KA-BE Mahogany Baritone Ukulele with EQ

Inspired by a recent trip to Hawaii, I decided I wanted to get a ukulele. While in Hawaii, many of the souvenir gift shops had ukuleles as cheap as $14.99. I realized these were toys and not really meant to be played. I decided to wait until I got home and do some shopping before I bought.While I have no experience with Ukuleles, I have bought several other stringed instruments and felt pretty good about what to look for. I decided to avoid anything that appeared too gimmicky. In other words, anything with elaborate machine engraving or colorful designs on the front was out.I realized that many of the electric ukuleles were identical to a non-electric model with the only difference being the electronics - they have a pickup, equalizer and jack installed at the factory. Most electric ukuleles do not require an amplifier to be playable and heard just like the purely acoustic version of the same ukulele. Since I already have amplifiers, and the cost only being about a $35 decision when I buy the ukulele versus the practicality of adding electronics in a nice way to an non-electric after the fact, I decided I wanted an electric version from the beginning. Electric ones also feature a built in tuner.I decided on the Kala because they had a good selection, were highly recommended and had several in the price point range I was expecting to pay. Kala has three levels of ukuleles: Makala (entry level), Kala (quality and value) and Kala Elite (Made in the USA - quality). Within the Kala and Makala lines, the model numbering is similar. For example the Kala KA-TE also exists in the Makala line as MA-TE. While the names are similar and models are similar, I believe that the Kala is a better finished instrument than the Makala.My ukulele arrived in a Kala box as shown with the panel wagon logo on the outside. It had tags on it indicating Aquila Super Nylgut® strings and GraphTech NuBone® saddle and nut - both nice. The electronics are the Kala UK-300TR. While the body is all Mahogany, the fingerboard is Walnut. (See pictures)The frets on the fingerboard are finished smooth on the ends which makes it a pleasure to play. (See pictures) Cheaper ukuleles tend to have sharp edges on their frets which can be quite bothersome.While I am just starting to learn to play, I am pleased with the sound, tonality and volume, of this ukulele.I would recommend this ukuleleThe full specs of a KA-TE are:SIZE: TenorTOP: MahoganyBACK & SIDES: MahoganyBINDING: CreamFINISH: SatinNECK: MahoganyFINGERBOARD: WalnutNUT & SADDLE: GraphTech NuBone®HEADSTOCK: StandardSTRINGS: Aquila Super Nylgut®ELECTRONICS: UK-300TRScale Length: 17 inches, Overall Instrument Length: 26.125 inches, Body Length: 11.75 inches, Number of frets: 18, Width at upper bout: 7 inches, Width at lower bout: 9.125 inches, Width at waist: 5.5 inches, Body Depth: 3.12 inches, Fingerboard width at nut: 1.39 inches, Fingerboard width at neck/body joint: 1.8 inches

I just realized that I never changed my rating after returning and receiving the replacement. The replacement does everything I had hoped for. Excellent sound, easy to play, electronics work well. After my first experience with electronics that didn't work (had to return to Amazon) I ordered the very same thing but this time through the KALA store on Amazon. Same price, etc., bit I figured KALA would check the product before shipping and apparently they did. This is a fine instrument with the included strings. I normally change the strings immediately, but I can adjust electronically to get the tones I like.My only wish is that they would take the KA-BG baritone and equip it with electronics. It is physically larger than most baritones (35"x12"x8") and produces amazing resonance and clarityTHIS IS MY OLD REVIEW:I have a Kala acoustic baritone which I think is unbelievably excellent. Everybody loves the way it sounds, especially after I put new strings on it (Ko'olau MAHANA Baritone -- hard to find but worth the effort). I bought this Uke because I wanted to plug in electronically and was disappointed to discover that the ELECTRONICS DIDN'T work! I tried the batteries that came with it in another electronic uke and they worked well. I tried brand new Energizer batteries (2032) in this KA-BE and they didn't work either. At least Amazon has a good return policy, but if the seller had taken the time to make sure things worked, it would have saved me the frustration and time. I have already ordered another KA-BE, this time from KALA. I expect it to work fine on arrival. By the way, these KALA baritones are wonderful. I currently own 5 baritones (2 electric, 2 acoustic) and the KALA is the best.

