Are Kala strings tied on in a universal fashion? Worried my new uke is a dud !

Hi, I eventually got my first spruce top tenor, however there is fret buzz on the c string around the 1st and 2nd fret and also the string tension is awfully tight, as though someone has attempted to put concert strings on a tenor. I'm even more suspicious as the way the strings are tied on looks unusual for a Kala. have included pic.

It's a KA-ST

Are Kala strings tied on in a universal fashion?


The lighter spruce top is the one I'm suspicious about, the other is my basic KA-T Kala which has a distinct tie on.

Cheers for any help.

My Kala KA-CEM is tied like your spruce top. My nephew's Makala Dolphin is tied like your other one. I just changed strings on both and re-tied them the same way to see if there's any big difference in the two ties. As far as I can tell there's not. They're both just ways to get the strings attached. I think Kala uses both techniques depending on the model. But My guess is you could just as effectively drop a string though a hole and tie a knot at the end... That probably doesn't help with your buzzing problem, but at least you know you can tie your strings in whatever configuration you like.

I have 2 Kalas also and the regular Soprano is tied the same as your KA-T and my long neck (SLNG) soprano is tied the same as your spruce top.

Note that the holes where your strings exit are different on each model. Your spruce top and my long neck each have 2 exit holes and the strings wrap before they are "tied off" by tension under the loop.

The single hole version is tied per usual.

I'm pretty sure it shouldn't matter as long a as the angle up to and over the saddle is good is more pronounced than less, and the string tension doesn't slip.

As a side note: That damn little stub that sticks out on the A string on the double hole version is a royal PIA. I finally "fizzled" mine down to a bulbous, less-snagging little round ball. A couple of layers of paper under the stub in case of a drip, and a gingerly applied BIC did the trick.

My new kala has the 1 front 2 back hole bridge as well....I believe it does help on the break angle as well, which helps make a brighter louder Uke....