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Pros:
- Great tonewood
- Full sound
- Bargain price
Cons:
- Tuning issues
- High action
While you might want to dive right into the ukulele world and buy the highest quality instrument chances are at one point or another the rational part of your brain will tell you that spending hundreds on an instrument that you have no idea how to play on might be… not the best idea. Then you realize you want something more affordable and THEN you find an amazing thing that is a bundle deal.
After that, your world will never be the same (might be exaggerating a bit, but you get the point). Kala KA-15S Mahogany Soprano Ukulele Bundle is one of those bargain deals. Apart from offering good quality tonewood and nice sound, this model ships with some necessary accessories. So let’s talk a bit more about it.
Build
As you might have figured out from the name of this ukulele, it involved mahogany. More specifically, the entire body is mahogany. The choice of mahogany for this soprano guitar creates nice tone and volume while also allowing for some durability. The neck also features a walnut fingerboard. Some websites might state rosewood instead of walnut because that is actually what they used to use in manufacturing. So if you are getting a ukulele manufactured after February 2017 you will be getting a walnut fingerboard. The satin finish on the entire body allows the wood to breathe while also accentuating the traditional design and making the KA-15S look ridiculously beautiful.
Hardware & Bundle
Kala equipped KA-15S with chrome die-cast geared tuners and bone nut and saddle. Nubone is a dense synthetic material that usually goes very well with ukulele sound and tonality. The tuners are okay quality but there is an issue of inconsistency with tuning. In the beginning, you will have to tune quite a lot and while that is a pretty common occurrence with affordable ukuleles, it is still a bummer. This uke also ships with a bundle containing a gig bag, clip-on digital tuner, instructional DVD, as well as a polishing cloth.
This four-set accessory bundle is pretty common and standard but there are some people have issues with the instructional DVD. While for some people it completely does not work, others have said that it only gives a very basic instruction which, to be honest, is pretty true. That is why I usually do not care that much for the instructional DVD. There are so many free videos online that can teach you ABCs of ukulele and so much more. So if the DVD is an important part of this bundle for you, then you might be a bit disappointed. Apart from that, the padded gig bag is pretty decent quality and will do a good job of protecting your ukulele.
Kala KA-15S Sound
Now, let’s move on to the real reason why you should be getting a ukulele – the sound. Choice of all-mahogany body has its effect on the tone and sound, making it sweet and full of mellow lows. The tenor size also allows for great volume and good resonance. While the sound might not be as nuanced as on, let’s say, $200-300 ukuleles, it is still pretty great, especially for beginners. As I have mentioned, there are issues with tuning (pretty common) and the action might be a bit high for some people’s liking.
Conclusion
Kala is known for producing comfortable and good-quality entry-level ukuleles. Kala The Ka-15S Mahogany Soprano Ukulele along with its bundle has small issues with tuning and action but apart from that it is a beautifully crafted, easy-to-use, a gorgeous-looking instrument that will be an amazing first uke for any beginner.
Click here to view more from Best Ukulele for Beginners.
