Rumbler Mahogany Acoustic-Electric U•BASS®

Hi Terry,

We appreciate the feedback! It's possible that the piezo needs reseated - this could be the culprit for the low E volume issue. Sometimes the instruments gets bonked in transit and the string pressure needs reseated.

The String output issue that you have described is something that some of our players have encountered in the past. As a first step for troubleshooting, please attempt the strategy below to adjust, or "rock," the piezo saddle by hand. Please give this a shot and let us know if it doesn't help (support@kalabrand.com):
UBASS strings vary in thickness to a large degree, because of the varying thickness they have different string tensions that put different pressures on the piezo-saddle pickup. Since the piezo-saddle pickup works by using pressure, this can lead to uneven output. The UBASS bridge and saddle are built to have some wiggle room to adjust that varying tension but sometimes you have to manually reset the position of the saddle for it to adjust correctly again. To make that adjustment, we’ve put together some instructions to explain how to do that.

Detune your strings as much as possible and check to see if your saddle (pick-up) has some front to back wiggle room. Then tune all the strings back up to pitch, start with the lowest string and work up to the G. Once up to pitch, with your hand try to lean the saddle back (away from the neck) and also apply down pressure to the top. Double check to make sure your strings are up to pitch and then check the output.

If you still are experiencing the issue after that, with the instrument plugged into an amp and on try pressing down on the saddle and rocking it back away from the fret board, keep trying this adjustment and you should get an even output. If after a minute or two it still doesn't work please let me know. Another method is to lift up all the strings at full tension with your fingers and then pull the pickup back with your other hand. Once pulled back, hold in place as you set the strings back down. PLEASE NOTE: If you have Rumbler, Aquila Red or White Thundergut strings make sure to unwind them a turn or two just a bit to prevent sausaging when lifting.

Best,
Kala Service Team