Keylines
Member
Hi
I am looking fround at a few UKes and the Solid Acacia by Kala has caught my eye :drool:. Has anyone heard anything good or bad about it? Thanks.
Audrey
Kala KA ASAC C
- Thread starter Keylines
- Start date
Hi
I am looking fround at a few UKes and the Solid Acacia by Kala has caught my eye :drool:. Has anyone heard anything good or bad about it? Thanks.
Audrey
bradley10
Active member
I have one of the solid acacia tenors that I just got for Christmas.
When I first played it, it was not as loud as I expected, but I wasn't playing it very agressively. When I played a song where I was strumming harder it had a lot more volume. To me it sounds great.
The intonation on it seems pretty spot on.
As far as looks go, absolutely beautiful.
It feels different than the other ukes I have played. I haven't played as many ukes as a lot of people on here, so others may confirm that most new ukes feel like this Kala, but I'll explain the feel anyway.
I've played an old Kent soprano, an old Beltone baritone, a cheap touristy soprano, and an Oscar Schmidt OU53-S baritone.
The Kala solid acacia feels much softer than all of the other ukes. What I mean is that if you take the string off and just rub your palm across the ukes body it feels like there aren't any imperfections and everything is smooth and it just feels nice. I thought it might have just been in my head, since this is my very first uke of my own. But then my wife mentioned how much softer it felt than the Beltone and the Oscar Schmidt and she doesn't play.
The current knock is some people have been reporting that the saddle on their solid acacia Kalas are a little loose. I haven't changed my strings yet, so I can't really say that about mine one way or the other.
My personal opinion is that the uke is beautiful, the intonation is on, it sounds great, and the feel is incredible. Did I mention how nice it feels?
Anyway, I would recommend the tenor and I don't see why the concert would be much different other than maybe not quite as much volume due to body size.
I say it's worth the money.
When I first played it, it was not as loud as I expected, but I wasn't playing it very agressively. When I played a song where I was strumming harder it had a lot more volume. To me it sounds great.
The intonation on it seems pretty spot on.
As far as looks go, absolutely beautiful.
It feels different than the other ukes I have played. I haven't played as many ukes as a lot of people on here, so others may confirm that most new ukes feel like this Kala, but I'll explain the feel anyway.
I've played an old Kent soprano, an old Beltone baritone, a cheap touristy soprano, and an Oscar Schmidt OU53-S baritone.
The Kala solid acacia feels much softer than all of the other ukes. What I mean is that if you take the string off and just rub your palm across the ukes body it feels like there aren't any imperfections and everything is smooth and it just feels nice. I thought it might have just been in my head, since this is my very first uke of my own. But then my wife mentioned how much softer it felt than the Beltone and the Oscar Schmidt and she doesn't play.
The current knock is some people have been reporting that the saddle on their solid acacia Kalas are a little loose. I haven't changed my strings yet, so I can't really say that about mine one way or the other.
My personal opinion is that the uke is beautiful, the intonation is on, it sounds great, and the feel is incredible. Did I mention how nice it feels?
Anyway, I would recommend the tenor and I don't see why the concert would be much different other than maybe not quite as much volume due to body size.
I say it's worth the money.
I have the KA ASAC C and it's a great sounding instrument. The saddle issue is not on all tenors but some. I have not heard anyone with a concert or soprano complain. BTW I loosened up the strings and tested no movement in the saddle.
First, this is a mellow, very traditional sounding concert. Strumming is NOT like a spruce top but a very balanced yet gently hued even strumming quality. With fingerstyle, this thing pops, and the volume is fine with truly beautifully colored tones that when combined strum/fingerstyle melodic style it sounds like 2 ukes. In short, what on first try may seem somewhat ordinary emerges as a quality intsrument that opens up, not just in volume but textures you might not get in simply" louder" ukes. This one is a keeper and makes a lot of concerts sound like a little bit louder hollow sopranos by comparison. And it looks great. The intonation is ON.
The tenor got most of the hype, but maybe this one is the real best deal in a concert in that price range.
Last edited:
Paul December
Well-known member
Where are you strumming on it? I have the same uke and if you strum in front of the hole (over the end of the neck) it plays much louder.
I believe that is where you are supposed to strum all ukes. Sorry if I'm stating the obvious.
bradley10
Active member
I was thumb strumming(I had hurt my finger a little bit working) and I strum a little different place and it is almost all flesh and no nail when I strum with just my thumb.
When I started strumming the way you described is when I got surprised by the volume.
Something I forgot in the review: the fret edges are very smooth and well finished. I think that should be expected, but the oscar schmidt I play sometimes has a couple of fret edges that are a little rough.
When I started strumming the way you described is when I got surprised by the volume.
Something I forgot in the review: the fret edges are very smooth and well finished. I think that should be expected, but the oscar schmidt I play sometimes has a couple of fret edges that are a little rough.
didgeridoo2
Well-known member
I have the tenor and I love playing it. I've only played for a few months now and my experience is limited, but it feels and sounds great. I haven't changed my strings so I don't know if my saddle will loosen, but I am not too worried if it is loose. It seems like a pretty easy fix.
