This same seller and I exchanged e-mails. He seemed very legit. I also ordered the KA-SSEM-T, and should receive it this Saturday.
I will be stringing it for the same pitch as Baritone, but r/e like my Caramel CT402 tenor, which I love. This will be my 1st Kala.
I am stoked
!
Received it today 9-Apr. Flawless. Cut of nut is perfect. Action at 12th fret is quite low at 2mm, but no buzzing. Yay!
Fret ends? Can't feel them. First impression; it has noticeably more "bark."
Will report back on how it sounds and its loudness (dB) compared to other ukes I have.
Waiting on a string order for Baritone (re-entry) tuning.
Edit 1- The "G" in Baritone DGBE is the same pitch as a "Low G" on a GCEA uke.
Edit 2- When aggressively strummed less than a foot away from the meter, the average dB "loudness" measured about 90 (C weighted), which is no different than my Caramel Solid Mahogany. However, the tonal character is quite different where the mahogany is mellow/smooth and the spruce more direct which may make it "sound" louder. As I noted in another thread, the KA-SSEM-T is quite "woofy" with a low G.
My sopranos measured about 80db.
Edit 3 - Due to the excessive "boominess" of low G, I am going to park this until I can figure out how to tame the overwhelming imbalance of low G that makes it seem "loud." An idea I have is to glue a thin hard wood slab somewhere inside where it can dampen it. After a bit, I will experiment with temporary placement and sizes to find out what works. TBC