Saddle and string questions.

I have a Kala KA-KCGE-C. Its a great little uke that i got at a bargain because it was used. And as such i dont know the history of what has been done to it. For starters when i look at pictures online every picture shows a white saddle. And i noticed right out of the box mine has a black saddle. My initial thought was that they had painted it black (which seems like a terrible thing to do if you ask me but idk) but it almost looks like its made of wood as when you look close it has a grain to it, which would mean that it has been replaced because they come with nubone nut and saddle stock. (Btw nut and saddle don't match, just to give you another clue as to its been changed or painted) if it was painted should i change it? If it was changed should i change it? I was thinking of getting a bone saddle online. And if so should i change both nut and saddle? I'm doing this myself, so if its to difficult i would probably steer away from it.

Next question, i notice my strings slip out of tune pretty quickly after playing, not a ton but just enough to notice and go back and re-tune. Would putting new strings affect this or is it more of an issue with tuners? (They are grover tuners so i believe they're supposed to be pretty nice and work very well?)

Anyways please give me any advice you may have! Including what strings or nut and saddle you would recommend for this uke. It is a laminate by the way. Thanks!

Here are some pictures if this helps

In that first pic, I see what you're talking about with the look of grain. Maybe it's wood that is stained dark or maybe it is ebony wood, which could look like that with no stain.
If you're happy with how the uke plays and sounds now, I don't see any reason to change it...unless you just want to experiment. Saddles are MUCH easier to change than nuts. The nut only comes into play on open strings, so even if it made any difference in tone it'd only be on open notes. Also removing the old nut is a bit of a risk, you can cause damage. Plus, a new one would have to fit just right as well as have the proper height and width for the nuts slots (this means files that will get the job done. I'm not saying you can't do it, but I'm just saying it's tedious work and you have to know what you're doing. I used an older guitar to get started learning stuff like that, but wouldn't have tried on a super nice instrument until I got better at it. It's all up to what you're willing to risk.

As for saddles, you can shape one of those with a piece of sandpaper taped to a flat surface if you want to. It can take a lot of time, but no special tools required really. Of course, it's more efficient if you have some other tools to cut it to length and shape it quicker before fine tuning. I always end up with just the sandpaper and saddle though. Changing saddles may not even give you any difference in sound your ears can pick up on though. It just depends.
Personally, I'd experiment more with strings...anything and everything. It is totally personal preference.

As for the tuning issue: If they're new strings, they should settle in after a while. If they are old strings, then they may just be worn out.
You can also make sure that the strings on it don't fit super tight in the nut slots...If so, that can cause some tuning issues. You can gently slide them back and forth when de-tuned to get an idea there. So long as they don't stick they should be okay. You can also take a very sharp #2 pencil (or similar) and rub it into/onto the nut slots. It'll make a more slippery surface for the string to go across, so less chance of binding.

Yes, those are good tuning machines. I'd also suggest looking online for some various tutorials on installing nylon strings. It doesn't matter if it's for guitar or ukulele, the same principles can apply. They need to be secure at the tuning post and bridge for best tuning stability.

Most manufacturers of anything will make a disclosure that they reserve the right to change specifications without notice. Nuts aren't easy to change. Saddles are usually easy to change however your instrument has a fully enclosed/captured saddle so that won't be completely simple to change either. When people talk about saddles being easy to change they are talking about saddles that fit in a simple slot that runs all they way across the bridge.

I don't think the saddle has been replaced. I think its factory. New nylon/nylgut/flurocarbon strings take sometimes months to be really stable tuning wise. You will have to change strings at some point and they will then be less stable than what you have. Many/most of us have tuners clipped onto the headstocks and we check tuning every few songs.

If this is your first uke, it may be possible that due to lack of experience, you are looking for problems to solve where none may exist.

None of the observations you describe are dealbreakers, and all seem normal to me.

As per what jer and Anthony have said above, I think it is in your best interest to follow their advice, with the exception in the case of having playability or intonation issues, otherwise your situation is pretty normal on that instrument.

If you have concerns about strings going out of tune, you may find the link about string stretching down in my forum signature below to be helpful.

Please report back if further issues still exist and I am sure that UU folks will offer suggestions to help you.

Thanks guys. That helps a lot. I was mainly concerned about the saddle as i do not have a lot of experience with that kind of stuff. This isnt my first uke, but i still am fairly new to playing the ukulele. Its the first one ive seen where the nut anx saddle didnt match which struck me as odd. I have decided to leave the nut and saddle alone for now, i do not think that it is affecting the sound in any negative way. I was more wondering if you would be able to identify if it was a subpar saddle, and the stringsi uave no idea how old they are so i am going to change them just to see if that will fix the strings issue. Thanks guys��

I believe the company who makes Nubone...also makes black parts too.

New strings will help. Aged strings, after awhile just stretch too much to be stable as new. So change them, but they will be out of tune for awhile. Consider a day or two of playing before the strings settle.

It's best to try different strings, and let them settle before judging them.