Ukulele Underground Biggest Loser Winner

January 9, 2012 at 5:34 pm | Posted in Kala | 7 Comments
Tags: Giveaway, posts, uke, ukulele

Every so often I get inspired to help people, and honestly I did very little in this instance. I reviewed this Kala Thin Line soprano a while ago and had the funny idea that UUBL (Ukulele Underground Biggest Loser) contest should have it as the grand prize. I thought it was funny that since it is thinned out uke that the ukulele player that did the same should have it. I told Kala about the contest and they thought it was great, and here we are with Andy holding his new Kala.

Congrats Andy and the rest of the losers (I mean that in a good way) for losing a combined 325.9 LB!!

And thank you Kala for donating it to the contest.

__________________________________________________

Ukeeku.com Going Acoustic Video Challenge

January 4, 2012 at 2:55 am | Posted in Cooperstand, Eleuke, General, Giveaway, Kala | 21 Comments
Tags: Electric, Giveaway, jamming, Play, posts, uke, ukulele

The contest is DONE!! 162 entities!! Winner will be announced soon.

Here is link to all but 1 entry

Welcome one and all the first video contest that Ukeeku.com has ever held, and like many other things it is being done a little differently.

Small Rule Change

The premise is simple; take a classically electric song (Guitar, Keyboard, violin, digiereedo…) and do it on an acoustic uke. Simple right?
RULES:

You can use as many instruments as you like, the acoustic uke has to be the prominent instrument
Any style (Blues, rock, country, metal, punk, hip-hop…)
Sung, instrumental, mimed, signed…..
You can enter as many songs as you like, with as many people as you like
Either say, have a sign that says, or some nice intro screen ”Ukeeku.com Acoustic Challenge 2012″
Enter by Posting your video Here, it is on Ukuleleunderground.com’s Forum *This CHANGED Jan 11,2012
Submitted by February 14, 2012 midnight Central Time
everyone can enter, if you live in the CONUS I pay shipping. Outside of that we split it.

Judging:
Yes I will judge you, along with some other people that I deem impartial. THIS IS NOT A POPULARITY CONTEST. It does not matter how many views you have or how “cool” you might be. We are going to choose the best video based on song, composition, video editing, and all that jazz. A simple video is nice if done well. Be creative, lively, and just have fun.

Prizes:
One Grand prize winner wins: Eleuke acoustic (EAS-C), Kala Round-about amp, Zoom A2.1U Acoustic Pedal, Cooper Stand, G7th Ukulele Capo. Worth roughly $550 US

What about the losers? Sorry I mean runners up. What do you get? I always feel bad for those that put their hearts and souls into videos and go away empty handed. So everyone else will be entered into a random drawing (1 Entry per song) for the other Eleuke acoustic…and a ton of other things like other stands and cases, shirts, and things I may get at NAMM 2012.

Go crazy and spread the word.

__________________________________________________

Kala Design The Next Ukadelic Contest

September 30, 2011 at 8:29 pm | Posted in Events, General, Giveaway, Kala, Projects | 3 Comments
Tags: DIY, Giveaway, home made, Kala, learning, posts, uke, ukulele

Just got an e-mail from Kala about this. Figured I would share.

Kala is doing something that I think is really groovy. They asking you to design the next Ukadelic Uke.
Here are the quick Rules:
-Be a Kala Facebook fan.
-Email all artwork to joy@kalaukulele.com
-Information on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kala-Ukulele/34868244956#!/pages/Kala-Ukulele/34868244956?sk=wall
-Contest ends October 31, 2011
-You can get the templates from their Facebook Page (E-mail me if you want my vector template)

What you win:
-3 of your Ukadelics with your design
-They add your design to the Ukadelics that they sell.
-they mention you as the designer

I have a couple of ideas that I am not submitting, But I can dream right?

A take on my UITW logo, and my logo. I put my logo on everything

Good Luck, and make sure to tell them that you saw the contest on Ukeeku.com when you submit your designs.

__________________________________________________

Kala Round About Amp Review

May 4, 2011 at 2:04 pm | Posted in Amp, Kala, Reviews | 6 Comments
Tags: Amp, Full review, jamming, Kala, posts, review, uke, ukulele

How many amps can you think of that are marketed specifically to the ukulele players? I only know of one and it is the Kala Round About. Sure there are plenty of acoustic amps that work with a ukulele, HERE is a great thread on Ukulele Underground.

Kala was nice enough to send me the Round About when they sent the travel soprano that I reviewed last February, and I have been playing with it ever since. (Sorry to have it so long Rick) I have tried it with every ukulele that can plug into it, and my Martin guitar also. The current list is a soprano Risa solid, the Eleuke Acoustics I recently reviewed, and a Eleuke solid.

I did this as close to my regular reviews as I could, but since some things don’t apply, like intonation, I made some small changes.

Specs:

Kala Round About Amp
Output: 10 amps
Speaker: 5″ 8 Ohm
Input Jack
Headphone Jack
Volume (Master)
Treble Control
Bass Control
Power Switch
Full Specs:
http://www.kalaukulele.com/Amp.asp

Looks

First look: (5) When I saw the Round About for the first time it was at summer NAMM last year and thought they looked really fun. The tweed caught my eye the most. it is so old school rock that I had to check it out. It looks so simple and fun. I was skeptical of its size, it is only 10″ tall, but is seemed like it could be fun.

Fit and Finish: (4) This thing is cute and all and there are no cosmetic issues with it. it is tight as can be with nothing out of place or crooked. My issue is that 1. I can’t see what is inside of it. The screws are for decoration. I like to know what is inside. This is the first amp I have had that does not come apart. Also I am not a fan of an attached cord. Being a computer nerd I have a ton of those 3 prong cords and I like the fact that I can pull them off of my other amps and throw them in a gig bag and not worry about having to wrap it up around the amp.

