KalaKA-PWT Pacific Walnut Tenor Ukulele

This review is for the Pacific Walnut Uke. This will sound like an exaggeration, but this little instrument has truly changed my life. In less than a week I am already scouring the Internet looking for so-called "hard" songs to play—I never dreamed that I could learn an instrument so quickly. I'm already crafting my own songs, playing and singing covers of my favorite tunes, investing in some equipment to plug this guy into an amp. I played my friend's cheap little soprano she bought and fell in love with the ukulele, but this—this is no toy, it is very much a serious instrument. It's tone is the perfect balance between warm and punchy, the included Aquila strings are a perfect match (full disclosure—I just ordered a Low G string set of strings to fill out the tone, but the included strings really are wonderful). The first hour of playing required constant tuning, but now it stays in tune so well that it barely needs any adjustments, even after sitting out all night.I spent a solid month researching ukuleles before I ultimately decided on this one. It looks so good with its matte finish and choice of materials. It doesn't feel cheap, but very light and solid and well balanced to boot. I never feel like I'm having to hold it up or adjust its position in my hands. The fret board is comfortable to play on, and I'm so thankful that Kala filed down the edges of the frets, which is something that isn't found in the product description (for any uke, for that matter).Tips:- Keep the box! It's minimal packaging makes for a perfect temporary case while you find the perfect gig bag for your new best friend.- Get some felt picks. They are the perfect tool for showing off the beautiful tone while keeping the sound consistent. It's also way easier to get an amazing sound than when I tried with my fingers.If you're considering other models, trust that this is the one you want. In this price range, you won't get the same tonal quality and perfectly executed features that this uke has.As far as criticisms go, my only gripe is very small—about .2mm small, to be precise. The strings are that much too high at the nut for my liking, which leads to pitch issues with barred cords played on the first two frets. To play a Gb/F#M cord requires way too much pressure to execute well and in tune. It's a simple fix if you have the right tools, but unfortunately I'll have to take it to a luthier to get it right where I want it.Despite that, I'm beyond thrilled with my purchase. If you have any questions I will be in my room strumming til the sun comes out.

My wife has an older Kala KA-S ukulele that is beautiful and nicely finished so I though I would buy a Kala Tenor ukulele since the brand had good ratings. Upon opening the box picking up the Kala we noticed that the fretboard felt very rough. I went ahead and tuned it up and played some cords when I noticed that my fingers felt like they had been sandpapered. Upon closer inspection we found this was due to scratches and cuts to my fingertips. We checked out the ukulele closely and found that the roughness we originally noticed was due to small very sharp burrs on all the metal frets. They were scraping and cutting my fingers as I was attempting to play the instrument. I can't believe any company would let such instrument out of their factory. I put it back in the box for return to Amazon. The scratches and cuts will heal but my impression of Kala ukuleles won't. Poor quality control. I'll be looking for another brand.

So this is my first ukulele so I don’t have too much to compare it to, i first purchased this uke in a concert size, which I liked but it has small in perfections and splinters, so I decided to return it, planning on buying another concert until I went to my local guitar shop and picked up a tenor uke and fell in love with the deeper sound it produced. So I decided to purchase the tenor version of this uke, unfortunately when I got it in I noticed a few things, like the fretboard had little chips of wood missing near the nut, and also that the fretboard was slightly too long so part of the sound hole was blocked. I thought maybe it was a kala thing, but when I went to my local shop all the kala ukuleles they carried were perfect. So I returned this uke and purchased the same exact model at my local shop and I couldn’t be happier, I played a couple different ukuleles while I was in the shop and for the price this was my favorite, great uke but it seems the batch that amazon got might have some qc problems.

Bad bad buzzz! I’m sooo bummed! I don’t blame Kala Ike’s, I blame the seller! I’ve been playing a soprano uke for years and was so excited to get a Tenor. My budget was $200 and I really trust the Kala name bc I’ve played them at Guitar Center before. But this particular Uke had a bad buzz. It wasn’t from a loose nut, no loose bridge, the action was fine, nothing loose, but there was a very bad buzzz on the C string.I even re-strung the string, and still! I know a uke master could probably find it, but since amazon is nice about returns, I got my money back.I blame the seller Everyday Merchant! They buy defective things like this and try to sell them on amazon! I mean they have nothing to lose! I don’t blame Kala.

I am very pleased with this purchase. I was upgrading from the Oscar Schmidt OU2E Concert ukulele. I wanted a tenor size one, and this Kala KA-PWT is an excellent choice. The ukulele is beautifully constructed, the wood grain is very interesting, the darker binding allows the surfaces to pop out, and the satin finish is preferable to gloss, in my opinion. The challenge finding this model was that many ukes at this level have a gloss finish and resemble guitars, but I find the traditional finish to be nicer. I would recommend this model to beginners and seasoned players alike. It is a good value and I like the fact that I could choose a wood besides mahogany. I am now sold on the Kala brand and plan to add a soprano and baritone to my collection at some point.Pros:Aquila nylgut stringsSatin finishWalnut as an exotic wood choiceExcellent tone and sustainLightweightBalanced center of gravity at base of neckCons:The fret edges are slightly sharp, but this is likely to lessen as it is played

I can recommend this Uke - I started learning to play when I was 68 just over two years ago when I purchased a small £35.00 uke. I must have fat fingers and struggled to hit the chords withourt overlapping the frets etc. After struggling for 12 months I upgraded to a £80.00 tenor uke and that was much better for me. Finally my wife bought me this lovely Kala for my 70th and it's great - looks nice and a soft melllow tone. I had nevr played an instrument before and with lots of practice can now knock out @ 200 tunes that sound half decent.

I’ve been playing ukulele for a few years, but have never spent a great deal on an instrument. I wanted to invest in a better uke, but didn’t have a lot of money to spend on something super fancy.After reading some reviews, I settled on this beauty, and I’m positive I made the right choice.The first thing I noticed was the the construction quality. It really is a good looking ukulele, and one that’s built to last.When I tuned up and started to play, I felt an immediate difference to my other ukes. The action is just about perfect out of the box, and it feels like a real joy to play.I noticed a huge step up in terms of tone and sustain, and for not that much more money. If you’re considering a ukulele in the £100-ish range, I’d encourage you to consider spending a little more for one of these.For the price, it’s really difficult to imagine a better purchase.

Moving from a Concert Ukulele to a Tenor Ukulele to accommodate my chubby fingers and this is a lovely instrument - Lovely sound, action and stays in tune well

I bought this as a move up from a Clearwater Concert Uke to give me a little more finger space and also a deeper fuller tone. I am really happy with the look and feel of this uke - nice low action too!

Great sounding ukulele. Good for all abilities