NUD: Kala Acacia Cedar Slothead Concert

SOUND SAMPLE: Here is a sound sample made with the Aquila Strings:

https://app.box.com/s/lvd2fvtec5fyfhrhpjoea6jfau5tjhiu

OK I'm going to eat a little crow because I'm one of those people who has been saying - if you've got some high end ukes you aren't going to be happy with a Kala.

So yesterday I visited a local music shop and they had a bunch of new Kalas. The owner was telling me that Kala has a new factory and was going on and on about how much he liked the new Kalas.

I started playing some of them. There was a slotted head stock concert with a cedar top and Acacia back and sides. (Normally I like Koa but not Acacia). The top was solid but the back and sides were laminated. I really liked it. The sound was very lively with good treble and sustain. It had a 14 fret join and very pretty.

He was asking $250 for it which seemed quite reasonable, so I bought it. And I have to say its a very nice uke. The fit and finish is excellent. The gloss is not too heavy. The sound is resonant. I don't care for the Aquila strings but they do pretty well on this uke. I was amazed that they even managed to properly book match the sides. I'm hoping to get the time to make a sound sample with the Aquilas then switch them out for some fluorocarbon strings and see how they compare.

I do have two issues. First Kala went to the trouble to do a really good job of finishing the uke but the inside of the slots on the headstock are badly finished. This is a minor nit. The other issue, which for me is serious is that the frets they use are cheap and too thick. While the uke looks and sounds good, the feel of the fretboard is the feel of a cheap uke which definitely undermines my enjoyment of it. I have to say I am seriously impressed for the price. With the solid top it does not sound like a laminate. And they managed to make the acacia look like curly Koa which is cool

Here are some pictures.

katysax said:

OK I'm going to eat a little crow because I'm one of those people who has been saying - if you've got some high end ukes you aren't going to be happy with a Kala.

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That's funny, the cedar top Kala IS my high end uke, lol. I got this one recently, moving up from an all laminate Kala and I couldn't be happier. As long as I keep from playing real high end ukes I'll never know what I'm missing

Looks nice! I love cedar tops on guitars. It tends to "Warm" up the sound. Would you say the same is true on the uke?

I'd say that all the Kalas I played yesterday were a little warmer than Kalas I had played in the past. The cedar seemed to have both warmth and sparkle. The Spruce were a little brighter and also a little tighter. You could easily spend over $3000 and get a uke that doesn't sound as nice. I speak from experience.

katysax said:

I'd say that all the Kalas I played yesterday were a little warmer than Kalas I had played in the past. The cedar seemed to have both warmth and sparkle. The Spruce were a little brighter and also a little tighter. You could easily spend over $3000 and get a uke that doesn't sound as nice. I speak from experience.

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First off you are killing me with that last statement, only cause I know it is true. Secondly that model does seem to get great reviews across the board, Kala seem to have a good recipe for that one. The baritone that was recently released sold out quick.

katysax said:

I'd say that all the Kalas I played yesterday were a little warmer than Kalas I had played in the past. The cedar seemed to have both warmth and sparkle. The Spruce were a little brighter and also a little tighter. You could easily spend over $3000 and get a uke that doesn't sound as nice. I speak from experience.

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And I thought I was crazy to think my Kala sounds better than my pricey Kanilea . So glad I am not the only one!

I have a solid spruce top laminated flamed maple concert Kala that is quite good. Kala is making some excellent sounding instruments.

I don't know how they can make instruments of this quality for so little money. It does worry me that we are getting a fun, but certainly not necessary item, for crazy low prices while some person in China is being paid pennies.

I do see some things in the construction that have saved them money such as the laminated back and sides, the unfinished inside of the slotted headstock, the cheap frets, and the way the gloss finish is applied. What I find amazing is how they have all these parts, the binding, the neck, the way the frets are set, etc. that seem to me to require labor and care, that they have managed the book matching - all of this seems to require labor. And they have made it so well. I am also fascinated at the finish. I remember when getting a gloss finished guitar, if it was a cheap guitar, meant a finish that was way to thick. This finish is glossy and does seem to have been applied by some mechanical method, but it is still even and does not inhibit the sound. It's hard to see how they can do it.

Also, mine did not come from HMS or someone who does a setup, but the setup is excellent. In fact, it was excellent on every one I tried in the store. I wonder if this is something Kala does in the US. Or, have they fixed their methods in Asia. There was a time when Asian instruments arrived in the US needing a lot of adjustment before they could be sold.

I've got the baritone version of this uke and really enjoy it. Enough so that I'd love to try out a concert or tenor and see if I feel the same way.

Pretty and resonant.

I have the tenor cutaway version that is most definitely my best uke, even over my custom gypsy jazz. I've tested it against a KoAloha and I really feel it sounds as good, so I'm with you Brenda. I was going to post on another thread that I truly don't understand anyone knocking this model from Kala, but now I don't have to. Sherry, maybe I'll bring it next time we meet up again.

