The Walkingbass is a truly amazing lightweight upright bass!

Weighing less than 3 pounds, the Walkingbass folds up and fits in less than 50 inches of space, making it very easy to travel with - even by air! But it's portability is just a side feature. What makes this upright bass such a joy to play is the rich warm tone provided by nylon strings, and a specially designed electro-acoustic piezo pickup. If you have a good set of speaker or headphones, check out the MP3s and Videos below.

These rugged electric upright basses feature beautiful Hawaiian koa or mango playing surfaces. They can handle heat and humidity and their 37 inch scale length and 12 black and white position markers make them easy to move around on. Playing a frettless instrument has never been so easy.

But what really turns peoples heads? Only three strings! Yes, that's right.. only 3 strings. In all the examples listed below, I am playing in an open G tuning: G1-B2-D2. This open tuning is extremely easy to learn, can be used in any key, and for all types of music from jazz, swing and blues, to Hawaiian and country.

Download "Beginning Walkingbass" - Lessons in PDF format
Download "Intermediate Walkingbass" - Lessons in PDF format

Should you wish to, it is possible to tune the Walkingbass to a standard A-D-G using a different string set which is also available.

Amplifying the Walkingbass
A good bass amp will really let the Walkingbass sing! Any professional sound system or amplifier with at least an 8" speaker will do the job. At left is an example of a small (10 watt) bass amp for under $100, but a good equalizer is highly recommended.
I actually enjoy using a Yamaha subwoofer like the one shown to the right. Check Ebay or Craigslist, or local hock shops for good deals in the $40 to $80 range. I use my EQ box (see below) as a preamp with my subwoofer and professional musicians that I play with are always commenting on the sweet rich sound that this setup produces.

Online Forum Hawaiian Kine Bass - of interest to Walkingbass players!