If you are just starting out on your musical journey then just be aware that stringed instruments pretty much always require adjustments to get them working optimally. Lower end instruments in particular are more prone to needing work done on them. I would recommend buying you first instrument from a reputable music store who will set it up for you as part of the purchase price.If you are going to buy an instrument online then be prepared to either spend money on either a luthier to get the instrument setup, or have a friend who can do it, or learn how to do it yourself if you are comfortable tinkering.The KA-BE I received needed the strings at the nut lowered (which is typical for a guitar straight from the factory) and, surprisingly, the saddle needed to be raised by about 3 mm, which is a lot. The Kala baritones all have truss rods which is amazing for low end instruments and makes setting up much easier.I also filed down the fret ends as they were sticking out just enough to be annoying. The frets themselves were perfect and the intonation was spot on for the E and G strings and slightly sharp on B and D at the 12th fret but that probably is more to do with the saddle and maybe the action.The body is all mahogany laminate but surprisingly loud and resonnant. Actually a little too resonnant on the low end when strumming hard, sounds a bit boomyHonestly for this price point the KA-BE is amazing value. Really, it's a no brainer. Just know that it requires setting up like all stringed instruments so don't expect it to be perfect straight out of the box.

I've owned dozens of ukuleles of different sizes and price points and I really like this uke.On Kala in general: if you only wanted to buy one uke for your whole musical career, (whether you're brand new to making music or a seasoned musician) a Kala is my go-to recommendation. They have a variety of styes and options to choose from and they beat most other ukes at comparable prices. If you're not sure if you're going to "stick with" the ukulele, buying a Kala won't break the bank. If you decide to stick with it, a Kala will work for you even if you transition from amateur to gigging musician. If you're REALLY REALLY on the fence, go for their cheaper Makala line.If you're a seasoned musician and can both hear and suss out the nuanced sounds from high quality instruments, then maybe a Kala isn't for you. But if you're at that level, why are you shopping for a musical instrument on Amazon anyway?Okay, back to everyone else. First choice, after size (which, you're already looking at baritone, so I assume you're thinking baritone) is laminate or solid wood. Ukes usually come as: all laminate, laminate back and sides + solid top, or all solid, and price increases accordingly.In general, solid woods are more expensive and sound "better" (more range and variance in the sound) while laminates are cheaper and more resilient to poorer weather. Laminates with solid tops try to balance in the middle.If you live in an area with low humidity (under 40%, say during the winter with the heater on) you might want to avoid solid woods altogether as they can dry out and crack. Alternatively, be prepared to case or otherwise store your uke during those times with a humidifier (about $5). If you don't want to bother to monitor the humidity and just leave it out when you feel like it (which will probably mean you have more fun with it) then stick to laminates.During the summer my solid wood ukes are usually out hanging on the wall and I can be very casual about taking one down and playing, so they get played a lot. During the winter, the humidity in my house drops below 10%, so my ukes go into their humidified cases and often fall into a "out of sight, out of mind" situation. (I don't particularly baby my ukes otherwise - in a decent case they go camping with me, on car/plane trips, etc with no worries. But I have learned about humidity the hard way and have had a more dried out ukes repaired than I'm proud of.)This uke is all laminate, and I bought it specifically for that reason. I can leave it out and not worry about it. Does it sound as good as my expensive ukes? No. Did I expect it to? No. Does it still sound good? Yes.There were minor setup issues like some slightly rough fret edges, but the action was pretty well set out of the box. Many ukes in this price range need some setup work to be decent, or are overly built, but this was true Kala quality. (I did file down the fret ends, but only because I slide my hand up and down the neck a lot).I love the built-in pick-up and tuner - both do their job admirably, which means I'm ready to amp up at a moment's notice and I don't need to carry a separate tuner. I leave this uke all over the house.My only recommendation for any buyer would be to change the strings. The come with Aquilas nylguts, which are normally fine strings when they're all unwound. But for some reason their wound strings just don't seem perform as well as they should, both in sound quality and in longevity.So, if you want to keep the punchy, nylgut sound, try D'Addario EJ88B Nyltech Ukulele Strings, Baritone instead. They're cheap, readily available, as they're made as a joint effort between D'Addario and Aquila, keep the punch nylgut sound but with better wounds.If you want to try the more chimey, fluorocarbon sound, try Martin M630 Baritone Ukulele Strings. Also cheap and readily available, and they tend to have a bit more sustain. It's what I put on mine.

