Fame UB-2 (Carbon)
Price: 649 EUR – 649 EUR
Availability: 0/10 (Very rare)
The Fame UB-2 is a 3/4-size electric upright bass with a slim paulownia body and piezo pickup, built to give bassists the feel of a double bass in a compact, highly transportable package for rehearsal, studio and stage.
About the Fame UB-2 (Carbon)
The UB-2 strips the double bass down to a slim paulownia body measuring roughly 179.5 x 23 x 18.5 cm, paired with an ebonized maple fingerboard and four durable tuning machines. An adjustable bridge and an extendable spine let players fine-tune both intonation and standing height, while a professional piezo pickup system with its own volume and tone controls handles amplification directly from the instrument - no separate microphone needed. The carbon-finish UB-2 sits alongside sibling models in the same series, the sunburst UB-1 and the dark brown UB-3, all sharing the same slim-body concept. It ships with a gig bag, a connection cable, a matching bow and a set of headphones for silent practice.
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Sound character of the Fame UB-2 (Carbon)
The piezo pickup produces the direct, slightly more percussive attack typical of electric upright basses, closer to an amplified pluck than the resonant body tone of an acoustic double bass - a trade-off that comes with the slim, portable body design, with the onboard volume and tone controls offering basic shaping rather than a wide tonal palette.
What owners of the Fame UB-2 (Carbon) say
The available feedback on the UB-2 is limited in volume but consistently positive in tone - reviewers at the retailer describe the quality as surprisingly good given the price point, and no specific recurring flaw surfaced across the sources checked. That said, the small number of reviews means this reads more as cautious optimism than an established track record.
Playability & handling of the Fame UB-2 (Carbon)
The whole point of the slim-body design is portability: the UB-2 is explicitly marketed as the practical choice for getting to rehearsal, studio sessions and gigs without hauling a full-size double bass. The adjustable mounting bracket is meant to preserve the feel of playing an upright instrument despite the stripped-down frame, and feedback that does exist on this model describes build quality as surprisingly solid for the price, though the available sample of owner reviews is small. No specific recurring complaints turned up in the sources checked.
Recommended accessories & strings for the Fame UB-2 (Carbon)
A separate DI preamp is worth adding for live or studio use, since piezo pickups on electric upright basses typically benefit from active buffering before hitting a mixing desk or amp. Rosin for the included bow is a basic consumable, and the included gig bag is sufficient protection for transport given the slim-body design doesn't call for a bulky hard case.
Technical data for the Fame UB-2 (Carbon)
| Size | 3/4 |
|---|---|
| Body | Slim paulownia wood construction |
| Dimensions | Approx. 179.5 x 23 x 18.5 cm |
| Fingerboard | Ebonized maple |
| Strings | 4 |
| Tuners | 4 durable tuning machines |
| Bridge | Adjustable |
| Spine/endpin | Extendable, for adjustable playing height |
| Electronics | Professional piezo pickup system |
| Controls | Volume and tone |
| Included | Gig bag, connection cable, matching bow, headphones |
The history of the Fame UB-2 (Carbon)
Fame is the house brand of German retailer Music Store (MS Köln) - not Thomann, a common mix-up since both are large German music e-commerce companies. For more than two decades, Fame has stood for affordable electric guitars and basses alongside drums, keyboards and PA/recording gear within Music Store's range, with some Fame bass models reportedly produced by the Polish manufacturer Mayones in Gdańsk, while certain Fame guitar lines such as the Forum IV series are built by hand in Europe.
About Fame as a manufacturer
As a retailer house brand, Fame's role is to make equipment categories that are usually expensive - like an upright bass - accessible at a lower price point, leaning on manufacturing partners such as Mayones rather than running its own factory. The UB series reflects that strategy directly: a niche instrument type reduced to its essential playable form and priced for musicians who need the double bass sound and feel without the double bass budget or bulk.
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