KalaTenor?

Hey UU,
I was wondering about the Kala Acacia Tenor?
I saw thejumpingflea's review, and then I also saw the new monkeypod Lanikai.
Thanks ahead.
And also, can anyone tell me what's better?: Fishman AG Undersaddle pickup/ MiSi Acoustic Trio.

Thanks again,
Niko

The Lanikai isn't out yet so the Kala Acacia is your only real option until May-sh.

The Fishman AG is a passive pickup I believe. These don't come across as strong through an amplifier without the assistance of a pre-amp. The Misi has the battery-less preamp built into the unit.

I reckon they're comparable. The Lanicai will have a "rounder" sound.

Ahh... I see.
So what is the actual difference between a passive and an active pickup?

Active takes batteries (or in the Mi-Si's case, it's rechargeable) to power an in-built pre-amp that balances and boosts the signal to the amp.
You result in a cleaner, fuller sound than with a passive.

Passive don't take batteries. What comes out of the passive pickup is just the raw signals picked up by the piezo bar.
They may not sound good without some kind of external pickup, but the pickup itself is usually cheaper and easier to install.
It also lets you not have to saw a big square hole on the side of your uke, and lets your uke be lighter in weight than for an Active.

I prefer active pickups, because they let you plug-n-play anywhere. Some people prefer passives.
It really depends.

I have a MiSi and the Kala acacia tenor although not paired. They are both great in my opinion. I just charge the MiSi while I'm tuning and it's good to go. The Kala acacia tenor I bought from MGM. It's my favorite uke and the best sounding of all I own. It has perfect intonation with my Pro Arte strings. I buffed it up to a gloss and now the acacia wood looks really nice. It's a really nice instrument. I only own a laminate koa concert from lanikai so no opinions on them really.

I have the Kala acacia tenor with a MiSi pickup. MGM put it all together for me. (Thanks MGM!) I also really love the sound of this ukulele. If you have seen thejumpingfleas's review, remember when he laughed as he said it almost barks at you- He's totally spot on with that description. It's loud for sure!

I happen to really like the matte finish, but admit to being intrigued by the idea of buffing it to a gloss. Maybe it is my hacky paying, but i do really notice the sound of my fingers/hands on the soundboard. If I was any better, I suppose I could make a great rhythm sound out of it.