Kala KA-TGE Tenor - REVIEW

bazmaz

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Agreed.

Think this is something of a bygone era now! Sadly - still being sold.

Really bothered by that sound dying off up the neck too..
 
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.
 
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.

Could indeed be old stock, but I think that too is part of the Kala problem - massive production and likely still LOADS of these in storerooms in shops all over the place.

You final comment nails it - so much else to choose now, with better deals, more interesting looks and builds.
 
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.
I think they were really innovating when the UBass came out, but they haven't impressed me at all since then.
Buzzing is common in their pre-amaped models, the wires come loose.
Their heyday is definitely over, they're being trounced by smaller companies taking bites of them like piranha fish.
Seems like Mike Upton would have the good sense to move on.
 
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.

Also many of their more mid range standards, the ASAC line, the spruce top concert, long neck soprano, soprano, etc., are still fantastic instruments. But agreed there’s a lot of competition in the shallow end of the pool, and they’re not doing much to stay relevant there.

It’s a shame for dealers that you can now order a more than decent uke online and be pretty sure it will arrive set up properly, and looking and sounding good. The market has shifted.
 
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.

To be fair, that's only in the US as far as I know. With their direct sales and Walmart deal, they really shafted the specialist stores but they're still regarded better in Europe since here you can't get them as easily from big retail stores or directly from their website.

Their heyday is definitely over, they're being trounced by smaller companies taking bites of them like piranha fish.

Funnily enough, "kala" translates to "fish" in Finnish. I've always wanted to point that out and I finally got my chance. :D
 
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.

They are - I've reviewed one - was lovely - but then, they are ten times the price of this so they SHOULD be exquisite!
 
Funnily enough, "kala" translates to "fish" in Finnish. I've always wanted to point that out and I finally got my chance. :D

I love that!! Ha!
 
I watched this review earlier this morning, and I was rather saddened by it. I have a wonderful Kala, the KA-ASFM-T-C, which I love. The tone of the solid maple is beautifully clear, sweet, and bell-like. The build is precise and neat. It's a beautiful uke, and fun to play. It was also more expensive than model you reviewed. Inferior instruments will hurt the reputation of the brand in general, even though they do have some very nice models.
 
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.
 
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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.

Agree with all of that!
 
Thanks for the review. Disappointing that they can't upgrade the nut specs to make these more playable for some of us.

View attachment 130443

...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.
 
...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.
 
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.
 
Think Kala's lines are all over the place and confused these days. A mix of the old that is way past retirement and new which looks promising, but dealers unhappy with being undercut by the brand themselves.

In days of massively increased competition at the similar and lower price points (often offering more) - seems an odd marketing direction.

Think they need a re-boot.
 
Ha ha - yes maybe.

I don't dislike the brand and have played many worse over the years.. but... seem to be getting a bit lazy these days?
 
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