Hi guys, looking at buying either the kala smhb baritone or the kala abp-ctg baritone. Anyone have or played either and can give me any advice/opinions? Both are same price.
Would like a mellow warm sound, not muddy but certainly not bright either.
One is all solid mahogany and satin finish, the other has a solid cedar top and lam sides, gloss finish.
I would choose the all mahogany but that cedar might sound good as well. If you get the chance to try side by side I would base my decision on that...
I realize I'm no help here...
As always, it would be great if you can play both, and decide for yourself.
I have not played, or owned a Kala, so I'm not really any help there either. If it were me though, I would go with the all solid mahogany. I'm really enjoying mahogany as a tone wood these days. Not that there is anything wrong with laminates, especially when paired with a solid top. Many will debate, that the back and sides (laminate or solid) contributes very little to the overall sound of an instrument. Let us know what you decide though.
I think strings will allow you to tailor the sound on either. Which one do you like better, the dark, rustic look of the satin mahogany model with the tortoise binding, or the glossy and more glamorous look?
I'm more drawn to the vintage look but with a fully solid wooded instrument I'd probably have to take more care, humidifier, in case etc. With a solid top I get the extra quality sound without being too careful.
I like to keep my ukes out on sofa etc, that way I play them often rather than in a case and forgotten, if that makes sense.
With a solid-topped instrument you still need to humidify that thin top to avoid cracks, plus the humidity for all ukes helps prevent lifting bridges, split fretboards, razor-shape fret ends, and broken or loose braces. Personally, I'd humidify both of the ukes you mention, so for me, that would be a zero factor in the final decision.
With a solid-topped instrument you still need to humidify that thin top to avoid cracks, plus the humidity for all ukes helps prevent lifting bridges, split fretboards, razor-shape fret ends, and broken or loose braces. Personally, I'd humidify both of the ukes you mention, so for me, that would be a zero factor in the final decision.
Exactely what Steve said. When you consider the top gives you at least 70% of your sound it is the most critical part of your instrument. If the top develops a crack you will hear it, big time. If the humidity level never drops below 40% in your house you can leave it out, other wise you are asking for trouble with both instruments.
This does not mean you can only take it out of the case, play it, then immediately put it back. I will leave the instrument I am playing out for hours on end if it is the weekend and I am playing it alot, even an entire day. I will put it back in it's case when I am done for the day. Being exposed to low humidity will not instantaneously destroy a solid wood instrument, it happens over long periods of time.
I realize that this may not be helpful, since you already narrowed down your choice, but still you might want to take a Pono Baritone into consideration. The quality of these is stunning, with the additional benefit of a truss rod to adjust the neck if needed. Their basic Satin models are very competitively priced, and this week only, you'll get a free Oahu hard case along with it, if you order from Hawaii Music Supply. If I were looking for another baritone right now, I'd probably get one of those.
All I have to say is the mahogany will look more like a traditional Uke. Ukes with Cedar tops always look a bit guitarish to me. But, I suppose that's just me.
I have the mahogany baritone and couldn't be happier. It's now my favorite player. Bought it from HMS and the setup was perfect. The satin finish is different in as much as the grain can be felt, but for some reason it just fits on this uke. This Kala has a truss rod.
Cheers for all the input guys. I would have loved to go for a higher end like pono but these were in my budget this time. I've bought a case and a humidifier as well so really have no extra cash.
And after many tosses of coins I pitched for the solid mahogany. I really prefer the old vintage, no frills look. I kinda like the beaten up/used look on instruments, shows they've been played.
Congrats, I'm sure you're going to love it! And just remember, no one ever said you're only allowed to own just one. Well, except for maybe some people's spouses. Hopefully, you're not one of those.
My husband would tease me, but was pretty supportive. The last uke I bought before he died was my Ohana baritone from another member here (who happened to be local). He asked me, "Why do you need another uke?" I said, "I don't have a baritone yet." And his response was, "Okay, let's go check it out!"
Some of the folks have mentioned the humidity issues but high temperature and radical temperature swings are just as hazardous as low or rapidly fluctuating humidity levels. Laminates are resistant to those problems but both sound boards are solid anyway. Have you played an instrument with a cedar top? Red and western cedars are reputed to have the best sound board qualities of any of the tone woods. I have a solid mahogany tenor. It sounds beautiful. The look of it is nothing fancy though. I am not going to make any suggestions, just wanted to offer somethings for you to consider.
