Kala KA-TEAK-T Teak Tenor Ukulele

Beginners - easy to learn - fun to play

Great for beginners, beautiful craftsmanship

Just like the title, don't get your hopes up that you found something much different than the rest of the crowd, even if there are a billion good reviews of for Kala. Finish is meh, another round of sandpaper would have made a huge difference. Cheap tuners, mine came with stripped tuner screws, luckily I'm handy and like to tinker with things. I was going to send it back for a replacement but figured the next one wouldn't be any different. For the price it's a good, but not convinced it isn't made in the exact same factory as all the no name brands here (and not sure you could tell a difference). All I'm saying is, don't expect to be impressed, it's not bad, but not sure it's any better than the cheaper ones. If you are looking for the next step up in quality, it's not this model. Maybe look to he Kala ka-t mahogany with the sealed tuners.

So, other than the heavily damaged shipping box (that’s rarely a good sign) and sharp fret ends, I was surprised at the sustain and volume even with generic Aquila strings. Well built otherwise, attractive body and wood grain. Made in Indonesia which, a plus over anything coming out of China. Yeah, I’d buy it again and I’ve owned over 100 ukes.

I own several Kala ukuleles. This is the first one I'm not satisfied with. Over all looks nice. The bridge is rough and the back of the neck where it goes into the body is not even. The tuners seem pretty cheap quality. I can't seem to get it to tune correctly. Not happy with this at all. I will return it.

First - it’s beautiful. Just on appearance alone it’s six stars. The teak all around is just a very pretty wood that really sets it apart from most others. Unlike my Kala KA-B, this one arrived needing some setup. The frets needed to be dressed on both sides and every fret, the action needed to be lowered a touch from the saddle end. If you can do those things yourself it’s an easy setup - in a shop it will cost some lunch money. One might expect such setup from a sub $100 instrument but a beginner will be annoyed. Tone - very resonant. Solid attack, minimal sustain. It appears to me this tonewood really punches the lows so the C string is louder than the rest. That might sound ok with a low G setup but isn’t perfect for reentrant tuning. The stock strings are as good as they come. The open tuners are holding pitch well. Once tweaked and setup the value per dollars is phenomenal. But if this were my first Kala it wouldn’t leave the best impression on QC and setup. Bottom line: it’s not a $400 ukulele and doesn’t pretend to be. It’s definitely more than $100 though and is absolutely beautiful. The mahogany models might better suit a beginner to get that traditional timbre and tone. I think this one will get a low G string set and will play very well. ymmv

I own eight ukes over a wide price range. While my expensive ukes stay home or only travel to indoor venues, this Kala Teak Tenor goes everywhere else with me including the beach, on my boat, on hiking trails, to camp fires, to friend's houses, etc... I LOVE playing it - it has a great sound & looks great too... I often sit out on the bay on my boat or on a drive-in beach far away from other people playing this uke for hours. It gets beat around, "buried" in the sand (see photo), has been dropped and banged few times & still looks & plays like new. It's a great little uke - it's put together well & is a great price range for a "knock around" uke. Just a word about folks who complain about ukes not staying in tune- that is the way all ukes are when the strings are new - do NOT give a low review to ukes because they go out of tune - just PLAY, PLAY, PLAY !!! The more you play the more the strings will stretch & settle in and the longer it will stay in tune... I have read too many uke reviews by folks who do not get this concept or have not stayed with their playing long enough to realize the improvement in the amount of time between required tunings... Getting back to this uke: 1) BUY IT - it's great for anyone from beginners to experienced players - you will be happy with it. 2) PLAY IT - the more you play the better it will sound, the better it will stay in tune & the better you will become at playing. 3) TAKE IT - take it EVERYWHERE you go - it is a great uke at a great price, a price you don't have to worry about it getting knocked around on the beach or at a camp fire !!!!!!

Highly recommend! My husband loved it for his birthday!

Could sound a little better, but not bad, Considering the low price! Great for a beginner!