interesting Kala cedar top video
 

I had shared this already on a couple of my Facebook groups I belong to, so thought I would share this video that Southern Ukulele Store in the UK put up last fall on some of the specification differences on the solid top cedar series of Kala ukuleles. I find it interesting (and not in a bad way - just interesting) that overseas that cedar top Kalas outsell the mahogany ukuleles whereas the opposite is true here. Here's the link https://youtu.be/ykrhobgSBFA

I used to have one (bought a Kamaka Tenor Cedar top instead). I. think a lot of people bought them mainly due to the volume, you could be heard above anyone else in the ukulele group; but they were quite 'boomy'.
Believe they are discontinued now because as you say they didn't sell well in the US

My two year old Kala KA-ACP-CTG concert uke. It was bought in a local shop and was a gift from my lovely wife:

https://www.in2guitar.com/uke/mykala233b.jpg

https://www.in2guitar.com/uke/mykalaendsm.jpg

More pics HERE. It is a fine little uke with a solid cedar top, acacia sides and back, mahogany neck, red padauk binding and rosette, and laurel fingerboard. I love the red padauk, but I love red.

Bob

Get the Aquilas off it and put worth browns on with a low-g. You wont regret it.

The video is informative and confirms that the new Kala upper mid range series sounds very good and looks very nice. I think that the retailer didn’t need to go on and on and on about how the previous series was a best seller and didn’t need to change.

I got the baritone version, my first ukulele, from a local music store five years ago. It’s given me excellent service and is big dawg amongst the smaller concerts and tenors at ukulele groups. Would recommend both the old and new series to any player looking for a great mid range ukulele.

Compared to the stock of $50-100 beginner and $200 intermediate ukuleles the Kala baritone sounded closest to the classical guitars in the store. Louder, fuller, longer sustain and lovely looks. (I prefer the slotted head stock). Well worth the $300 price, especially since I was buying my first guitar and had worked my way up past the $500 and $1000 guitars searching for one I’d like to play for a few years or more.

Over the first year the Kala baritone became louder. The sustain got bigger to the point where it’s a bit boomy on four string strums; so I strum alternating bass country style boom chukka, and do lots of picking patterns and counter melodies.

My beginner guitar player death grip wrecked the soft windings on the bass strings against the frets in its first session the same as its Cordoba Mini 6-string predecessor. Switched to classical guitar strings (“very hard” version to get sufficient tension on the 20” scale), then to Living Waters all fluorocarbon strings (wonderful), and later to SeaGuar Blue fluorocarbon.

Found this review a couple years later and it agrees with my experience.
https://www.gotaukulele.com/2017/03/...eview.html?m=1

Cheers.

I had the Tenor and agree with the 'boomyness' I sold it and ended up getting a second hand Kamaka cedar top Tenor, which is out of this world.
I do miss the sheer volume of the Kala sometimes though

I agree with the above posters; Kalas look and sound pretty nice but I just could never get used to the necks. A bit thicker than is comfortable for my hands.