A long standing model in the Kala range.. Does it still hit the spot?
https://www.gotaukulele.com/2020/11/kala-ka-tge-tenor-ukulele-review.html
https://www.gotaukulele.com/2020/11/kala-ka-tge-tenor-ukulele-review.html
This just goes to show me what I've said before. Kala really have stagnated for quite a while, barely innovating at all. Some their newer models look really funky but they're just all laminate ukes with fancy looks and almost identical sound to everything else they offer, and at the same time they've discontinued really popular models like the solid top cedar laminate acacia model. Madness. On top of that, they're clearly switching to even cheaper woods for the fingerboard and bridge, and in some cases even the tonewood. I do wonder how new the uke you reviewed was because the newest batch has laurel fingerboard and bridge, so not even walnut.
Brands like Snail, Flight, Ohana and Islander just offer so much better instruments with the same price or even cheaper. I can't really find a reason to go for a Kala these days.
I bought my one and only Kala ukulele about 8 years ago, that's my last one. It seems that as well as abandoning quality, they've abandoned their dealers too.
Their heyday is definitely over, they're being trounced by smaller companies taking bites of them like piranha fish.
I don’t follow Kala’s lower end models much but I would refer you all to Kala Elite. They are exquisite. Underpriced, undervalued, and made in the USA.
Funnily enough, "kala" translates to "fish" in Finnish. I've always wanted to point that out and I finally got my chance.
The resale value of Kalas-in-general has plummeted with the several groups I work with. Kala grossly devalued the perceived value of their name when:I don’t follow Kala’s lower end models much but I would refer you all to Kala Elite. They are exquisite. Underpriced, undervalued, and made in the USA. ... ...
The resale value of Kalas-in-general has plummeted with the several groups I work with. Kala grossly devalued the perceived value of their name when:
1- They produced ultra-cheap kiddie ukes with the Kala name on them.
and
2- They began under-selling their own dealers.
In Hawaiian, "kala" means "money." IMO, Kala has lost its mojo to the extent that it may one day become known as "Hoʻolilo Kalā" -- wasted money.
Thanks for the review. Disappointing that they can't upgrade the nut specs to make these more playable for some of us.
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...but more playable for people who don't like a wide nut. You can't please everybody. I have a tenor ukulele with a 38mm nut that I struggle to play. I'm not a small person - over 6' tall - but the narrow nut is something that would appeal to me.
However, that fretboard and bridge wood is dreadful, and way overpriced.
Hey, I get it, most folks are perfectly happy with standard Kala specs. I just wish they'd, at minimum, offer a wider-spec model in each of the sizes, without needing to buy the much more expensive Elites. I recently sold a cedar top KA-ATP-CTG. The sound was heavenly, and I would have kept it forever, but the narrow specs made it harder for me to play accurately. A wide neck option on that one would be a great thing, IMO. I've asked this of Kala in an email exchange, but I don't expect any changes, being just one guy with his own preferences.
Kala is recently rolling out some super tenor models with a wider nut and a slightly longer scale than a standard tenor. The price is a bit less competitive than other well-regarded newcomer brands though.
Must be this one? 1.5" nut. https://kalabrand.com/products/ka-amhg-st