Kala's Pickups

liquid_wind

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Messages
109
Reaction score
0
How do Kala's pick ups rank. Are they meh, do the job, I would assume fro the prices that they are not amazing, but I really don't know much about different pickup brands.
 
Kala uses Shadow Electronics mainly to keep their prices competitive. They're ok for foolin around but I wouldn't rank them as high as say L.R. Baggs, Fishman, Mi-Si or KK Sound. Here's a write-up on pickups from Live 'Ukulele. Try the "Search" tool for pickups, there were several threads on it.
 
Last edited:
How do Kala's pick ups rank. Are they meh, do the job, I would assume fro the prices that they are not amazing, but I really don't know much about different pickup brands.

Considering they come with a inexpensive uke, they are more than adequate. I've used a Kala Koa Tenor ukulele many times plugged into an amp, it actually sounds better than some custom ukes with a passive undersaddle pick up. The Kala pick ups are active, and use a camera battery that slides out from the outside panel with tone and volume control. I've had to use external preamps ($150) with tone controls to get the same sound of the much more expensive uke's compared to the Kala. The Kala doesn't sound as good acoustically, but once plugged in, they give the big boys a run for the money.

You can't compare it with a Fishman prefix pro ($350) which I had factory installed on my Mele Tenor cutaway, but the pick up cost more than the entire Kala Ukulele with case.
 
Last edited:
Considering they come with a inexpensive uke, they are more than adequate. I've used a Kala Koa Tenor ukulele many times plugged into an amp, it actually sounds better than some custom ukes with a passive undersaddle pick up. The Kala pick ups are active, and use a camera battery that slides out from the outside panel with tone and volume control. I've had to use external preamps ($150) with tone controls to get the same sound of the much more expensive uke's compared to the Kala. The Kala doesn't sound as good acoustically, but once plugged in, they gig the big boys a run for the money.

You can't compare it with a Fishman prefix pro ($350) which I had factory installed on my Mele Tenor cutaway, but the pick up cost more than the entire Kala Ukulele with case.


Well said! :shaka:
 
Shadow is a long establish company that makes high end pickups and preamps that rank up there with Baggs and Fishman. I sincerely doubt you'll be disappointed.
 
Top Bottom