Kala Revelator Night Owl Tenor Ukulele - REVIEW

Well this ukulele has certainly started a stir and i'm therefore very pleased to be able to bring you this. The Kala Night Owl has arrived..

Not so long ago I looked at the Kala Revelator ukulele, a USA built instrument that came about from a partnership with wizard UK luthier Pete Howlett. That was a creation of Pete's to develop a very serious product that could be produced on a production line yet delivered a top quality instrument. I LOVED the Revelator, but came in for some flak for my comments on the price. In retrospect I am happy to eat humble pie on my comments on the construction side (which I have since learned is still hugely labour intensive), but I still stand by my view that they are expensive.. they simply are..  You can find my first review linked above which is probably worth reading alongside this one. Anyway, it's natural I refer to it because this one for me is the progression from that Howlett concept that I hoped we would see. Taking a design that could be replicated easily and pushing it out on a production line at a far more achievable price. More on that as we go through it, but you will get the idea..

SUMMARY VIDEO REVIEW

On the face of it, the Night Owl is a production line 'version' of the USA Revelator, made in the Kala facilities in China, but still with a focus on that original concept. Is it a copy of the Revelator? No, there are quite a few differences, and I don't think it's meant to be. But as I say above, it's a progression of the 'idea' - and I really like that idea.  In fact, where I use the term 'original' in this review, bear in mind that I don't mean 'copy' - this is its own thing. The Night Owl uses the same sort of 'clamshell' design as the 'original' meaning this is a solid topped instrument sat on a bowl back that is routed out from a set of blocks for the back. It launche with a solid mango top and a yet be released acacia top version that sits on a back and sides of Okoume.  Seeing an early vid on this from Alex at SUS  he first suggested the back and sides are laminate,  but has put out a correction as this is made from conjoined blocks that are routed out in a similar way to the USA model. It threw me also though as it certainly 'feels' different to the USA Revelator and I think there may be some sort of covering on the inside of the back, but looking closely you can see the outer grain match the inner. We've since had it confirmed by Kala that the back and sides are in three pieces, with a central block that is integral to the neck and side 'wings'. These blocks are what is put together and routed out.

The overall shape here is largely similar the USA model, but interestingly, much closer in look to the original Revelator prototype made by Pete on account of the differing sound hole. On the USA model you get the more organic looking nautilus swooping sound hole on the upper bout, whereas here you get an oval set on an angle. I actually like both and they serve the same purpose for the concept.  This is otherwise the same sort of swooping double bout ukulele with an attractive florentine cutaway.  The solid Mango top on this is in two pieces and really rather lovely to look at. Mango is incredibly variable in looks, but each store photo I have seen of these look equally pretty. I like the contrast with the Okoume too which is naturally less figured, but still hardly unattractive. That 'feel' I mentioned is that the edges of where the sides meet the top and back are a little more angular on this than with the USA model which feels much more rounded. That's not to say they are severe or sharp as they are still chamfered, but I noticed the difference. It's still just a skinny front to back.

Out goes the pin bridge of the USA model and instead we have a slot style bridge specced as rosewood.  I'm ok with that and it makes for easy string changes. That holds a bone compensated top saddle and I measure the string spacing to be 39mm.

Decor wise the biggest change from the original USA model is that this gets a gloss finish on the body rather than satin. I will be honest and actually prefer it as it really makes the wood grain 'pop' and 'shine'. It means it doesn't feel as natural in the hands as the USA model, but looks wise I think it's great. It's also done extremely well with no flaws I can see. Other changes include the differing soundhole design and the addition of black binding to the top edge which, again, I think sets the instrument off nicely. You will also spy a jack socket in the base of this one as the Night Owl also comes with a simple passive pickup. Yay! No batteries or ugly control panels!

Inside there isn't much to see as it's just a routed chamber, but it's tidy.

As I say above, the neck is an integral single piece extension of the central section of okoume with similarly nice shaping and curving as it extends out of the top of the body. I am pleased to see that they kept this satin so it's very quick and smooth under the hands. At the nut the profile is not too chunky with a pleasing slight squash to the back. Nut width comes in at 38mm and a string spacing of 30mm. Very comfortable.

