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
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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