Kala Acacia Tenor

KevinFL · Mar 22, 2011

I got a Flip Video recorder so I can finally make videos that are half decent...my old Microsoft LifeCam was horrible.

I've seen some talk of the Kala ASAC-T lately so I thought I'd try out my new camera and put up a short video. I'm not playing, just showing the 'uke.

I've used this 'uke extensively for gigging and have it set up for my needs/preferences. I added a strap button, John Pearse armrest, Mi-Si pickup system, ToneGuard, and polished it to a high gloss finish. I tried to show the luster of the wood grain but my videography didn't quite pick it up; it's much more pronounced in person. The high gloss finish really brings out the grain.

I accidentally call it a guitar once, and the audio is low because I'm behind the camera and the mic is in the front.

Here's the video...

Kala ASAC-T with mods

Rockabilly · Mar 22, 2011

great looking uke!...do you have any vids of you playing it?

SweetWaterBlue · Mar 22, 2011

Those things are really pretty to start off with, but now yours is beautiful.

ADD · Mar 22, 2011

I've never seen a tone guard before. How does it help?

Uke Republic · Mar 22, 2011

Gloss looks great on the acacia.

Hippie Dribble · Mar 22, 2011

ADD said:
I've never seen a tone guard before. How does it help?

just a guess, but has it got something to do with putting a space in between the uke and your own body, to prevent any muffling or dampening of volume/ projection Kevin?

ichadwick · Mar 22, 2011

eugene ukulele said:
just a guess, but has it got something to do with putting a space in between the uke and your own body, to prevent any muffling or dampening of volume/ projection Kevin?

Yes, but on a uke it's probably overkill. The back and sides of chordophones like guitar and uke are meant to reflect sound, not express and enhance it like the top is. That's why many ukes (and guitars) have dense wood back and sides like rosewood, or laminate back and sides: to reflect the sound more than they absorb it. Holding it does tend to reduce the reflectivity somewhat, but it's already a small surface, so I would expect any effect would be minimal. It's pretty simple to test: have someone stand up, hold a uke normally and strum it, then strum it positioned away from the body. I've tried it and haven't found much difference. However, I found that pressing your forearm against the top can have a more noticeable effect on the sound.

KevinFL · Mar 23, 2011

Thanks for the comments. Yes, the ToneGuard allows the back to vibrate freely and keeps it from being muffled. It makes a noticeable difference, certainly not overkill in my opinion.

I plan to make a song video in the near future now that I have a video recorder...I'll post it then. The only thing I can offer now doesn't really give you an idea of the sound of the instrument as it's in a band setting and blends in with the other instruments.

Here's a YouTube link with the Kala in it (there are a few videos I play in that are posted under the same account)...

Phil Schneider Trio

70sSanO · Mar 23, 2011

I've added armrests to my tenor ukes. I did it to protect the finish when it gets humid.

The armrest do add some volume but sustain is where it is really noticeable. As Ian pinted out pressing a forearm on a fairly small the top will dampening the sound. They are also pretty comfortable.

Mine are the clamp-on type, but I leave them on all the time.

Nice polishing. I've polished the top and headstock on mine and they turned out nice, but yours looks stellar.

John

FreakyBob · Mar 23, 2011

Nice tricked out uke there. What did you use to polish the satin with to bring out the gloss?

mm stan · Mar 23, 2011

Aloha Kevin,
Congratulations..awesome ukulele...nice bling...Happy Strummings, MM Stan....

ADD · Mar 23, 2011

70sSanO said:
I've added armrests to my tenor ukes. I did it to protect the finish when it gets humid.

The armrest do add some volume but sustain is where it is really noticeable. As Ian pinted out pressing a forearm on a fairly small the top will dampening the sound. They are also pretty comfortable.

Mine are the clamp-
Nice polishing. I've polished the top and headstock on mine and they turned out nice, but yours looks stellar.

John

What kind and where did you get the clamp on armrests that fit tenor ukuleles?

70sSanO · Mar 25, 2011

ADD said:
What kind and where did you get the clamp on armrests that fit tenor ukuleles?

Not to hijack this thread, but here is who I worked with…

http://hillcountrystringworks.com/index.html

and…

http://www.cumberlandacoustic.com/

Doug at Hill Country had made a soprano armrest and I used the barrel length measurements for the depth to figure out what I needed.

I contacted Steve at Cumberland who used to make guitar armrests and he was gracious enough to find a couple of clamps from his left over inventory to fit the depth of my tenor ukuleles.

I made balsa wood templates to match the profile of the ukuleles and shipped them and the clamps to Doug. I had a duplicate set of templates I taped on my ukes so I could tell Doug what size to make them to accommodate different arm positions.

The total cost to buy the clamps and the shipping and koa armrests came out around $50 each. For me it was well worth it

Here are a couple of pics…

John

ADD · Mar 25, 2011

Thanks for the info. Nice looking too.

Kala Acacia Tenor

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