Kala ThinLine Travel Tenor (Mahogany)

rpeters

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Kala ThinLine Travel Tenor

I recently received a Kala ThinLine for Christmas and since its a relatively new model, I figured I would post my initial impressions of the instrument. Remember though, that I am a beginner and have only owned a Lanikai Pineapple.

Construction

It is beautifully made with a smooth finish that's not too shiny, or dull. The back is slightly rounded which contributes to the shaping of its sound which shoots out the thin solid wood spruce top. The solid wood is absolutely flawless, but seems a bit delicate as my finger nail has made a few hardly noticeable scratches in the finish. The back and sides are mahogany plywood, put have a wonderful wood grain, and painted black trim around the outside edges. Check out my youtube video to get a close up look at the instrument. The tuners are incredible compared to my lanikai, as they are extremely smooth and hold perfectly. The instrument smells slightly of wood glue, as it's probably fresh from the factory and then set up by Music Guy Mike. The neck weighs more than the body so it may feel a bit unbalanced at first, but I'm already getting used to that.

Tuning and Sound

MGM set up the instrument with Aquila standard strings, the sound is astonishing. It is an incredibly loud instrument and easily competes with my brother's dreadnought guitars. In comparison to my lanikai pineapple, the strings have a much higher tension and are a bit harder to bend notes, but that's probably me getting used to the tenor size. The strings are also new, and need to be worked in. The sound is deeper than my pineapple, and has more of a "bite" that I like. The Aquila strings are fairly balanced, I think the the A string could be a bit louder, but I'm sure it will the more I play it and the more the solid top opens up. I will also try Worth low G strings later this month.

I tuned it up with my intelli500 tuner and MGM made it perfectly in tune all the way up the fretboard. My lanikai was impossible to get it this intune! I could not be any happier with MGM's setup and services and am ordering Worth low G strings and humidifiers (since I live in cold Maine) from him soon.

The Case

The case is very high quality and portable. It weighs next to nothing, but offers a lot of protection for small bumps. It won't protect the instrument if someone were to step on it, or if it fell from a height of 3-10 feet (I didn't test it). There is a single pocket inside the case for a tuner, or extra set of strings, but no external pockets. It has a handle to carry it and a wonderful Kala Logo on the front. The case will protect the instrument from rain and wet weather, but it is not waterproof.

Youtube Sound Sample

I posted this quick video showing off the wood, and all of the physical features of the Kala Thinline Tenor and its case. In the background I recorded a sound sample of the instrument, playing random chords and a few melodies. I'm a beginner, but I tried to make it sound decent with a chords.

Complaints

My first complaint is with the finish. It's a beautiful, flawless matte finish, but to me seems really delicate. My finger nail has slightly brushed up against the wood a couple times and caused a couple marks in the finish. You can only see the scratches though if you look at them closely with a light and at a certain angle. These actually could be buffed out eventually if you wanted to refinish the instrument in the future, but it looks beautiful regardless.

My other complaint is a slight buzz on the C string when I play it open. It doesn't happen all the time though, which I then think is because of my picking technique. This could also because the instrument was shipped from Hawaii to Maine in winter, so the instrument may be adjusting. I am getting humidifiers to compensate, so I hope the instrument can hang in there until they get here. I can't wait until the wood opens up even more.


I give this instrument an A!

It is a very unique ukulele, and I recommend it to everyone. It has a loud sound that is both deep and bright (if that makes sense). It has a bite to its sound that I really enjoy. It can still be heard clearly when playing with louder instruments like guitars too! The price for the mahogany model is $150 at MGM's store and it comes with free shipping too! Pick one up and you won't be disappointed. Did I mention it's as light as a feather, you can bring it anywhere!

Let me know if you have any questions or want more sound samples. Again I've been playing with ukuleles for less than a year, so I'm still a novice, but will be willing to provide information that may help others decide if they want the instrument or not. So I hope this review helps!

Ryan
 
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I also have a tendency to play loud. The tone can also be very sweet if played more gently.
 
Sounds great. Nice playing too. :) Thanks for the review -- I've been thinking about getting one of those, and you've encouraged me to pull the trigger. :D
 
Great! Glad I could help. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
 
Nice review, and a very handy video.

Good job, mate. :)
 
Thanks for the report. Nice to find such a great instrument.I like the Sesame Street tune.


Every one on earth should be issued with a Kala slim line ukulele.
 
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sweet, i was actually debating on whether or not to get one. i might go straight to the shop soon and get me one. lol. thanks....the review and video was quite helpful
 
I'm trying to grasp the concept of need for a 'travel' ukulele. The idea is kind of ridiculous. Ukulele's are already travel sized. Is one inch less going to make a difference? Sure it will. It will choke the instruments ability to project a decent range of tones. Ukes have a short range as designed. The size of the body is crucial to putting out good low end tones. Make it one inch thinner, and the tone goes the same route. I saw one of these (maybe not the same brand) awarded as a prize at a uke fest last year. It was demonstrated, and the experienced uke players in the crowd just looked at each other with that quizical frowned face and said, "why bother?". Clearly another marketing directors bad dream....
 
