Kala Ukuleles?

tribal_theory1

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 3, 2008
Messages
181
Reaction score
1
Location
San Diego (Skyline/PH Area)
Anybody jam any Kala brand ukes? I've been looking for a rather inexpensive uke with nice sound and a pickup. I came across this brand on the elderly instruments website, fairly decent prices there. After that, I looked up their website and their prices are the closest to my budget. I really like my tenor Risa uke, but it doesn't quite have the bright tone of a regular ukulele when amped up.
 
yeah i got a kala mango tenor. i love the thing, i jus didn't like how some of their things are mass produced from china. but other than that they have great acoustic models, not sure about the ones with internal pick up but it should be pretty good also. u can also try lanikai, mass produced tho from germany by the company Hohner. i played the CK-TEQ model i think thats the model. but yeah played it at a music store and it sounded pretty bright, but i'm more into the lower tone.
 
ive seen you play bro. honestly, you need something better than a kala. they are decent for the money, but for the most part (unless they specifically say so), their ukes are not of solid construction. so the koa series are just a koa veneer laminated over mahogany. the mahogany series isnt solid mahogany either. they do have a new line out though, of some solid mahogany, but they are going to be more expensive than the koa series.

im sure youve heard of lanikai. well the designer of those ukes broke away and made his own line... kala. so the similarities are almost uncanny.

what is your budget, btw? maybe someone here can point you in the direction of a decent brand that will not only fit your budget, but also your skill level.

btw, i own a kala ka-k6e that i converted to a 4 string (check out the vid on the main page)
 
ive seen you play bro. honestly, you need something better than a kala. they are decent for the money, but for the most part (unless they specifically say so), their ukes are not of solid construction. so the koa series are just a koa veneer laminated over mahogany. the mahogany series isnt solid mahogany either. they do have a new line out though, of some solid mahogany, but they are going to be more expensive than the koa series.

im sure youve heard of lanikai. well the designer of those ukes broke away and made his own line... kala. so the similarities are almost uncanny.

what is your budget, btw? maybe someone here can point you in the direction of a decent brand that will not only fit your budget, but also your skill level.

btw, i own a kala ka-k6e that i converted to a 4 string (check out the vid on the main page)


Ha yeah lacking solid construction hence them being mass produced in china. I was kinda upset reading the label inside the uke when i got mine. MADE IN CHINA!!??? WHAT?!
 
ive seen you play bro. honestly, you need something better than a kala. they are decent for the money, but for the most part (unless they specifically say so), their ukes are not of solid construction. so the koa series are just a koa veneer laminated over mahogany. the mahogany series isnt solid mahogany either. they do have a new line out though, of some solid mahogany, but they are going to be more expensive than the koa series.

im sure youve heard of lanikai. well the designer of those ukes broke away and made his own line... kala. so the similarities are almost uncanny.

what is your budget, btw? maybe someone here can point you in the direction of a decent brand that will not only fit your budget, but also your skill level.

btw, i own a kala ka-k6e that i converted to a 4 string (check out the vid on the main page)


thanks man, i'll take that as a compliment. to be honest, i have two awesome kamakas, a lili'u and a standard soprano. those were both gifts, I got super lucky. i've tried using those transistor pickups, you know the ones that you kinda stick to the outside, but those really suck, and to be honest, it's hard for me to pick the six-stringer, and the soprano just doesn't have enough frets. that's why i picked up the risa, it was inexpensive, and electric. it's kinda cool to practice with, too. i don't have to worry about making too much noise in the house.

what i'm lookin for is a tenor sized uke, preferably with a cut-out and a pickup. i'm lookin to spend $300.00 +/- a few bucks. i'm probably gonna spend my tax return on it. anyways, that's what i need. somebody hook me up with suggestions...thanks in advance!
 
Yeah dude, you should upgrade. I just saw ur myspace and I did not know you were in a band. For me I have no time or any musical commitment for being in a band so I just stuck to the kala, just a hobby. but for you get something special. i posted this earlier its called a bugsgear eleuke looks really cool Uke #1 and also applause is good too. over here i wanted to play it at Ted Brown's but before i could get my hands on it, sold out.... Uke#2
 
it's really tough to find something with the specs i need and the budget i'm on. applause ukes sound nice, but the action on the strings is pretty high. one of my bandmembers has one. i tried using it one time, and i was fumbling over my own fingers.
 
yeah i know what u mean, takes a lot of trying out different things till u find the right instrument for u. jus need to know where to look and eventually the right ukulele will catch ur attention.
 
it's really tough to find something with the specs i need and the budget i'm on. applause ukes sound nice, but the action on the strings is pretty high. one of my bandmembers has one. i tried using it one time, and i was fumbling over my own fingers.

how old was his applause? if it was old and he didnt keep it in an area with the right conditions, the neck may have warped.