Got an email from Zach at HMS the other day .He said they will be selling US made Kala sometime in April
I wonder how much more expensive it is but it may have better finishing! Has anyone seen a U.S. made Kala?

I just added a sound sample with the Aquila Strings it came with.

The local guy told me the US made ones would be custom order only. Maybe HMS will ask them to make a few. Much as I think this inexpensive Kala is a great value I wouldn't be inclined to put out a lot of money on a US made one unless they turn out to be unique in some way I can't yet imagine.

Katysax, Thanks for posting this review and sound sample.

katysax said:

I'd say that all the Kalas I played yesterday were a little warmer than Kalas I had played in the past. The cedar seemed to have both warmth and sparkle. The Spruce were a little brighter and also a little tighter. You could easily spend over $3000 and get a uke that doesn't sound as nice. I speak from experience.

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So, does this mean that you have become a fan of this series of instruments? IIRC, when I was asking folks about the tenor in this series not too long ago, you were a bit cool on them...my takewaway was at that time that you were not impressed, and felt that there were better sounding/playing values in cedar-topped ukes in this price range...please correct me if I am wrong - so you like this one now, or do have regrets?

katysax said:

I don't know how they can make instruments of this quality for so little money. It does worry me that we are getting a fun, but certainly not necessary item, for crazy low prices while some person in China is being paid pennies.

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This worries me too. I wonder if subsidizing such business practices will subtract from my enjoyment of the instrument as this would nag at my conscience a bit.

katysax said:

Also, mine did not come from HMS or someone who does a setup, but the setup is excellent. In fact, it was excellent on every one I tried in the store. I wonder if this is something Kala does in the US. Or, have they fixed their methods in Asia. There was a time when Asian instruments arrived in the US needing a lot of adjustment before they could be sold.

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It seems this is good news, yes?

kohanmike said:

I have the tenor cutaway version that is most definitely my best uke, even over my custom gypsy jazz. I've tested it against a KoAloha and I really feel it sounds as good.

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I'm still on the fence about getting the tenor version of this. Some video demos show this uke lacking in warmth, and others show this series of instruments from Kala to have a very sweet tone. Of course the recording equipment varies so widely in these demos that the only conclusion is that the recorded sound is a moving target, and is not reallt helpful at all in that regard.

Since, I have no local shops that carry or can order one of these to try one out, my only option is to buy from a place that offers a reasonable return policy (which are also, in fact our faves here on UU, so that is a short list and easily sorted - Uke Republic, MIM, HMS, Elderly).

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU. Choices, choices. LOL

Well Katysax you got me thinking about Kala.

Booli your concern does you proud but I can't imagine Chinese factory bosses and government saying "We're not selling enough of these things so let's pay our workers more."

Jeff

The uke that I have is extremely warm sounding while it still has some good highs with some shimmer.

Yes I was skeptical of these which is why I started by saying I was going to eat a little crow. Actually I've played it quite a bit in the last few days and I'm getting a better picture of its strengths and weaknesses.

From time to time I tend to feed my UAS by buying an inexpensive instrument - I've bought a lot of them - and I tend to end up giving them to friends or a charity. Most of the time I find that while I was taken with the uke in the store, the more I play it the more I become annoyed by the things that made it inexpensive. So I tend to try to talk myself out of these purchases and to discourage others. But of course a few months pass and I buy another inexpensive uke.

I was very taken with this Kala in the store because I really really liked the look with the slotted headstock and the Acacia that looks like Koa back and sides together with the solid cedar top. I also thought the gloss finish was nicely done even though if you look close it still has the look of having been dipped in a vat of shiny plastic - it's just that they've got the overly thick tendencies of the process under control. But I would not have bought it if I wasn't really impressed with the projection, warmth and shimmer.

Having played it a few days I'm still deciding what I think. The more I played it with the Aquila strings the more I became aware of the Aquila Thud that I hate. I changed the strings to some PhD strings yesterday. Those strings have still not settled so I can't really judge, but I think the sound might have lost something by switching out of the Aquilas - and that isn't good. I started playing it next to some of my "better" concerts and I wasn't sure what I thought. I guess I need more time. There is also the issue that there is something about the frets and the neck that feels "cheap". I think the frets are too thick.

All in all I don't think you can go wrong with this uke at the price. I'm being incredibly critical in my assessment. As I said before you can easily spend $3000 and get a uke that does not sound as good. But you can also spend $500 and get a uke that sounds better.

I guess my main thinking on this is that if you are hypercritical and playing this side by side against much more expensive ukes, you are going to find things you don't like. But most people would love a uke like this. Heck I would probably live with it as my only uke. I tend to buy more expensive ukes and try a lot because I can and its fun. But not everyone can and not everyone thinks it is fun. There's really not a lot of downside to buying a uke like this. You can buy it for roughly $250, play it for a while, and if you don't want to play it anymore you can take $50 off the price and sell it in the marketplace here in about 5 minutes. So your rent for trying it probably going to be around $50 which these days is a trip to the movies and some popcorn.

katysax said:

The uke that I have is extremely warm sounding while it still has some good highs with some shimmer.