Sound:

Sound Type: Clear. Since you only have treble and bass, it is really simple to balance out the sound. Wish it had some effects or chorus to play with.

Volume: (5) It is a practice amp and does not need to make your ears bleed. I did turn it all the way up and it did great. gets loud enough to piss my wife off and make the dog run away.

Final Thoughts

If I read one more thing about how it is the same as this, I will scream. It is twice the power and not run on batteries. Yes it is going to be twice as much, it is twice the amp! Yes they are both round and have similar knobs, but that about all they have in common.

As I see it, it is a good practice amp or something that you would bring onto a small stage to be heard. I like how simple it is to use, no fiddling with tone and gain to get a nice clean sound. If you want to change the sound then get a Zoom pedal like this one. I used it several times and found that it sounded better coming out of the Kala amp than my little Fender Frontman 15. mainly because It was just a clean sound and did not distort the pedal at all.

Could you buy a cheaper amp? Yes.
Would it look as cool? No.
If you bought it would you be happy? Yes, for sure

All Rating on a scale of 1-5
Click here for an explanation of reviews

First Look	5
Fit and Finish	4
Sound Type	clear
Volume	5

Places to buy on the web:

Amazon – $89
Kala - $89

Gallery:

__________________________________________________

Kala Travel Soprano (KA-SSTU) Full Review

February 9, 2011 at 4:54 am | Posted in General, Kala, Soprano | 11 Comments
Tags: Full review, Kala, Laminate, posts, review, Solid, uke, ukulele

When I travel I take a ukulele with me everywhere, usually it is one I am reviewing. I find the uke a great instrument to travel with since it is so small, so that begs the question; a travel uke? Really? Isn’t it small enough? And I would say yes, but……It could be smaller.

I had to convince Kala to let me review this uke. I have been lusting after one since I played my friend Alex’s when I went to Ukin’ in the woods last October. As a side note, Alex had the one with a working compass in the head. But really this is a thing of wonder to play and I feel that people should know about it. Of all the ukes that Kala makes, this is the one that sets them apart from all others. And so I don’t get slammed, yes I know they make the pocket uke, and it is cute, but not nearly as playable as the travel ukes.

Read the review and feel free to tell me what you think in the comments below.

Specs:
Soprano : 12 Fret (Most have 14)
Tuners: Machine Tuners with Black Buttons
Nut & saddle: Bone
Top: Paper Thin Solid Spruce
Sides: Laminate Mahogany
Back: Arched Laminate Mahogany
Neck: Mahogany with a Rosewood fret board
String Attachment: Tie
Finish: Matte
Case: Fitted and Padded Gig Bag
Full Specs:
http://kalaukulele.com.mytempweb.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=KA-SSTU

Looks

First look: (5) From far away you will wonder what you are seeing. When you get up close you will think it is a joke, a really well made and pretty joke. Then you play it and know that Kala is not kidding. It looks like a high end uke that someone mis-measured the sides and went with it.

Fit and Finish: (5) I get wet when I see an arched back with no bracing. The crazy part is that it is not the most sexy part. The top is about half as thick as any uke I have ever seen. Also it has binding everywhere (Body, neck, bridge, and butt). Also the matte finish still brings out the mahogany on the sides and back. The last thing is that no matter how hard you look it has no glue marks. I don’t know who makes these for them in China, but man they have great quality control.

Sound:

Sound Type: LOUD and clear. Don’t let the size fool you. If you buy one so you can play at

Compared to a sopranino

night while your wife sleeps you will never play it. It is louder than many “regular” ukes I have played.

Intonation: (4) It tunes fine and is dead on at the 12^th fret, the nut is a little high so playing and A or F can go weird since the strings go sharp when you press all the way down to the fret board.

Volume: (5) Loud is a word that comes to mind. It is thin but the arched back and paper thin top make this thing a beast.

Sustain: (5) Long and nice. The thin top really helps to let it ring.

Feel:

String Height: (medium) The Nut could be lowered and it would help the intonation.

Neck Radius Depth: (5/8″) C shape. May be the only thing with a normal thickness.

Frets: (5) I have said this before, And I will say it again, a bound fretboard is the way to go. Period

Tuning: (5) I use to be all down on machine tuners, but these are really nice and small and do the job really well. I think friction tuners would be weird since it would make the head thicker than the body.

Comfort: (4) Very light and all the edges are rounded like they should be. My issues are in holding it. Since it is thin and the bridge is pushed back a bit to make it shorter there is not as much room to hold it with your arm. I find myself having to prop it on my belly and having my arm come up from the bottom so I don’t mute the strings with my forearm. Beyond that it is great.

Sound Hole Smell: Glue, sorry

Final Thoughts

The winning combination of a solid spruce top and laminate sides make this ukulele one of my top 5 ukes that I tell people to buy, and not just as a travel uke. Kala is one of the few companies that have made the ukulele their focus and they have so many great ukes to choose from. The U-bass is amazing but the travel ukes are just as innovative.

It is easy for me to write good reviews, I can make them very flowery and nice, but I truly feel this is the real deal. Sure you can get other solid tops for less but you would be hard pressed to find one of this quality and that sounds this good. Enough of my gushing, just buy one and you will love it.

All Rating on a scale of 1-5
Click here for an explanation of reviews

First Look	5
Fit and Finish	5
Sound Type	LOUD and clear
Intonation	4
Volume	5
Sustain	5
String Height	Medium
Neck Radius Depth	5/8″
Frets	5
Tuning	5
Comfort	4
Sound Hole Smell	Glue