I'm looking for a baritone with a cedar top and so far have found the Kala KA-ABP-CTG and also one by Mainland. I prefer one without a chunky neck and I've heard that Kala has a thicker neck so is Mainland my best bet? Are there any other options out there?
Pono make a cedar top baritone with different back and side woods. I have a Pono spruce and mahogany baritone that I am extremely happy with. The neck width is 1-3/8" which is standard neck width for a ukulele.
The neck width doesn't bother me, its the depth (from top of fretboard to bottom of neck) that I don't want too chunky. I prefer a thinner, shallower neck. I haven't played a Pono but I've read that they have a deeper neck.
I also prefer a thinner neck. I have that Kala baritone, and I'd describe the neck as medium -- from memory, not as thick as the Pono tenor I had. I'd like the Kala neck to be a little thinner, but it doesn't seem to have much effect on me. At $295 new, it's a really good value, I think, even without solid back-and-sides.
Thanks for the input! I looked up sound demos on it and it sounds good. This will be my first baritone so I'm not looking for something high end. Like you said, the Kala seems to be a very good value at that price point.
I've not had good luck with Kala baritones with cedar tops, having tried a half dozen, each one buzzing due to too much relief in the fret boards. If you search this site, you can find the write up of my experiences. Whatever you do, don't buy one without holding it in your hands unless you get it from a shop with a great reputation such as HMS, Mim, etc.