if the neck isnt warped, there are things you can do to adjust the action. could be that his uke just wasnt set up correctly.
 
yeah, he never really took the best care of it. it's a few years old. not so sure if anything was warped though. i'll have to check it out when i see him tomorrow.
 
i have a kala cedar, its solid cedar top and cost $300....

for the money its a good uke, and a definate upgrade from my lanikai 21-te/bk

but i do wish i waited for a month or two and gone for a more expensive uke.

i wish i had saved for this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-PONO-Deluxe...9945320QQihZ015QQcategoryZ16224QQcmdZViewItem

but pono do solid wood ukes for about $400, if you can stretch the extra it may be worth it
 
thanks man, i'll take that as a compliment. to be honest, i have two awesome kamakas, a lili'u and a standard soprano. those were both gifts, I got super lucky. i've tried using those transistor pickups, you know the ones that you kinda stick to the outside, but those really suck, and to be honest, it's hard for me to pick the six-stringer, and the soprano just doesn't have enough frets. that's why i picked up the risa, it was inexpensive, and electric. it's kinda cool to practice with, too. i don't have to worry about making too much noise in the house.

what i'm lookin for is a tenor sized uke, preferably with a cut-out and a pickup. i'm lookin to spend $300.00 +/- a few bucks. i'm probably gonna spend my tax return on it. anyways, that's what i need. somebody hook me up with suggestions...thanks in advance!

Save your money and have a skilled luthier install a Dean Markley passive or go with a Fishman Matrix powered for your Kamaka......I had the Fishman installed by Koaloha in my tenor and I love it...
 
Kala ukes are okay but my peeve with them is that the necks are too narrow for me. I prefer ukes with wider necks.

Regarding "made in China" ...

Here's an interesting YouTube video. They were inspecting a local guitar/violin factory in China. You can see how they perform their hi-tech drop-test (to ensure that anything packaged in the box will survive a fall, 48 seconds into the video) and you can see the dual rapid-assembly line for small guitars (at 1:25 minutes into the video). You can bet they do ukuleles too. Clearly, these were manufactured with the utmost attention to detail.
;)
 
Last edited:
Kala ukes are okay but my peeve with them is that the necks are too narrow for me. I prefer ukes with wider necks.

thats another reason why i converted my 6 string kala to a 4 string. the eck width at the nut for the 6 string is 1.5", whereas the 4 strings are 1-3/8" at the nut. this little difference makes a lot of difference when you want to pluck, and it makes it easier if you have "fat finger syndrome" and tend to mute or cause buzzing because your finger is barely touching another string that it shouldnt be touching.
 
oh ha thanks chiyo for that video, I know china isn't bad of a country for a ukulele to be made in, jus they have been gettin bad rep for recalls here in the states like lead in paint and what not, but i do love my ukulele though it being made in china. but my kala keeps me happy. :D
 
seems like it'll take a while for me to find something i like. i was checking out the kala website, and they do have some solid wood designs out now. junkie said he has the mango tenor, and i'm really liking they way the mango looks. kala makes a mango tenor model with a cutaway & electronics. i guess it's just a matter of trying to find a dealer here in SD. the website shows that there are a number of guitar places here that sell kala brand ukes, so i might go check em out to see if they have any in stock i can listen to. ::crosses fingers::
 
seems like it'll take a while for me to find something i like. i was checking out the kala website, and they do have some solid wood designs out now. junkie said he has the mango tenor, and i'm really liking they way the mango looks. kala makes a mango tenor model with a cutaway & electronics. i guess it's just a matter of trying to find a dealer here in SD. the website shows that there are a number of guitar places here that sell kala brand ukes, so i might go check em out to see if they have any in stock i can listen to. ::crosses fingers::

just an FYI, if it doesnt specifically say "solid" on the description, dont expect it to be solid. i remember seeing that mango. and i looked and looked. i seriously doubt its solid. the only sold topped they have are the spruce and cedar series as far as i know. the have the solid mahogany series now, but im not sure if that is solid top only, or solid all around.

if you want a decent price, great customer service, and have a paypal account, look for musicguymic on ebay. ive seen some of the kala mango series on there from him.
 
just an FYI, if it doesnt specifically say "solid" on the description, dont expect it to be solid. i remember seeing that mango. and i looked and looked. i seriously doubt its solid. the only sold topped they have are the spruce and cedar series as far as i know. the have the solid mahogany series now, but im not sure if that is solid top only, or solid all around.

if you want a decent price, great customer service, and have a paypal account, look for musicguymic on ebay. ive seen some of the kala mango series on there from him.

yep musicmicguy is the way to go, but bad thing is, he gave me a stinky case, i swear it smells like feet on the outside, thank god it doesnt smell like that in the inside.
 
Top Bottom