Kala 5 String Tenor ATP5-ctg?

Hi,

Longtime player of different string instruments but pretty new to uke. Wife and I both got the bug recently and we have a tenor kala PWT and concert kala exotic mahogany. Both of us prefer the tone of the tenor one more, and being laminates I'm guessing there shouldn't be too much variation between the tone of these models other than size. Have put low Gs on both too.

The cedar top kala/acacia back and sides caught my eye and sounded nice in videos, then I saw the five string version which also looks and sounds interesting:

http://www.theukulelesite.com/kala-ka-atp5-ctg-solid-cedar-top-5-string-tenor.html

Will this be a noticeable upgrade on the other kalas and is the acacia on these laminate? guessing it is. It's not a deal breaker as in my experience it's the top that matters most. Sorry if this is ground previously covered!

Those Kala cedar tops come highly recommended by people on this site, I've got a baritone, great tone.

The acacia is laminate and the top is solid cedar. I started out with a Kala Exotic Mahogany concert and then moved up to the cedar in tenor size.
Is it a noticeable upgrade... hell yes!!! It has more depth, warmth and sustain than the mahogany (which is all laminate). When I was looking for a second tenor uke I tried a variety of different Kalas and couldn't find one in the intermediate price range (under $500) that sounded better to my ears than my cedar top. So now I have two of them; one for high G and one for low G.

I have the 4 string cutaway. I quite like the tone, looks, and playability.

Thanks. photoshooter - did you notice a big dif in volume from the exotic?

The exotic mahogany is a concert and the cedar top is a tenor so there is a big perceived difference in volume due to more depth and resonance from the cedar. I was always pleased with the sound of the mahogany and thought it sounded "bell-like". The cedar has a more full sound and a lot more resonance.

edited to add: I just noticed you're considering the 5-string version. I would expect that to have even more richness/full sound.

went ahead and ordered two of these. a five string tenor and straight 4 string tenor. let you know what i think. Any string recs?

For high G I like Oasis Warm and Savarez Alliance.
For low G I'm really liking TI wound G and C strings paired with Oasis E and A. I think the TI strings are CF30 and CF27. I can check on that when I get home. I tried them based on Booli's recommendation so maybe he'll chime in with the numbers.

I also like several Southcoast low G sets. Most recently I was using the ML-WB set. I think Southcoast can pair up a high and low G that will work well together on your 5 string.

Looking forward to hearing your impressions.

thanks - where do you buy those?

OK finally back at my home computer. These strings recommendations all came from forum members who are much more experienced than I. I've been pleased with the ones I've tried on my cedar top tenors.

For low G my two favorites have been the TI set and Southeast ML-WB. Both of these sets use a wound 3rd and 4th. For my (less-than-experienced) style of playing I really like string sets that are 2 wound and 2 unwound.


The Thomastik Infeld (TI) strings are CF30 for the G string and CF27 for the C string. I bought them at stringsbymail.com but I'm sure other vendors have them as well. You can find the Oasis Warms there too. This recommendation came from Booli.

Southcoast has a website where you can get the equivalent of an Associates Degree in Stringology. It's well worth the time spent reading. The linear string set page has a recommendation for putting together a 5 string octave set for uke.

Strings from Oasis, Savarez etc are available from all the usual suspects such as stringsbymail.com, juststrings.com, stringsandbeyond.com Someone always seems to be having a sale so I always look around.


The Savarez set is 540R treble strings with an added KF95A string for (unwound) low G. I believe this recommendation came from Brad Bordessa (Hippie Guy). The Savarez Ukulele Set 150R is very similar to the 540R treble set which are classical guitar strings.

Another Savarez "cocktail" comes from Craig Brandau. Again classical guitar strings; 544R, 543R, 542R and 541R. Strings by Mail sell these as a prepackaged set. I haven't tried them yet but I have two packs sitting here waiting for ukes to occupy. Based on my previous experience with Savarez strings I'm sure I'll like these just fine. I currently have so many string sets here I may have to buy more ukes so I can make meaningful comparisons

thanks, will try the thomastiks first. like the idea of a wound c...

ukes on truck for delivery!

I'm liking the Thomastiks.
Just an FYI, the Southcoast are also wound G and C.

wow... these ukes are really lovely. it's a noticeable upgrade for not much more money. not used to this as a mandolin player....

we just arrived in st. thomas for the week with both in tow and are going to have a lot of fun with them!

just put the thomastiks on the 5 string and they sound great! think i'll do the same to other one tonight too. thanks for the rec.