch Hutchinson Signature U•BASS ® is introduced. In the
The f retted Solid Acacia U•BASS ® and the Solid Spruce Mahogany U•BASS in f retted and f retless
spring, the U.S.-made California Series
models are added at Winter
U•BASS arrive featuring f retted and
NAMM. The f irst left-handed
f retless 4-string and 5-string Solid Body
U•BASS hits the market.
models. The 4-string SUB Solid Body U•BASS follows at Summer NAMM.
2012 Fretted Exotic Wood U•BASS ® models,
2013
including Exotic Mahogany and
The f retted Rumbler Mahogany U•BASS ® is
Spalted Maple models, are presented
released at Winter NAMM along with Silver
at Winter NAMM. The U•BASS is
Rumbler strings. Exotic Top Solid Body 4-string and 5-string models join the California Series at Summer NAMM, featuring Koa, Walnut, and Maple tops. A custom-designed Shadow
®
pickup system with EQ and built-in tuner becomes standard on each imported U•BASS.
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celebrated at the Musicians Institute with a workshop featuring Abraham Laboriel Sr., Bakithi Kumalo, and Stuart Hamm, and at U•BASS Day at Berklee College with Hutch Hutchinson accompanying Abraham and Bakithi.