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So your rent for trying it probably going to be around $50 which these days is a trip to the movies and some popcorn.

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Katysax, this is very well said, and you have made some very good points here.

+1 for your reply - Thank you...

As your opinion evolves, please continue to share it with us, as I for one respect your perceptions... :shaka:

It looks great. That back is beautiful. Can't believe it's not Koa.

stevepetergal said:

It looks great. That back is beautiful. Can't believe it's not Koa.

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I'm in awe of how they did that. It really does look great and it really does look like Koa. I hope people understand that to the extent I am being critical it is measuring this uke against a impossible to achieve standard. I can find something wrong with just about any uke, but still love it. (Heck, its really easy to find things wrong with me. No one and nothing is perfect.) It's really a killer bargain. It's not just functional but its really pretty and sounds great. If someone doesn't want to spend $1000 or more on a uke, or even $500, there are some great options available. It's obvious Kala is pushing the envelope, they are making their product better and better. Not that it was bad before, but the new ones I saw yesterday in the store blew my mind across the board at how much they have got right.

For a long time I was a big advocate of not minding a uke or guitar is plain and unfinished as long as the sound is great. The Martin C1K and Koaloha Opio are great examples of this. And I mean no disrepect to those; I have an Opio and I just sold a wonderful C1k. But I also think it is fun to play a uke that doesn't just sound great but has a bit of bling. I think this Kala in some ways is a better uke all around that the Martin or the Koaloha. It's that good and the price is crazy inexpensive. Probably in part because the back and sides are laminated. Mainly I sold the C1k because the 12 fret join was making me avoid playing it and because I knew I could sell it at a really attractive price and someone would get to enjoy a really nice uke. I'll probably eventually sell the Opio for the same reasons. This Kala actually has a 14 fret join (yeah!) and the fret board is even bound. Those things along with how pretty it is are making me want to pick it up and play it even with more expensive ukes in my stable.

timmit65 said:

Looks nice! I love cedar tops on guitars. It tends to "Warm" up the sound. Would you say the same is true on the uke?

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Yep agree about cedar tops -- got one on a Taylor K14 and on my Pono

stevepetergal said:

It looks great. That back is beautiful. Can't believe it's not Koa.

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katysax said:

I'm in awe of how they did that. It really does look great and it really does look like Koa.
[snip]
This Kala actually has a 14 fret join (yeah!) and the fret board is even bound. Those things along with how pretty it is are making me want to pick it up and play it even with more expensive ukes in my stable.

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While I really try to avoid bling (MOP/Inlay/'shiny things') on instruments since it seems gaudy to me (for me, a shiny uke does not improve your technique, but may in fact inspire you to practice more than a plain looking one), I have to admit that the appearance of the Kala cedar-topped slothead ukes, with the Padauk binding and rosette, really catches my eye, and ashamedly, the appearance 'is' a factor for me in this instance.

I cannot imagine a more perfectly blended contrasting and yet complementary color set of these woods as put together in these ukes. OMG. Yes!!!

I'm not sure I would be put off by bigger frets, but that's mostly due to lack of experience or awareness to know the difference.

I know lots of folks look for a thinner neck (space betw thumb and front of fretboard), but having several tenor ukes that have a different neck profile like my Kala KA-T (which has more of a thinner 'C' profile), my Fleas and Flukes (that have a flatted or truncated arc in a sort of medium-shallow 'D' profile), or my Sojing 'silent uke' (that has a much chunkier 'D' profile) and is the fattest neck of all of them, including my bari's...

I tend to look for a wider nut, closer to 1.5" as opposed to the more common 1.375", since it gives a bit more space for my pod-like fingertips in my fretting hand...

But even with the nut widths and neck profiles different shapes and sizes, it seems that I've acquired the magical skill to pick up any of these ukes, and aside from the first 15 seconds or less of play when I recognize 'oh, THAT's different', and my brain just adapts and I'm off to the races...similarly with switching up from concert to tenor or bari and back and forth...my brain just adapts...I am not sure that this switching comes so easy to other folks...

So, Katysax...when you said the frets are bigger, does that mean that they are taller in how they sit proud above the fretboard, or are the actual fret 'bars' wider in their thickness (betw nut and saddle)?

If they are more proud, I could see that your playing technique would need to adapt, and based upon what strings/tension/thickness, it wold be possible to pull notes sharp if you fret them with more pressure (like lots of complaints about the ODU)...

and if they are thicker fret-bars, wouldn't that effect the physical scale length somewhat, and therefore tha intonation?

one more- speaking of intonation - how are the nut slots? if you tune open to a tuner, and then do the octave G on your E string at the 3rd fret, how close it it, how about the octave C on the A string at the third fret?

Sorry for so many questions and thanks in advance for indulging me.