Kala KA-ASZCT- ST XL Tenor Ukulele - REVIEW

Back with a well known ukulele brand this week, and a model that was released a couple of years back but has eluded me until now. This is the Kala KA-ASZCT-ST XL Tenor Ukulele.

Quite the garbled naming code there I am sure you will agree though there is some method in the madness as it's referring to the use of solid tonewoods which I will come on to below. The XL is the bit that intrigues me as this isn't just a tenor ukulele with a 'big butt', but rather is billed as a halfway house ukulele between a tenor and baritone. It has a slightly  bigger body than most tenors but also a scale length of about 19 inches (very slightly under) which IS what I would class as baritone. Interesting.

SUMMARY VIDEO REVIEW

And as I say above we are talking all solid tonewoods on this model with a pairing of spruce for the top and ziricote for the back and sides. They pair really well with the uber pale spruce contrasting with the chocolate brown ziricote to great effect. It uses two pieces for the top, back and sides with the sides complemented by the decoration I come on to below. The woods look great with tight straight grained spruce with some bear claw going on and really interesting almost mottled swirly ziricote. I love the look of this one even if we have seen this pairing of pale spruce with darker backs many times before. It's extremely clean looking.

The bridge is a pretty standard Kala tie bar affair, but hey.. they work. It's made from Indian rosewood and has some decorative trim where the strings tie. It could be a touch smoother, but I have seen a lot worse. Sitting in that is a straight topped NuBone saddle. String spacing here is 39mm.

The decoration is really rather classy too with real flamed maple bindings to the top and back trimmed with black purfling and a tail and back stripe done in the same manner which really sets the ziricote off.  The sound hole gets a simple black edged ring which is also quite understated and contrasts better with the spruce than abalone would have done. The body is then satin finished which is nicely done with no flaws, pooling or mess. It all comes together for a very attractive looking uke.

Inside is pretty standard but tidy. Notched linings and the braces are not too thick.

The neck is made from mahogany in three pieces (with well hidden joints) and is pleasingly finished in satin. Whilst it is your typical far eastern profile at the nut, I'm delighted to see a 38mm nut width and spacing of 30mm which make it very comfortable for my hands.

That is topped with more dark Indian rosewood for the fingerboard which looks to be in decent nick. It's edge bound to hide the fret ends and they are nicely dressed back such that I can't feel a single one. You get 19 of those joined at the 14th and outward and side pearl dots at the 5th, 7th, 10th, double 12th and 15th. A nice neck indeed.

For this one we get a slot head which I really like on larger ukuleles. I looks to be veneered with more ziricote which is layered giving a nice striped effect in the slots. The Kala logo is inlaid in what looks like pale wood. 

The tuners are side mounted open gears branded 'Kala'. I am not sure of the origin of them, but they are very smooth and have a great ratio.

And finishing it off are a set of strings and nothing else. I think the lack of a gig bag is a very obvious omission in this day and age. Strings wise, in stock (as this is) I believe they come with rectified nylon for strings 1-3 and a wound low G. However some stores (like SUS as I recall) may be selling these with Aquila so do check what you are getting. Either way, C tuning on an increased scale length will mean great string tension and no chance of a flabby low G! For that you are looking at an RRP of about £490 which I think is a bit much considering the lack of bag. Thankfully retail seem to more sensible and if you shop around you can find these for £400 - £420 or so which is a bit better. Yes, it's all solid wood that I haven't got much complaint with, but that is quite a competitive price point.

But as I say, this is a ukulele I am liking very much both on build / finish, but also the classy looks.  It's a bigger than average tenor but still not overly heavy at 800g and balances very nicely when held too. Setup is also great on this example.

I don't mind admitting that when I knew this was arriving I wasn't expecting to be that blown away. It is, after all, quite a trad ukulele (bar that scale) with a lot of spruce real estate on the top. What actually happened when I played it though was a really pleasant surprise because I fell in love with the sound immediately.

Basics first and the volume and sustain are both excellent. It's a very punchy ukulele with minimal effort and a sustain that goes on and on and vibrates into your chest. Really lively.

But if you are expecting overly zingy and bright this is not what you are getting. Instead I find the tone really well balanced, direct down the mids and really, really clear. It gives me the impression I am playing a bari, perhaps with the sustain, but in the regular tenor key which gives it more crispness and 'ukulele sound' than some baritones have. I find a lot of baritones can get a bit boomy and muddy when played strummed, but there is not a hint of that here. In fact you get very clear ukulele 'jangle' that doesn't lose footing. And despite all that spruce, as I say it's much more balanced on tone that I had expected.

Fingerpicking is similarly clear and direct and a joy to play with that string spacing. It's wonderfully pretty and with that sustain you can add bags of character to your melodies. 

So, as I say, VERY pleasantly surprised. This is great looking and terrific sounding instrument that has a tone that is right up my street and terrific punch. Yes I think for the price i'd want a little more (just a nice bag really), but these are nice solid woods. 

I've fallen for this one! Very much a Got A Ukulele recommendation! And thanks to Kala UK for the loan!

https://kalabrand.com/

UKULELE SPECS ROUNDUP

Model: Kala KA-ASZCT-ST

Scale: XL tenor

Body: Solid spruce top, solid ziricote back and sides

Bridge: Rosewood tie bar

Saddle: Nubone

Spacing at saddle: 39mm

Finish: Satin

Neck: Mahogany

Fingerboard: Rosewood

Frets: 19, 14 to body

Nut: NuBone

Nut width: 38mm, 30mm G to A

Tuners: Kala brand open gears

Strings: Rectified nylon on 1-3, wound low G

Weight: 800g

Country of origin: China

Price: Circa £420 retail (£489 RRP)

UKULELE PROS

Very classy looks

Great build and finish

Comfortable neck

Great volume

Superb sustain

Balanced clear tone

UKULELE CONS

Maybe gloss would set off the ziricote more?

Wot no gig bag?

UKULELE SCORES

Looks - 9.5 out of 10

Fit and finish - 9 out of 10

Sound - 9.5 out of 10

Value for money - 8.5 out of 10

OVERALL UKULELE SCORE - 9.1 out of 10

UKULELE VIDEO REVIEW

© Barry Maz

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