Kala Ukes

I've had great experiences with Kala. The KA-15S that I got as a gift for my wife, that she never played but got me started playing was a great little starter uke. A set of worth clears really brought it to life. I still love my cedar top Kala slothead tenor that I got used a few years ago for like $180 on Ebay. It is an insanely good instrument for the money, even at full price.

The only Kala I ever played that I was disappointed in was my Waterman soprano. Don't get me wrong, for what it is I think it is well made and sounds like one would expect, but the string height and intonation were disappointing. Even for what it is that seems like something they could have done a little better. I do get the impression that they are constantly improving so hopefully the newer ones are better.

Anyway, I really like Kala. Great ukes for the money, and generally just nice ukes.

Col50 said:

The USA, UK, and all the major industrialised nations could not get there fast enough to offer their services to help build up the Chinese industrial modernisation.

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Cheap labor. American companies are paying salaries to Chinese workers now.

I would like to be more altruistic and live a minimalist life. I think about it a lot. But when it comes right down to it, I'm pretty good at justifying. My house and garage are testament to it.

Rllink said:

But when it comes right down to it, I'm pretty good a justifying.

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An essential skill that should be taught in school.

YogiTom said:

My personal experience dealing with the folks in the office is what has colored my view of the company. They talked the talk, but weren’t walking the walk of a company that really cares about what they are doing. I was dealing with middle management folks there, and I felt at various points misled or flat out lied to during my dealings with them. I’d prefer to leave it there, as my experience isn’t one others are likely to find themselves in.

But, what I got out of it was that I couldn’t tell you what their mission statement is beyond “make money selling ukuleles”...which is fine, but doesn’t make me feel great about supporting the products. That said, I couldn’t tell you what Ohana’s mission statement is, either, so maybe (likely) this is a totally bogus justification on my part in order to validate my already held opinion.

And, to be fair to Kala re: my initial post, I made it sound like they are dumping chemicals into rivers and clearcutting forests to build their more mass-produced models, which is unfair and a product of my emotions getting the better of me. I doubt they are doing anything worse than any other company that mass produces “things” for our consumer driven economy. So, again, I may be letting my overall feelings about how we’re treating the planet we live on creep into my outlook on Kala.

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In the end, I think any company's primary mission is to make money, or they wouldn't get into business. An exception would be a company's whose sole product is an environmental one. Mission statements have become quite the thing now, but honestly it all sounds like fluff to me; they all seem to be creative ways to say something that sounds unique and cozy, but it is not really their mission. Companies are started to sell a product or service with the goal of making money. A company would be wise to attempt to give a superior product at a reasonable cost, and to strive for a happier workplace which makes employees better workers. Many companies, particularly those with little competition may not feel the need to do the above, and prefer planned obsolescence, substituting advertising and marketing for the above. Mission Statements seem to be only for the benefit of employees who feel good writing them and for the good press they give when put on the website, but they don't change the fundamental purpose of the business - making money.

YogiTom said:

My apologies for creating that doubt or suspicion. I’ve edited my original post, and hopefully it clears things up.

In no way did I intend to allege any wrongdoing on Kala’s part. I just don’t think we need more and more “stuff”, and I can’t imagine environmental laws in China (where the majority of their ukuleles are produced) are quite the same as they are here. Again, Kala isn’t alone in doing this, so my personal experience with the company likely makes me cut them less slack than others.

Then again, the EPA isn’t really doing much protecting of our environment anymore, so maybe I should just resign myself to a world full of petrochemicals and heavy metals in our food and water, and welcoming the oncoming environmental apocalypse with open arms.


Sorry for derailing the discussion. I’ve said my piece, which I thought would likely be the only “bad” view and wanted to share as a result. I’ll bow out now for cooler heads to continue the discussion.

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Cheap goods from China have made us purchase more and more stuff, and replace rather than repair. However, it is us buying the goods, and I doubt there is much difference environmentally whether you purchase a uke from Taiwan(ANueNue) or China, or most anywhere else(Pono, Opio, etc). Unless your uke is made from reclaimed wood, you have affected the environment as much as if it came from China. If a smaller footprint is desired, not purchasing extra ukes as opposed to not purchasing Chinese ones is the only way.