Bluke,

You, my friend, are clearly not into travel or backpacking. I do ridiculous amounts of both, and having a uke that can be slipped into a pack is very useful. A full-sized uke will cost you your carry-on allowance, and does not lend itself well to camping or backpacking. My travel uke has already proved its value well on several camping trips when it was great to have some strings to go along with the harmonica around the campfire. Does this uke replace a more expensive, full-sized uke? No. (But, almost!) It's not supposed to, though. This uke fills its role perfectly--it provides great uke sound in a very, very compact package. Looking forward to adding the lacewood soprano model to my lineup for the ultimate in porta-strum-ability!

Dige
 
a word of advice...:troll:
 
Great review and video - thanks! The uke looks and sounds great - now I gotta find out if they make one in a concert size.
 
I'm trying to grasp the concept of need for a 'travel' ukulele. The idea is kind of ridiculous. Ukulele's are already travel sized. Is one inch less going to make a difference? Sure it will. It will choke the instruments ability to project a decent range of tones. Ukes have a short range as designed. The size of the body is crucial to putting out good low end tones. Make it one inch thinner, and the tone goes the same route. I saw one of these (maybe not the same brand) awarded as a prize at a uke fest last year. It was demonstrated, and the experienced uke players in the crowd just looked at each other with that quizical frowned face and said, "why bother?". Clearly another marketing directors bad dream....

You do have some great points, as the uke is already a very small instrument and easy to take on trips.

This instrument in no way replaces higher end ukes, but instead offers an even more portable instrument to take anywhere, and I mean anywhere. The tenor weighs just about nothing and it really doesn't lose all that much in sound quality. For 150 dollars it produces a beautiful sound. Now if it were a $200+ uke, I don't think it would be worth it as you might as well buy mainland, but there really isn't any solid top ukes with a price that reasonable.

I would say this is a wonderful middle of the line uke that will satisfy almost anyone who buys it.

I also saw in a uke documentary where the uke maker said in regards to making an instrument "what ever you take away, you have to add somewhere else". By this quote I think he was talking about the instruments volume. The thinline is very thin at the top but about a half inch thicker is added at the bottom, this enables the instrument to have a nicer sound. I noticed that the sound resonates most in that bottom area where the instrument is thicker and then shoots out the solid top.

The next step for me of course is to pick up a mainland tenor.



Also Bluke,

Mike from Kala Ukulele himself answers your question in an interview on youtube. He said that the "travel" title is just the way they are marketing the instrument, but Mike wanted to design an instrument not just for travel, but to produce a different sound altogether. It has a different tone than a full body ukulele that many people will like, and some will dislike, but the choice is there.... and I recommend it.
 
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I'm trying to grasp the concept of need for a 'travel' ukulele. The idea is kind of ridiculous. Ukulele's are already travel sized. Is one inch less going to make a difference? Sure it will. It will choke the instruments ability to project a decent range of tones. Ukes have a short range as designed. The size of the body is crucial to putting out good low end tones. Make it one inch thinner, and the tone goes the same route. I saw one of these (maybe not the same brand) awarded as a prize at a uke fest last year. It was demonstrated, and the experienced uke players in the crowd just looked at each other with that quizical frowned face and said, "why bother?". Clearly another marketing directors bad dream....

Two words: KoAloha Sceptre.

Clearly not a travel uke. Clearly an exceptional instrument. It's got a thin body and, to my ears at least, is louder than the other concert body KoAlohas out there. the sound of a Sceptre is loud, bright, crisp, complex, sweet, and they're the best sounding ukes that I've ever played. The sustain is endless and you'd never believe how much sound comes out of that body.

Saying a thin uke will sound bad is like saying a flamenco guitar will sound bad and a classical is the only way to go. For one to say such a statement would be incredibly incorrect. The sounds produced by these two guitars, when the instruments have been made and are played correctly, are different. But, the flamenco should always sound raspy, crisp and quick. The classical should sound deeper, rounder and the sounds should slowly build rather than be produced quickly like the flamenco. One is not better than the other. Different sounds will be produced and when played with proper technique on can produce the sound of the other. This does not make the thinner flamenco sound less amazing compared to a thicker-bodied classical or vise versa. I would challenge a sceptre to a full, traditional bodied uke any day. I bet the Kala travel uke would stand up to a full bodied Kala as well.
 
I've found a decent (Kala) laminate soprano is truly the ultimate travel uke...
...small, not really affected by humidity, and cheap. I've got a pineapple (painted as such too) and it is pretty much bullet proof.
 
rpeters,
Great review, thanks for this. I played one last month and was very happy / surprised with the sound. Kala is putting out some great stuff!
 
i agree Dige, i just got this instrument. and its just plain portable! the case helps providing protection, but not too heavy. overall a great uke

Me too... got mine for Christmas! And I love it!

Will
 
I don't own one, but I went to guitar center a couple weeks ago, and this was by far the best sounding uke that they had for under $300 dollars. I have been jonsing for one ever since I played it...
 
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