The neck is topped with more rosewood which is in great condition and has an attractive taper where it reaches the sound hole. Like the USA model this has frets that sit in their own slots and don't reach the sides so there is no chance of fret sprout. I'm also delighted to see these are semi hemi dressed so are super smooth. You get those to a 14th body join and a total of 22, but clearly you won't be using all those upper half frets much. Pearl position dots face out at the 3rd, 5th, an owl inlay at the 7th, and dots againt at the 10th, 12th and 15th. Thankfully there are also white side dots. This is a very nice neck.

Beyond the bone nut is a the same simple curved top headstock shape holding the Kala logo in pearl set into the rosewood face plate. It looks classy.

The tuners are  a step down with unbranded open gears in black, but they work just fine and look decent too.

Finishing this one off are a set of Aquila strings but I am told that in the initial batch, dealers were switching these to Worth Brown and in fact all future UK deliveries of this model will come with that string set. Meh.. strings.. I don't mark scores up or down for that reason so you will go with what you like. Aside from that pickup you also get a very nice quality Kala branded gig bag. And the price... well, as I say I took some flak for calling the USA model expensive, but I can hardly do that here as when the next UK batch of these arrives they will be going for £399. I think that is a terrific price that really nicely follows that development ethos first envisioned by Pete Howlett for an easily reproduced model. £399 is very reachable for a lot of people!

As for availability - that first batch that went to SUS and WOU in the UK has gone, but I am told plenty more are coming!

So you can tell that I really rather like this one so far. Whilst it doesn't feel as 'hand finished' as the USA model it's really still very nice with no flaws in the build and finish that I can see. In fact that gloss finish is something I prefer and sets it off very nicely. The neck is wonderful and the whole thing feels nice in the arm and balances well too. It's not heavy either at 630g.

Basics first - volume and sustain. These are both great with the sustain in particular being very pleasing with the whole body and neck vibrating in the hands. No complaints from me.

Tone wise this is pleasing too with a richness and a fair bit of breadth to the range. Strummed it can create a nice bouncy jangle that is nice on the ear and with all individual strings clear in the mix with no muddiness or confusion. It's perhaps less wide ranging on tone than the Koa USA model is, but it's still rather nice. Fingerpicking is particularly nice with bell like chimes all the way up the very comfortable neck. It's very clear played this way too meaning no notes are getting lost and the sustain allows you to add some expression.  

Overall, it perhaps sounds a little more boxed in and less characterful than the more free sounding USA model, but remember that this is about a third of the asking price. More relevant is how it stands up to similar priced instruments and I think this punches well above the asking price. In fact when Kala told me the price I honestly thought I had mis-heard them. This knocks the socks off something like the considerably more expensive Enya Feather (if you want a similar construction comparison), but sounds just as good as some mid range traditional acoustic ukes. Oh, and the pickup works well too!

For me this is the natural development of the Howlett concept that I hoped would happen - taking the idea but making it available at a much more affordable price. In in that respect I think this beats the USA version for me when all things are considered. It's wonderfully built and finished, sounds and plays great and does those things at a level well above the four hundred quid asking price. I love this one. 

Very highly recommended!

https://kalabrand.com/collections/the-revelator-night-owl

UKULELE SPECS ROUNDUP

Model : Kala Revelator Night Owl

Scale: Tenor

Body: Solid Mango top, solid block Okoume back and sides

Bridge: Rosewood, slot bridge

Saddle: Bone

Spacing at saddle: 39mm

Finish: Gloss

Neck: Okoume, integral to body section

Fingerboard: Rosewood

Frets: 22, 14 to top of body

Nut: Bone

Nut width: 38mm, 30mm G to A

Tuners: Unbranded open gears

Strings: Aquila (soon to be Worth Brown)

Extras: Passive pickup, branded gig bag

Country of origin: China

Weight: 630g

Price: £399

UKULELE PROS

Great looks

Great build and finish

Gloss suits it well

Passive pickup (yay!)

Good volume and sustain
Clear rich tone

UKULELE CONS

Not much!

UKULELE SCORES

Looks - 9.5 out of 10

Fit and finish - 9.5 out of 10 

Sound 9 out of 10

Value for money - 9.5 out of 10

OVERALL UKULELE SCORE  - 9.4 out of 10

UKULELE VIDEO REVIEW

© Barry Maz

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