AQUATOPAZ said:

Cheap goods from China have made us purchase more and more stuff, and replace rather than repair.

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Not Me, I stand by my handle.

Even though I personally think the Waterman is a piece of plastic waste, I do have to give Kala credit for gifting TBUS over 4 dozen of them for our free beginner workshops...
Mike Upton also made me very happy a few years ago, when our President noted my photo of a group of our ukers was posted in Kala's catalogue, without my permission. He gave me a brand new UBass when I called his attention to it...

Whatever we may say about Kala and companies like Kala, there are a lot of us who may have never tried to play ukulele were it not for their affordable instruments. Not many would have jumped on the ukulele bandwagon if the price of entry was limited to only the domestically produced $1,000 plus ukuleles.

kkimura said:

Whatever we may say about Kala and companies like Kala, there are a lot of us who may have never tried to play ukulele were it not for their affordable instruments. Not many would have jumped on the ukulele bandwagon if the price of entry was limited to only the domestically produced $1,000 plus ukuleles.

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I think the discussion of a company, of positive and negatives, is good and fair. This is actually what consumers should be going for everything. And we can't forget for a moment that most businesses are businesses and are not charity companies. While there are companies that do a lot of good in the world, and Kala may be one of them, they are still in business to make money, and their employees are still expecting a pay check and benefits.

At the same time, we all sort of turn a blind eye towards the factories that actually make these instruments--working conditions, salaries, benefits...

The other thing that is undeniable is that Kala went into the industry (based on what Mike Upton learned while running Lanikai) and changed the expectation of quality control from Chinese instrument factories. You can now buy some rather remarkable ukuleles directly from eBay or Amazon.

I understand why so many people suggest that ukuleles are set up professionally, therefore buying them only from specific dealers--but there are a few very inexpensive brands making ukuleles on the level of Kala's laminates, shipping with excellent set-ups, even exceeding those that come with "not set up" Kala and Ohana models. I do think it is time for Kala and Ohana to hold their factories to higher standards with set-ups these days...there's no reason (at this point where much of the build process is robotic) why any factory built instrument should arrive at any dealer with buzzing, high action, non-level frets, or sharp fret ends.

So the entire improvement of the industry comes down to Kala's influence (and I'd add Ohana's) in the marketplace and their insistence that things needed to improve...and now the entire industry has benefitted as a result. Sadly, Kala can't financially benefit from that--and in fact, the improved products from other vendors may eventually hurt Kala. But their place in the history of the ukulele is firmly in place...and just as influential over the past 14 years as Martin or Kamaka has been in the past.

My first ukulele was a KA-SLNG and I really could have stopped buying any more ukuleles right then and there. It could have used some prettier tuning knobs, but other than that, it was great. The only other Kalas that I really enjoyed playing were the Thinlines.

Yes setups are important and I do wish more if not all manufactures would try to do a better job at it. My Martin T1K came with very high action. Over an eighth of an inch at the 12th fret.

My first was a Kala Exotic Mahogany tenor. I changed out the strings to Aquila Lavas. I’ve been learning on this Ike and I like it. Just purchased the flame maple and purple heart concert with cutout. It’s got a great tone and plays really well.

Ian

My only Kala is the Ubass.
I do have Makala soprano -koala bridge, scary yet interesting- and Makala baritone which I adore. Such a rich sound though its very plain looking.

I got an email from HMS today about a beautiful Kala uke they have for sale for a very good price. It's the KALA KA-SPMT-TRI.

I have to say, i've been really surprised by their Baritone ukes, the specialty models, and their Elite models. The elite models are very light and resonant, and easily stand up to the Hawaiian K models in my experience. The specialty models (small scale limited run) i've played were tenors in the $300-$400 price range, and I thought they were very nice. The baritones are easily the best value i've come across, based on playing 3 of their baritone models at the various uke meetups around town. If you can pick up one of these used it's a very affordable way to experiment with the baritone.

I got that same email from HMS, that's exactly the kind of specialty model i've played, and appears to be a tremendous deal at $299.