I'm a keyboard player, but have always wanted to learn to play the guitar. I severed a tendon in my left hand pinky finger years ago, the upper knuckle had to be fused during the surgery, and it became pretty useless for any kind of precision fingering the individual notes and chords on a standard guitar fret board, with basically only 3 fingers to work with. Plus, I have fairly small hands and a standard guitar was always a struggle to learn to play, even before my injury.My dad had an old baritone uke laying around his house for years, and I learned a few basic chords when I was younger. After he died in 2010, I "inherited" the uke, but it was now in pretty bad shape, and it sat unplayed for years. I recently "re-discovered" it, and took it to a friend who is a guitar tech/luthier to see what could be done with it. While the "repair" made it playable, it was a cheap uke, and didn't sound all that great to begin with. But...I realized that I could do a decent job of playing some of the chords I had learned years before, even without my pinky finger, and 4 strings were easier to chord than a 6 string guitar. Plus, the baritone is tuned the same as the bottom 4 strings of a guitar, and I realized I didn't have to "re-learrn" chord shapes and patterns that would occur with a tenor or standard uke.I researched baritone uke's off and on for many weeks. Didn't want to spend a ton, but also didn't want a "entry level" instrument. This Kala was always one of the top choices for mid-level, beginner uke's and I liked the idea of it having a built in tuner and electric pick-up. Seller was great, the unit came on time and extremely well packaged. Tuned it up and started strumming. I couldn't believe how nice it sounded and how "playable" it was right out of the box. It looks to be very well built and beautiful to look at. Strings need to be stretched a little during break in, and it goes a little flat if not played for a few days between "sessions", but easily tunes up and remains so while playing. This is a perfect size for me, and I am having a blast with it. Three finger "triad" chords sound good, even without the use of my "damaged" pinky.I would highly recommend this to any beginner/intermediate player who wants something "playable" and sounds great at the same time.

Have changed my rating & review on this uke as it was such an easy fix! To eliminate buzzing, simply had to loosen truss rod a little bit. It was too tight & was bowing the neck just enough to cause a buzz on first two frets. Easy, 1 minute fix with a 1/4" hex tool.This was my 2nd purchase of this model Kala. The 1st one I bought was acoustic & I loved the sound / ease of playing so much I decided to buy an electric version. Unfortunately, after a few months, the 3rd string started buzzing when held @ 1st or 2nd fret. No amount of tuning will correct this & I will have to see if I can get the nut replaced as it looks a little funky. I suspect it was cut just a bit off, patched up to pass quality control & of course, the patch wouldn't hold for long. I should know for sure once the tech checks it out. Anyway, very disappointed in the quality of this 2nd instrument as have to spend extra money for repair.

Decent ukulele. My son used it for a few gigs and it performed pretty well.

Having never purchased an instrument online before, I can at least attest that is good instinct. The binding edges are SHARP, as are the frets. There is a mild buzz on the G string and the intonation is extremely sharp on the G and B strings on the SECOND FRET, but less on the E and the D intonation is dead on.it feels like a supremely unloved and roughly handled instrument.but oh the sound! Bright, sustaining, even across the top and the MOST DELICIOUS vibrato wafting off the low end that just never seems to stop.so we bonded, but i'm not happy about the lack of attention. I will have to pay big bucks to get it properly set up. And soon, in case that doesn't fix the intonation and i need to return it.Kala boasts it has built his reputation up over a whole decade. They did soar pretty high there, but it's not ok to ride on your reputation. Not when it comes to instruments. It's an affront to music and a insult to musicians -- and that is just not abidable.wake up guys!HAD TO SEND IT BACK. I'm SO disappointed. On the bottom (playing position) the wood was actually RIPPLED. So on top of the cosmetic flaws and sharp binding and jagged frets and obvious lack of caring, the wood wasn't even bent into a smooth curve and the intonation was off, meaning if correctable would incur extra charge, plus having to drive over a hundred miles.so i'm very sad. I will NEVER buy an instrument online again. What, was i DAFT???

I've been playing the guitar for 20 years but have always thought it's a bit awkward to carry about with you. Imagine my joy and relief when Eddie Vedder made it acceptable for rockers all over the world to pick up a much smaller, relatively simple instrument such as the Uke!I checked the reviews and settled on the tenor (less fiddley but not just like playing the top four strings of a guitar) and then checked out the different makes and brands. For a starter Uke the KA-T is pretty spot on - Kala get a bit of internet stick, mass produced, low budget instruments, but don't let that put you off.I was worried that it would sound a bit crap but it's got a decent tone to it and projects its sound well. I'm sure if i keep on playing ukes I'll treat myself to one that is worth thousands of pounds eventually (although I've been saying that about guitars for two decades as well...) but until then this is much better than I expected.So, to conclude, the 5 stars aren't for the quality of the uke in relation to all the ukes available - they simply relate to how good it is for a proper novice. If you can drop £80 and you fancy jumping on the big uke band wagon, I imagine you could do much, much worse than this!

Esteticamente molto carino, ma sopratutto ha un bel suono. Sono molto soddisfatto. Rapporto qualita'-prezzo ottimo davvero

Cet instrument est parfait pour les débutant(e)s.Ne se désaccorde pas trop. Bonne prise en main, avec un accordeur intégré et également la possibilité de le brancher sur ampli.Je recommande.

A fantastic well made baritone ukulele. I have giged this uke a few times now. It plays really well and sounds good both acoustically and through the bands PA system. I do have one small complaint. The volume control makes a ‘swishing’ sound over the PA when I change the volume. But as I only do that occasionally it’s not too bad.

though the price a little high then buy from State but it do worth.love the sound.