Your professional (and not so) opinion requested.

Icelander53

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 2, 2014
Messages
1,873
Reaction score
1
Location
Southern Oregon
http://cargo.ukerepublic.com/product/kala-acacia-tenor
http://cargo.ukerepublic.com/product/pono-acacia-tenor

I'm trying to help a friend pick out a nice, relatively inexpensive solid acacia tenor and we both lack some experience.

I've narrowed it down to these in a quick search. I'm kind of surprised that the PONO is the less expensive of the two although the KALA does come with a lite case.

Anyway If you could get one of these which would you choose and why?

If you have another choice in this price range I'm all eyes.
 
Pono. (notice the period) I've owned several Kalas. They're all just fine (notice the "just") After playing a few Ponos, I find them very carefully built, with lovely sound top to bottom, excellent intonation. I still haven't seen a Kala that could compare.
 
My professional, non-professional opinion is Pono. Just because I really like Pono sound and playability. That being said the new Kala slothead acacia tenor is beautiful, gloss finish, great herribone purfing and faux tortise binding gives it the edge in the looks department.:)They sound and play great as well. Ok I am now undecided...........................go Pono, no wait Kala. I was a Big help, wasn't I.

Yea PONO!!!
 
Last edited:
I would go with the Pono. They make beautiful playing and sounding ukes.
 
Yep. Gotta agree with everybody else...Pono over Kala any day of the week. I've played a couple of Pono laminated ukes that sounded better than some of the solid wood Kala ukes.

That's not to say there aren't good Kala ukes...it's just that the consistency seems a lot better in the Pono line.

I think it has a lot to do with who owns and operates the brands. Kala is basically an Asian company filling a perceived need for inexpensive instruments...there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. However, while Pono ukes are made in Asia, the parent company is a Hawaiian ukulele company with a reputation to protect and their aim seems to be to provide potential future customers of their more expensive line with an entry point that is affordable but will encourage people to 1) stay with the ukulele and 2) think Ko'Olau when they can afford to upgrade.

Then again, I could be completely full of carp (not my favorite fish but it will do in a pinch).

John
 
I've spent many a fun day at the river fishing for carp with molasses and flour dough balls. Never actually ate one though. (actually I have eaten a few of those dough balls)

Well I'm going to recommend the PONO to her then. The price is right that's for sure.

One last question if I may. Do you all think that Koa is that much better sounding a tonewood then Acacia?
 
I've spent many a fun day at the river fishing for carp with molasses and flour dough balls. Never actually ate one though. (actually I have eaten a few of those dough balls)

Well I'm going to recommend the PONO to her then. The price is right that's for sure.

One last question if I may. Do you all think that Koa is that much better sounding a tonewood then Acacia?

When you compare Koa and Acacia you are at the point that design and construction have far, far, more impact on the sound than the wood choice. (Koa is actually a variety of Acacia.)

I think the big deal in comparing Koa and Acacia is primarily visual...Koa is simply one of the most visually appealing species of Acacia with a very wide range of colors and grain patterns, sometimes even from the same tree.

John
 
Having tried both brands, definitely the Pono if they're around the same price point.

The truss rod is a good advantage too, and Pono's generally have better acoustic sound.
 
I own a Pono and I own a Kala. I find the Pono superior in every way. True, the Pono I own is a higher-end model than the Kala I own, but still - if I were narrowing it down between the two, I would choose the Pono.
 
Seems that everyone who has compared a Pono and a Kala prefer the Pono. I recently bought a Kala cedar/acacia koa coming up from lesser ukes, so all I can tell you is that my Kala is much better than what I had before.
 
That Kala sounds bright and punchy, but does not have the depth of sound the Pono has. That KPK isn't to be sneezed at. I have the concert model and they are amazing for the price. Heavier than the Kala or Pono though. Often, the acacia on those KPK's is stunning.
 
As long as everyone is spouting opinions...
As OldPhart pointed out, Koa is a species of the Acacia tree. Kind of like how true Champagne can only be called Champagne if it comes from grapes grown in a certain region of France, only the certain species of Acacia tree indigenous to Hawaii can be called Koa. There were companies that were making ukuleles out of the same species of wood that was not grown in Hawaii and still calling it Koa, and people got upset, so now the labeling is much better and they call it Acacia wood.
Enough facts, here comes the opinion part.
Hawaiians usually use what they have at their disposal. Koa wood is beautiful and grows in Hawaii, so Hawaiian ukulele makers used koa wood to make ukuleles. I don't think it imparts any magic to the sound. There are a number of tonewoods that sound just as nice. Get what YOU like. I do have a Pono Koa ukulele (made before Pono stopped making Koa ukuleles) and I love it. I also have ukuleles made with other wood, mahogany, sapele, maple, and my favorite - Milo.
For me, the "magic" of a Koa ukulele would be to have really nice koa hand made into a really nice ukulele, like a Kamaka deluxe or a Moore Bettah. I don;t think I would seek out another ukulele just because it was Koa or Acacia because that automatically means it has great sound.
I do like this little ukulele though that I found in a music shop here on Oahu. It just had to come home with me!

R&LKoa.jpg
 
I'll bet it sounds great. I hear a lot of great things about Kala and I'm sure both are very nice sounding instruments.

If it was for me I think I'd spring for this. http://www.gretschguitars.com/products/index.php?partno=2730048321 Elderly has them for around $429

I'd be a little cautious. The higher end Gretsch ukes can be really nice, but they also have some of the same "variability" issues as the Kala. I.e. some are great, others are just barely okay. The big thing Pono has going, especially in the solid-wood models, is very good quality control oversight and thus much less variability across the line. I've yet to encounter a Pono that was a real stinker, and most are amazing for the price.


How many ukes do you actually have? :worship:

Careful buddy...that's a little bit like asking a woman her age... LOL

John
 
http://cargo.ukerepublic.com/product/kala-acacia-tenor
http://cargo.ukerepublic.com/product/pono-acacia-tenor

I'm trying to help a friend pick out a nice, relatively inexpensive solid acacia tenor and we both lack some experience.

I've narrowed it down to these in a quick search. I'm kind of surprised that the PONO is the less expensive of the two although the KALA does come with a lite case.

Anyway If you could get one of these which would you choose and why?

If you have another choice in this price range I'm all eyes.

I have a kala and a pono (tenor vs baritone) and they both rock. Kala's are quiet wonderful, as are Pono's. Personal preference is what it comes down to in use's IMHO when you are looking in the same $ range. I have tried 5 or so brands at my local Uke store and I always come back to the Kalas but that is my personal preference :)

I think they both have a reputation for quality. Kala makes a lot more "cheaper" ukes then pono so of course there are crappier kalas then ponos because they make cheaper ones.
 
Last edited:
Holy Carpal Tunnel, Batman, if that sounds half as good as it looks that puppy would have followed me home too, and I'm not even a very visual guy!

John
It sounds incredible. The back is arched. The top soundboard is very thin and alive. It is ALL koa - the neck, fretboard, bridge, everything.
It is one of my favorites.
http://youtu.be/AitxyynqWW4
 
Another vote for Pono! We've got a kala tenor in the house and it's nice and sounds pretty good, but it can't compare to the Ponos.
 
Top Bottom