I have two wonderful koa Kala Elite models, a tenor and a concert. They sound and play very similarly, so I'm not sure why I still have both. I haven't bought anything new since I got them, aside from a super-cheap Kmise (curiousity) which I'll give away or sell locally. It's only been a few months, but that's still good. But watch for one of the Elites in the marketplace, I can't justify both of them. They're beautifully made, light (for a uke with a bolt on neck) easy to play, and lovely wood. The neck on the tenor is fatter than I prefer, but just right for others. I'd definitely put them in the Kanilea or Koaloha league. I haven't played a Kamaka. The sound is lush, sometimes I think it's cinematic, it's so layered.

kkimura said:

Whatever we may say about Kala and companies like Kala, there are a lot of us who may have never tried to play ukulele were it not for their affordable instruments. Not many would have jumped on the ukulele bandwagon if the price of entry was limited to only the domestically produced $1,000 plus ukuleles.

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Several of us in a group that I play with started on a Makala and we still have them. We've taken to leaving our more expensive pride and joys at home and bringing our old Makalas instead. Kind of a movement to promote the Makala. Anyway, looking at all those old Makalas, most of them seem to have developed their own character over the years and no two are alike anymore. It is fun to see them.

Nickie said:

I love my old Kala KA-SMEC-C. It's solid mahogany, and the reason I liked it when I bought it, was because Mim set it up.
I soon discovered, however, that my left hand was actually getting sharp, stabbing pains from playing it for a long time, like 30 minutes at a stretch. I took it to a luthier, and he took off a lot of excess wood from the huge neck, and it fits my hand perfectly now. He also made me a chamfered arm rest to put on it, so it's comfortable to play. I fitted it with some Oasis strings last time, that it seems to agree with much better than Aquilas.
Over the years, I think about 8 now, it has really been beat up, but it sings very nicely. It has sung many a hospice patient to sleep.
KALAs are the most common brand in TBUS, our club, by far. We have two local Kala dealers.
It isn't the only Kala I've ever owned, but it's the only one I have left.
My wife plays an older UBass, and she loves it, except that the darn pickup keeps coming loose, breaking the tiny wires attached to it. I remember that when I gave it to her, she hugged it and grinned from ear to ear.

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You too? I get really cramped especially on barre chords low on the neck (first fret). The nut sizes are the same, it's definitely the neck thickness.

Love the sound of the uke, but can't practice barre chords long because of the hand cramping. My Mainland has a much smaller neck that's easier to play, but I really prefer the cedar tone over mahogany. I always figured getting the neck shaved would probably cost me the same price as another uke. I keep telling myself to learn to play better before investing in another uke.
BTW would you put up a picture? I'd love to see the chamfered armrest. I noticed on my Kala that the body is about an inch deeper than the Mainland so it does kind of cut into me (I'm really tiny and the uke tends to cut in right where I have bad tendons on my right arm). I'd probably not spend the money to do this to a Kala, but if I learn to play better, I'm looking at features I might like for a more custom job.
Thanks.

I've had bgood and bad experiences with Kala Importa and Kala Elites. My first Kala was a Kala Elite Solid Koa Tenor. I loved it, except fot the neck, which I found to be a bit too wide. Other than that it had a gorgeous sound, and very flamey Koa, with beautiful build quality. My second Kala was a all solid Accacia concert import. Horrible build quality, holes where the fret dots should have been, terrible intonation, ridiculously high action, jagged fret ends, just everything wrong with it. This was before I knew about HMS/MIM/Uke Republic. My next Kala was an Aratani special edition, and all I can say is WOW. I keep this as my low-G strung travel tenor. Beautiful build quality and sound. I've had another limited edition Kala I sold with great build quality (same tonewood combo as the Aratani, so it seemed redundant). Tomorrow I should receive a new model for 2019, Solid Flame Maple with Cutaway I kind of ordered on a whim from HMS when I was in a bad mood (never surf HMS when you are in a mood!). I'm hoping it sounds as sweet as the demo video (expect a NUD post).

I've also had horrific luck with Kala ABS cases. I purchased one, and returned it because of messe dup latches and internal felt that was torn and poorly sized. The replacement I received was just as bad so I sent it back again. I tried ordering another direct from Kala, and it was just as bad. The Kala Elite case that came with my old Kala Elite Tenor was great though, as was the archtop hard case that came with my Koaloha tenor.