Kala KA-TRBG-S Solid Trembesi Electro Acoustic Soprano Ukulele in Gigbag

We are very impressed with this Kala KA-TRBG-S solid trembesi soprano ukulele. Trembesi is a new kid on the block in the world of tonewoods. We've seen it used sparingly by KoAloha in the past on some special issue ukuleles and not really much else that ukulele aficionados or enthusiasts would immediately know.

Trembesi is a variation of monkey pod and looks very similar and sounds very similar to acacia. It is grown in many hot climates around the world and makes for a good stiff wood with mellow tonal properties. The stiffness directly translates in the attack when you strum the ukulele which is clean and clear without being too loud or overdriven. This tenor ukulele likes arpeggios and you will love playing them on it... 

The high gloss finish accentuates the stiffness of your strum and brightens up the mellower sound of trembesi wonderfully... Kala have also spent a lot of time working on the headstock shape, creating the more rounded and instantly iconic looking 'horizon' design.

The neck on this ukulele is high gloss and feels much more refined than the more moderately priced Kalas. In my opinion, the biggest improvement on the classic Kala design is the feel of the neck which reminds me of Imuas, Ko'olaus and even some Japanese builders like Kiwaya and TkiTki.

The Kala metropolitan series has been quietly simmering behind the scenes for years now. Kala have made it their mission to offer a ukulele for every kind of player which has resulted in everything from the makala dolphin ukes for young beginners to artisan one off custom shop pieces manufactured in Petaluma, California...

The one thing they've always been missing is a ukulele that sits just above the average beginner/intermediate player's budget. They like to call it 'a ukulele series for fast developing players' and you can see why as this metropolitan series offers both solid mango and solid trembesi, Java Indonesian made ukuleles that meet the requirements of an advanced player.

For many moons, Pono have been at the forefront of the market with the similar pro classic series manufactured in the same country as these ukuleles. The similarities are undeniable but on closer inspection we found the body shapes of the tenors and baritones to be quite different. The Kalas have a pinched waist, creating more pronounced lower and upper bout widths and to my ear a slightly better 'ring' to the sound.

We know lots of people are looking for a gig ready soprano so we took the liberty of installing a double pickup in this ukulele so its ready for anything!

Specification:
Solid trembesi top, back and sides
Ebony fretboard and heel cap
Indian rosewood bridge
Mahogany neck, satin finish
NuBone nut and saddle
Open back Grover machine heads
Clear nylon high G strings
Binding to top and back
34mm nut width, with 27mm G to A string spacing
345mm scale length
High quality 20mm padded gigbag with shoulder strap included
Double undersaddle pickup fitted by us w/Soundhole controls

Please note that the Metropolitan series initially launched as the Skyline series so some of our online media may refer to the model by an earlier name.