KalaKA-SMHT Solid Mahogany Tenor Ukulele

I've been playing for 5 months now and had a beginner laminate tenor uke(which was perfect for me at the start). After I convinced myself this ukulele thing was not just a fad, I decided to treat myself to a long term uke. Word on the street is that a solid uke sounds better over time. You can read the rest of the review below, but in short this uke sounds/resonates better than my laminate(which is an obvious change), but there one specification I did not notice until AFTER I purchased this. The neck/fretboard is thicker than my other ukulele. After playing this uke after a day I realized my left hand was more comfortable gripping the frets. I have big hands(I can palm a basketball). Even though ukes are small, light and delicate I guess I like the idea of grabbing the uke with a little force. I think most websites for every well known company has these kinds of specs. I would look for these things. It was not a spec that I initially thought of looking at. Even then the size of this uke is almost identical to most tenor ukes, this neck is at least quarter inch thicker than my laminate. Don't mean to harp on this, but I'm trying to address something unique that I have not seen mentioned before just in case it might help someone in my situation.I spent a couple weeks online and reading up on on ukuleles. I knew I wanted a solid wood uke, but agonized over simply trying to determine what kind of wood I should get. I was not privy to all the uke lingo I was reading about and hearing on Youtube reviews("bright sound", "jangly"). After so much research and review reading, I decided that anything Solid would be a sound improvement than what I had, but I did narrow it down to mahogany as a good wood that would bring out a little more bass than treble. I have a deep voice and thought it would compliment me better. I considered Oscar Schmidt & Cordoba's solid models. I probably would have been happy with those as well based upon the upgrade. I chose the Kala simply because it was priced right, had good reviews and looked more unique than the others. I'm a sucker for next slotted neck...It has been a week since I received this uke and it has taken while for the strings to keep in tune, much longer than expected. However, it resonates so good. Uke on!

I have had this uke home now for a little less than a week and I love it. I decided to buy this uke because we bought our kids a Makala (made by Kala) shark soprano ukulele for Christmas and I have ended up playing it way more than the kids!! I loved playing their uke so much in fact that I had to upgrade and get my own. After much deliberation, I chose the Kala SMHT.One thing that I think is important to note is that this tenor uke does have the slotted headstock (different than the pic on Amazon), which I prefer. The photo right now just shows regular gear tuners. I sent an email to the seller (Liquid Inc) and they responded that it was the same uke that can be found on Kala's website (with the slotted headstock).The wood looks nice, nothing mind blowing or fancy, but its a simple look which i preferred. The uke sounds good and is much easier to play than the soprano. I am 6'4" with big long fingers and the extra space on the fretboard has been a big improvement from the soprano. I've noticed I can get a lot more variation on the tone with this uke, and I'm not sure if its because of the solid wood or the larger frame (probably a combination of both). I searched around and did a lot of study online before choosing this uke, and I feel like I made a good choice. I feel this uke is a really good value for a solid wood uke at this price.I've had a few days now to take a careful inspection of the uke and overall pretty good construction at this price point. If I get really, really, really nit picky I can name a couple tiny details that are not perfect, but like I said, overall I am very satisfied with the quality of construction.I would recommend this uke to anyone looking for a solid wood uke that sounds great, has simple looks, and is on a budget :-)

This review isn't about the quality of Kala ukuleles. Unfortunately, Kala has made two versions of the ka-smht model, both are solid mahogany top, sides and bottom, but they are quite different ukuleles. One version costs $279, has cutout tuners, lighter color mahogany, and a beautiful tortoise shell binding. The other model costs $222, has solid neck tuners, is much darker, and has black and white binders. Both can be found surfing the internet and here on Amazon. I'm definitely partial to the $279 model, which I ordered. As you might have guessed by now, I received the $222 model. I have returned it and won't try to reorder. Will now probably go for the Kala ka-amhg-st super tenor. For my previous purchase, I used a gift card from Amazon. Don't know if they will return that to me.

I was so disappointed when I first strummed my new ukulele. The sound was muddy and muffled, and the strings felt sloppy. Total bummer!I poked around on some ukulele forums, and learned that many players don’t like Aquila strings for solid mahogany ukuleles, and prefer fluorocarbon strings (fishing wire type material). I changed over to a set of Martin fluorocarbons, and immediately improved sound quality and the feel of the strings (I realize this is subjective and your mileage may vary). The ukulele is still on the mellow side (for a ukulele), but now it really sings!I love the way this ukulele looks as well. Not overly flashy, but it's handsome with subtle flair from the tortoise shell binding and slotted head stock.In short, this is a nice warm and mellow sounding ukulele that is fun to play. But seriously consider changing the strings... and adding strap buttons if that’s your thing.

Having carefully examined the uke I would say this is the best finished one I have boughtVery true neck and fretting with a nice comfortable actionGood value for the price

Love this ukulele stays in tune and sounds great

Beautiful sound. I Love it !! Heads up ! - Doesn't look like the Amazon pic, but it is a genuine KA-SMHT, with a plain head instead of slotted. Also a much darker colour. Came with D'Addario titanium strings instead of the Aquila Super Nylgut as advertised.

The ukulele on the right was my first, good beginner ukulele, but as I decided to get serious about learning, I needed to upgrade to a better quality instrument. After searching many reviews, this one was considered by many as the best value under $1,000. Have had it over a month now, and I've noticed a change in the sound as the strings have bedded in, it's more mellow. So, yes I'm extremely happy with my purchase, and I go back and play my original ukulele, just to appreciate the difference in sound. Would I recommend this instrument, you bet.

The product was sent by central music canada.It arrived much much earlier than the expected date.KA-SMHT sounds great. It has very warm vibration that lasts long in the body. Worth the price.