High gloss Kala ukulele body fault / crack

I bought a new high gloss Kala ukulele 5 weeks ago and whilst buffing it yesterday I felt a crack in the top surface. It's solid wood.

It's my first serious ukulele since my beginner £25 one and I'm so disappointed and unsure why this has happened.

If anyone can give me some advice on how they think it happened and what to do about it I'd be very grateful please. I've attached some photos. Thanks.

I'd be contacting the dealer for a return and replacement. That's not something easily fixed by a non-professional. Even if it's just a finish crack and not extending into the wood, there's a chip of the finish broken out.

If the top is solid wood and the environment in which you kept it is very dry, that would be a likely reason why it happened. That happened to me before I understood about humidity. Solid wood ukes need to be kept in a humidity range of 45% to 55%. There are small humidifying devices that go in the case or bag. I enclosed a shelf in my bookcase, added water trays and hygrometer that holds my 8 ukes, a couple are even laminate wood.

That crack can be repaired by a guitar shop, but you'll have to wait for the all clear, just keep the uke in proper humidty.

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I agree with Michael about the humidity issues, but I would think that a five-week-old instrument, in the soggy UK, wouldn't have a major issue like this. Maybe if it was stored in front of a hot air heater vent or in a closed vehicle, but a normal indoor environment shouldn't cause that crack, that soon. I still say send it back to the dealer.

Looking at the third photograph, I'd say it was caused by sharp impact at the point, just above the bridge, where the crack moves towards the bridge (for a very short distance) then towards the bottom edge.

If you can show, indisputably, that it was like that when you bought it, then you should be able to make a claim on the vendor.

John Colter

ukantor said:

Looking at the third photograph, I'd say it was caused by sharp impact at the point, just above the bridge, where the crack moves towards the bridge (for a very short distance) then towards the bottom edge.

Click to expand...

I agree that it looks like something hit it. If it happened seemingly out of nowhere, my first question is do you have pets or small children? Little paws and little fingers sometimes have little accidents.

The vendor might not accept a return / exchange given the time frame and proof that it arrived like that, but they might be able to assist with a repair. It's worth asking.

Thanks for all your replies. I did send the photos to the shop and he said that it looked like I'd dropped it or that something had fallen on it and that he can't see how it would've happened on its own. He said that I could send it to them to look at to get a 100% opinion but I got the feeling he'd made up his mind and that it was just going to cost me to go through the process.

I live at home with just my husband and we have no children or pets (and no visitors due to lockdown). We've been really careful with it as it's one of the most beautiful objects we own. It's been kept in humidity between 40 and 55 - we have humidity monitors in our room.

The photo looks like there is varnish missing but it's just the shape of the crack in the light. Do knocks on a high gloss body even end up looking like that? Do knocks on high gloss travel down the body? Could it just be the varnish and the wood be intact beneath?

There is a little tiny circle of missing varnish at the bottom of the 2nd photo too, could that be involved in any way? It must've appeared around the same time but isn't quite in line with the crack.

It does look likely to be just a finish crack, but it's hard to be sure just from the photos. I agree with the dealer that it probably was caused by dropping or something hitting it. (Don't ask me how I know what that looks like. )

The question is whether it happened before you took ownership or later. Did you examine it carefully when you first received it? Did you maybe take a vanity photo or two? Without some kind of proof, it's going to be your word against his. A good dealer might take the hit for good customer relations, even without proof, but you can't count on that. I suspect you might end up eating the cost of the repair.

And it should be repaired. It's not going to get any better, and the crack could spread. Sorry for the less-than-positive feedback.

You say it is a High Gloss finish. That term refers to the look of the finish, not the finish itself. I went to the Kala website and after searching for 15 minutes, I could not find what the actual finish is that they use, such as: Lacquer, Oil. Shellac, Polyurethane or Poly-esther, ????. If it is Lacquer, shellac or oil finish, it is easily repaired by a professional. If it is in the Poly family finishes, nothing is going to stick to it once it has cured. If you try to sand it (poly finish), it will turn to a white line, even more noticeable. Poly is very hard and durable but is not easily repaired. If the crack is in the wood, it can be repaired, but not the Poly finish.

Thanks again, no I didn't take any photos on receipt but it did look fine when I received it. I wish I knew of a moment it could've happened as I'd find it easier to accept!! It helps to know that it doesn't look like a manufacturing fault that has just begun to show itself though as that was my fear as well.

Thanks for your advice about repairing quickly, I will try to get that done when possible then. I bought it to get through this lockdown and I can't even look at it now as it's too upsetting!

I really hope it isn't anything 'poly' related, I will contact Kala to find out, thanks very much for that info. I can't imagine if can be coated in something really hard and durable if it got damaged by something we weren't aware of happening It really hasn't had an obvious fall and nothing sharp has landed on it. Such a frustrating situation.

"Do knocks on a high gloss body even end up looking like that? Do knocks on high gloss travel down the body? Could it just be the varnish and the wood be intact beneath?"

To answer these three questions:-

Yes, that is what damage from sharp impact looks like.

Yes, the wood can split as a result of the knock, and a crack will travel along the line of the wood grain.

In my experience, no, it will not be just a crack in the finish.

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I only have the three photos to make this diagnosis, but the damage looks to be clearly visible, and you would surely have noticed it, if it had been present when you first took delivery. The only conclusion I can draw is that the instrument was damaged after it came into your possession.

The response from the shop sounds perfectly reasonable to me. Presumably, they have seen the same photos. It really does look like impact damage. I accept what you say - that you have no idea how it could have happened - nevertheless, it has happened.

I know the above sounds dogmatic (and perhaps, a little blunt) but you did ask for opinions based on your photos. I've seen many broken ukuleles over the last twenty or so years..

John Colter

Thanks, I appreciate hearing your thoughts on it, it's good to get the feedback from people who have many years' experience owning ukuleles and have seen all aspects.

I saw a high gloss Kala once that was dropped. The finish between the edge of the lower bout and the bridge looked like a lightening strike. The uke still sounded good, it just looked bad. The owner kept it, and played it occasionally, but wouldn't take it out in public for fear of being reported for ukulele abuse.

Yours looks like, although it does disturb you, is where your right arm is going to cover it while you play....the rest of the time, you could just keep it in your case so you're not looking at it.
It's not going to get any better, tho it may not get any worse. Fortunately, it's not an expensive repair.

That's reassuring to hear, thanks Nickie, I had been playing it pretty much every day but think I might keep it stored away in its case until I've managed to get it looked at just in case.

Lots of conjecture, but I don't think that you have anything to lose by at least trying to get it warranteed. It is five weeks old and still under warranty. What are you afraid of? They will replace it, fix it, or not do anything Either way you are no worse off. They're not going to keep it and not give it back.

I regularly play 90 year old ukuleles that have been stepped on and glued back together again, sometimes several times over. Play it and enjoy it. So long as it still sounds OK, the finish issues are just part of the instrument's story. It also means you can take your uke out with you to more places and not worry about it being scratched. This is the reason I drive cheap old cars rather than shiny new ones.

Regarding repairs, you may end up having to pay for two lots of postage, or not get it back at all depending on how unscrupulous your dealer was. Is it worth the time and effort? They might send another one that doesn't sound as good. That's the nature of mass-produced instruments, unfortunately.

Your future will include more ukuleles. Ask how I know.