This Kala KA-AMHG-ST model, with a size between a regular tenor and a baritone, looks perfectly nice. It’s not amazingly exotic, but it’s neat and tidy, with an attractive slotted headstock and pleasant curves. While mahogany is often fairly plain to look at, and you could say the same here, the maple binding really lifts it and adds a nice contrast. The gold-coloured hardware, which can look a bit much on more glamourous ukes, fits the bill here.

With it’s low G fitted, you get some added warmth to the mix, which is accentuated by the natural tones of the mahogany. With a satin finish, the sound is free, woody, earthy and natural-sounding. The scale, which is longer than a regular tenor, gives a little more tension, helping the wound low G to ring out with greater control. Crucially though, it adds clarity to the D’addario nylon strings, allowing them to compete with the low G better and provide a nice balance when fingerpicking.

Kala call the KA-AMHG-ST an ‘XL tenor’. To be honest, anything would be better than calling it a ‘KA-AMHG-ST’. Clunky name aside, with an all-solid mahogany body and nice quality geared tuners (which is important given the extra tension), this model definitely gives an XL-sized slice of value.

With a larger body and longer scale comes a wider, 38mm nut width, which seems in keeping with everything else and certainly feels comfortable. With all of the proportions increasing proportionately (note to self, must get a thesaurus!), it all feels very natural. 

I will confess to being wrong with this model. Having seen and failed to decipher its awkward name, I was misled by its ‘nice-but-normal’ looks into thinking it would be a middle of the road option, perhaps brought to the market as a quirky instrument to appeal to collectors who already have one of every other size. That is not the case. When you actually play it, it makes perfect sense. The low G and large body giving you close to the depth of a baritone. The extra tension making melodies sound clear and crisp like a tenor. It brings these two aspects together really well, and at an affordable price.

At the bottom of this page you can find common extras like fitted low G strings and strap button fitting.