Kala KA-SLNG Long Neck Soprano

bazmaz

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I'm a fan of this little uke, so we disagree from the start - but don't put all long necks down, as they certainly have their place. :)

For me it was the scale that counted, but I wanted a soprano sound rather than that of the standard concert.

I totally agree with you about the lack of room width wise, but this is a general problem with all ukes.

Anyway, if you get a chance, you might actually like an Ohana solid mahogany long neck, better sound wise, but a little more expensive. ;)

(The scale combination that cured my UAS, was the tenor necked concert.)

All the best, & thanks for your reviews. :cool:
 
Certainly wasn’t putting all long necks down, and have a couple of nice ones on my wish list. What I don’t like with this particular one is it’s still soprano width. Missed opportunity.

I don’t think it is an issue with all ukes either. You can get sopranos with more width than many tenors! Would have been easy to make this 35-36mm at the nut.

The one I’d like is one from Dave Morgan - Concert scale soprano, with nearly a 36mm nut.
 
Oh I’d be behind that. Not sure why it started, but its connected to the massive move to Chines imports some years back. Possibly due to many being made on same production lines.

But pick up a Martin or a Koaloha soprano - and wider nut. It’s not hard to do.

One brand picking up on the dislike is Baton Rouge who recently launched a wide nut soprano
 
I think the long neck instruments should be called giraffe ukes
 
No, no, EDW, the giraffe neck is the Ohana tenor scale soprano, SK30L - & I've got one of those too. :smileybounce:

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I am waiting for someone to now tell me they have a baritone necked soprano.
 
I bought the SLNG earlier this year - I like it and find it comfortable to play. I have small fingertips and actually didn't notice any difference in playability between this and my (proper) concert Pono. That is not to say I disagree with your assessment of the nut width, and thank you for pointing that out. Now that I am aware of this fact, no, concert scale with soprano nut width doesn't make much sense on paper or in terms of marketing. Certainly wouldn't make a big difference over a soprano for beginners with large hands (who probably are better off with tenor anyway). I wonder if this is the case for other Kala longneck models.

Why this model makes sense for my use case: I want a uke to travel with that can endure temperature swings (so laminate only), is more compact than a tenor, and is at least concert scale for playing up the neck. I was considering a Romero Creations ST Concert but that is more than double the price. Pricewise I think the SLNG is worth the $95 I paid for it, and I love the classy look of this uke.

I did notice the top is rather thick laminate and also no longer have a KA-S for comparison. There is now the Kala 15SLNG which is cheaper than the SLNG; I wonder if the sound is noticeably different from this glossy version. Some of the negatives you mentioned may be addressed by an upsize to the concert gloss KA-CG, though personally I don't love the bridge position on a Kala concert body (just seems not centered).
 
Thanks for another great review Barry. I have the KA-SSLNG on my short list, love the thought of a Soprano with a Concert neck. I do have larger than normal hands, I will seek out a shop that has either one of these in stock so that I can get a feel for the nut width. 36 mm is the narrowest nut on any of my Ukes.
Has anyone played the spruce topped long neck? How does it sound?

Thanks again for all of the great reviews,

Steve.
 
Thanks for another great review Barry. I have the KA-SSLNG on my short list, love the thought of a Soprano with a Concert neck. I do have larger than normal hands, I will seek out a shop that has either one of these in stock so that I can get a feel for the nut width. 36 mm is the narrowest nut on any of my Ukes.
Has anyone played the spruce topped long neck? How does it sound?

Thanks again for all of the great reviews,

Steve.

Steve I own the very same uke that you are asking about. I have had it about one year and really enjoy it, I like a 1-3/8" width.......thank you very much Bazmaz. I have sold off every uke with a wider nut, be they sopranos all the way up to baritone. It is all personal preference.

This uke does have a deep neck so it has some girth which I like. The sound was typical spruce, bright and loud at first. It has sweetened up with playing and some string experimentation.
 
There was a comment earlier on the thread along the lines that you don’t get wide nut long neck sopranos. I just learned that in 2 weeks I’m reviewing another long neck sop. Also laminate mahogany. Similar price... 36mm nut. Watch this space!
 
Thanks so much for the insight Dave, I really appreciate you commenting on my inquiry. I am sold on the Spruce top and I will seek one out that I can play before I make the purchase.

Cant wait to see what you have coming Barry.

Thanks again to you both,

Steve.
 
There was a comment earlier on the thread along the lines that you don’t get wide nut long neck sopranos. I just learned that in 2 weeks I’m reviewing another long neck sop. Also laminate mahogany. Similar price... 36mm nut. Watch this space!

I had an Islander AS-4 which is an all laminate long neck soprano. Islander is 5he import line from Kanilea, very well made. It has the wider nut width, 1-1/2" I believe and it was a fantastic little uke. I have recommended in the past and those that have bought it really liked it. I loaned mine out........about one year ago and haven't got it back. Guess she likes it
 
Thanks so much for the insight Dave, I really appreciate you commenting on my inquiry. I am sold on the Spruce top and I will seek one out that I can play before I make the purchase.

Cant wait to see what you have coming Barry.

Thanks again to you both,

Steve.

Steve,

Not a spruce top, but one is for sale in the McMinnville area. NFI.

https://salem.craigslist.org/msg/d/soprano-ukulele-with-long/6607294932.html

Apologies to Barry - not trying to hijack your thread.
Bill
 
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I take it that this uke is just a tad underwhelming....
 
I take it that this uke is just a tad underwhelming....

The review and some comments might lead someone to think that but if so then I think that they mislead. I had a KA-SLNG for about two years and really enjoyed using it; it was sold (in perfect condition) to thin the herd and because I don’t like gloss finishes (they scratch and show damage more easily than matt). I also wanted to change the nut on it to space out the strings and fit a button to the lower bout, but they would have damaged the finish and likely devalued the Uke. That Uke served me well as a beginner and the Concert scale did give me more space for my fingers too - but wider spaced strings is the way to go. The standard Aquila’s fitted to it worked well for me and after a decent set up it sounded fine. It’s a nice compact Uke that’s well made and I think a step up from a basic KA-S.
 
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The review misleads? Thanks for that Graham!!

It’s just one persons opinion. It thought it was pretty underwhelming. That’s not misleading, it’s just an opinion.

If I was in that market I’d save 30 quid and get the KA-S
 
Putting fluorocarbon strings, (in my case Living Water low G), on it certainly improves its tone.
As it comes, it does sound a bit dead to my ears, but we're all different, no problem in that, it's why there is so much choice.
Personally, I think it's a great little uke.
A solid wood like the Ohana SK30M has an even nicer tone still, to my ear, but it does cost more. ;)
 
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