Kala ukes....quality? new Kala Acacia??

sdlewis

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I'm wondering what opinions there are out there to do with the Kala brand ukuleles. I've recently been looking at purchasing a Pono Spruce/maple slotted head stock tenor (MPTSH) and have been comparing it to the new Kala Acacia slotted headstock tenor. The pono ukes are for sure solid wood bodies but I'm not sure about the new Kala uke, even though it says it is. Most Kala ukes, from my knowledge, are a laminate wood body, which sounds vastly different than real solid wood body ukes. Please give me your thoughts!
 
I have a Kala Sprucetop Concert Ukulele. Kalas are a laminate wood body. It sounds good though for a laminate. I also have a Pono all Solid Mahogany Concert Ukulele too. It makes a big difference in sound. I like the solid body ukuleles better than the laminate ones.
 
I believe the acacia is solid and it soulds wonderful. I have one and love the very high end sound. I have played a lot of very expensive ukes and this one compares favorably and is dirt cheap for what you get.
 
I have a Tenor Acacia and a Pono Tenor Spruce Top. By far the Pono feels better and has a better sound IMHO.
 
Kala is by far the best "Chinese Uke". I have two and I love them. If you can afford it, by all means get the Hawaiian made Pono. My dad has a Pono and it is amazing, just out of my price range. But to answer your question, Kala's are very good quality, but like most makers they have higher and lower end models. I love my travel soprano and my pinapple Kala's. Hope this helps.
 
The Kala acacia tenor is a solid wood uke and not a laminate. While many of Kala's ukes are laminates, they have several series that are solid wood.

I haven't played a Pono, so lack the ability to give an accurate comparison. I happen to really love the sound and playability of the Kala. For the price, I think it is a very tough instrument to beat. There are a large number of Kala acacia owners here. Look for the review by member thejumpingflea. It is very comprehensive and well spoken, and importantly, without an overabundance of "it's good because it's mine" kind of bias.
 
I'm sure Pono makes great ukes but...
...the couple I've played sounded far more muted than my Kala Acacia Tenor. Recently I've stumbled across several posts complaining of dead sounding Ponos.
 
I have two kala ukes. A mango sop and a mango tenor. THe tenor is my favorite uke. I play it a couple of hours a day. It sounds good, is very durable and stays in tune. For the price----What more do you need????
 
kala acacia

I looked at many different ukus especailly for on with solid wood. The acacia is solid wood all the way around. I just got it yesterday. Its sounds awesome even with me playing. I have only been playing a little over a year and I live in Alabama so I dont have much to compare to except youtube and fellow undergrounders. But in my opinion you cannot beat the price of this uku. I still dont understand why it doesn't cost more. I've got an Oscar Schmidt for aobut the same price and it blows in out of the water. I would definelty buy another!!
 
The new Pono is made in Indonesia (I can't guarantee that but I'm pretty sure Indonesia.) I haven't seen many of the new models around so they may still be hard to come by. The old Pono was made by a different shop (perhaps China.) Supposedly the new Pono has much better sound than the "deader" older models. I'm sure MGM can enlighten us soon.

The Kala Acacia is made in China and is solid wood. The Pono is easily twice the cost so $/lb is much better with the Kala, IMHO.
 
I wish KALA would make a solid wood, or at least a solid spruce top pineapple. Also wish they made a bare plastic body Dolphin ala FLEA so no paint to chip. A fella can dream.
 
I also got a Kala Acacia tenor. It is all solid and very well made.
It sounds very good and very easy to play too.
 
I have the Kala Acacia concert. It is my first uke and I believe it is a quality instrument.
 
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