Hello, so after finding out what size ukulele I like best through much trouble and trial and error (I like concert size the most). I decided to buy my first real USA made ukulele. I did the ridiculous amounts of research many of us do. I ultimately decided on a Kala Elite after hearing so many rave reviews and also the sound samples seemed to sound the warmest to me. Also, coming from a guitar background I really wanted to find the widest neck I could. So I purchased the the Kala Elite KOA3 for a $1200 directly from Kala. I know I probably could have found a used one but I had searched for weeks and never did find one. Trying to find the originals from 2015-2017 was next impossible. I would like to get an original with all the bling abalone trim and original bracing. If anyone ever finds one of those or has one let me know.
So Kala sent me my ukulele and it showed about a week later. Upon first opening I was amazed at how nice of a hard shell tweed case that it came with. Nice green lining inside. It was packed very nicely. From first strum I was very impressed, warm, open, ridiculous sustain. Almost as if it was amplified and I could hear some feed back inside the sound hole. They neck felt awesome, big, beefy and super comfortable. During building they even extend the headstock so you hand have ample room after the nut so you won’t bump the tuning pegs. Ample wide string spacing at the saddle (mine measured 45.7mm from A-G). Great for fingerpicking and very, very comfortable.
The only issue I ran into was it was on the quiet side in comparison to my Martin C1K concert. I wasn’t sure if it was overbuilt with the newer X-bracing?? I kept comparing it to my C1K and by the next day I even put in a request to Kala to send it back. They have a 30 day return policy no questions asked. They were great about it and said no problem. They immediately sent out a return label. The overall customer service was very good.
Just in case, I talked with my luthier about the ukulele and decided to bring it to him the next day and get his opinion. He an instrument builder and bracing is his specialty. Some how what seemed like overnight, I played it a bunch the next day and it started to really open up! It was weird, it started to sing and chime. No matter how hard I pushed it, it would not distort! It only got louder and louder! My luthier played it and within seconds said “why would you send this back?” It plays and sounds great. He also mentioned how comfortable it was to play certain chords opposed to other ukuleles he’s played.
So the next test was to compare it to a Kamaka and Kaniie’a. First I tried the Kanile’a. The Kanile’a was super light, had great resonance, despite the strings, which I was not impressed with. Great feeling neck, good craftsmanship. As soon as I played one chord in comparison to my Kala elite my mind was made up. Despite how good the Kanile’a initially sounded, the Kala elite beat it, in my opinion it terms of a very rich, dark tone. The Kanile’a is bright and happy, the Kala is almost a melancholy, dark, robust wood sound. The Kala elite sounds more like a classical guitar and the Kanile’a sounds more like well, a ukulele.
The Kamaka I was surprised to sound even better than the Kanile’a. I have heard they can be hit or miss. Probably double the resonance than the Kanile’a. Definitely a more complex tone. The narrow neck however, didn’t do it for me. It felt cramped. If I had smaller hands I would have chosen the Kamaka over the Kanile’a if I had to choose between the two.
The Kala to me is almost like a singer-songwriter ukulele, if you’re used to a classical guitar. For the $1200 bucks you get the premium KOA, binding, tweed hard shell case, humidifier, ebony neck and bridge (the Kamaka was rosewood, no binding and more money). The Kanile’a was no binding, no rosette, gig bag, same price as Kala. Customer service seems to be good with all companies, with Joe from Kanile’a probably beating out everybody on that front. I had a good time playing all the different uke’s. My take is if you want that happy traditional Hawaiian sound, both Kamaka and Kanile’a won’t let you down. If you want more of a standard classical, jazz, folk sound maybe the Kala Elite is for you. I know Kala Elite’s get a bad wrap and don’t have the resale value but it they suit all my needs: Chunky, Beefy wide neck, dark tone with lots of headroom. Just remember this only my interpretation, get out there any try them for yourself and have fun doing it! I’m just glad the Kala Elite stood up to some of the hype and proved itself to have it’s own unique tone. Good Luck!
So Kala sent me my ukulele and it showed about a week later. Upon first opening I was amazed at how nice of a hard shell tweed case that it came with. Nice green lining inside. It was packed very nicely. From first strum I was very impressed, warm, open, ridiculous sustain. Almost as if it was amplified and I could hear some feed back inside the sound hole. They neck felt awesome, big, beefy and super comfortable. During building they even extend the headstock so you hand have ample room after the nut so you won’t bump the tuning pegs. Ample wide string spacing at the saddle (mine measured 45.7mm from A-G). Great for fingerpicking and very, very comfortable.
The only issue I ran into was it was on the quiet side in comparison to my Martin C1K concert. I wasn’t sure if it was overbuilt with the newer X-bracing?? I kept comparing it to my C1K and by the next day I even put in a request to Kala to send it back. They have a 30 day return policy no questions asked. They were great about it and said no problem. They immediately sent out a return label. The overall customer service was very good.
Just in case, I talked with my luthier about the ukulele and decided to bring it to him the next day and get his opinion. He an instrument builder and bracing is his specialty. Some how what seemed like overnight, I played it a bunch the next day and it started to really open up! It was weird, it started to sing and chime. No matter how hard I pushed it, it would not distort! It only got louder and louder! My luthier played it and within seconds said “why would you send this back?” It plays and sounds great. He also mentioned how comfortable it was to play certain chords opposed to other ukuleles he’s played.
So the next test was to compare it to a Kamaka and Kaniie’a. First I tried the Kanile’a. The Kanile’a was super light, had great resonance, despite the strings, which I was not impressed with. Great feeling neck, good craftsmanship. As soon as I played one chord in comparison to my Kala elite my mind was made up. Despite how good the Kanile’a initially sounded, the Kala elite beat it, in my opinion it terms of a very rich, dark tone. The Kanile’a is bright and happy, the Kala is almost a melancholy, dark, robust wood sound. The Kala elite sounds more like a classical guitar and the Kanile’a sounds more like well, a ukulele.
The Kamaka I was surprised to sound even better than the Kanile’a. I have heard they can be hit or miss. Probably double the resonance than the Kanile’a. Definitely a more complex tone. The narrow neck however, didn’t do it for me. It felt cramped. If I had smaller hands I would have chosen the Kamaka over the Kanile’a if I had to choose between the two.
The Kala to me is almost like a singer-songwriter ukulele, if you’re used to a classical guitar. For the $1200 bucks you get the premium KOA, binding, tweed hard shell case, humidifier, ebony neck and bridge (the Kamaka was rosewood, no binding and more money). The Kanile’a was no binding, no rosette, gig bag, same price as Kala. Customer service seems to be good with all companies, with Joe from Kanile’a probably beating out everybody on that front. I had a good time playing all the different uke’s. My take is if you want that happy traditional Hawaiian sound, both Kamaka and Kanile’a won’t let you down. If you want more of a standard classical, jazz, folk sound maybe the Kala Elite is for you. I know Kala Elite’s get a bad wrap and don’t have the resale value but it they suit all my needs: Chunky, Beefy wide neck, dark tone with lots of headroom. Just remember this only my interpretation, get out there any try them for yourself and have fun doing it! I’m just glad the Kala Elite stood up to some of the hype and proved itself to have it’s own unique tone. Good Luck!
Last edited: