In recent years the ukulele has become an increasingly popular instrument among a wide variety of musicians and genres of music. The most common style of ukulele is of course the concert and soprano models which many artists have utilized in their acoustic stylings.
The ukulele is actually a great companion for the musician on the go as it is smaller than even most travel guitars and basses. For this musician though, the baritone ukulele has always been the hidden gem in the world of stringed instruments.
For me it started back when I was in college and came across a baritone ukulele in the local mom and pop music store that is long since closed. What attracted me to it was that it was tuned like the top half of the guitar, D - G - B - E.
Anyone who has ever seen me play guitar knows that I have trouble using my pinky and more often than not adapt my chords to avoid using it if and when possible. The baritone ukulele however made things a lot easier.
Now most musicians will tell you that it lacks the low end provided by the E and A strings that guitar comes standard with, but the truth is the baritone ukulele is much more versatile than people give it credit for.
This musician has found that like the concert and soprano ukulele's the Baritone model is capable of adapting to music styles, cover songs, and new arrangements. Eventually though, my no name ukulele gave way to wear and tear. The fingerboard is fairly eaten away from the use and abuse that 18 years of playing comes with.
It was time to get a new baritone ukulele but that no name I had for so many years had a resonance that really blew me away. I sincerely doubted that I would find another with that sweet spot that some instruments just naturally have.
It was at NAMM 2023 however that I came across the Kala booth. There they had a wide variety of ukulele's to choose from and encouraged us to try a few out.
Most of the models sounded fine and as always I found things to be a bit slim when it came to the baritone model. I got really excited when I saw arch top ukulele's but again my heart sank when I was informed that the baritone model did not come in that style.
Just when I was ready to give up and move on something interesting caught my eye. The bamboo line of ukulele's that Kala had on display.
This was something that caught my attention because though I had looked for new instruments and ukulele's specifically over the past year, bamboo was not a common choice for this style of instrument.
Normally we would see something in a mahogany, walnut, rosewood, even ebony and koa, but not bamboo. I had to give this thing a try, but would they have it in baritone?
Yes, they in fact did. I played around on it for a bit and went through my normal rendition of "Telephone Line" by ELO but with the hustle and bustle going on in the showroom I couldn't quite tell if this was the instrument or me.
A few months later I would pull the trigger and have the baritone model ordered from the awesome crew at Sweetwater Sound. As things would have it, the item had to be special ordered as it was not kept in stock normally, which again goes to show how out of the norm this model seems.
Once it arrived I gave it a tune up and was pleasantly surprised. The instrument feels and is quite solid as bamboo is known for its strength and durability. Another interesting things about the instrument is that it's smooth surface makes one wonder if the instrument has a gloss on it.
Bamboo has always had a unique texture to it and that remains true with this instrument. In this musicians opinion if feels like you're holding a freshly cut piece of wood.
The instrument itself is very comfortable to hold and feels sturdy enough to get a good grip on it. It does have a strap button on the bottom should you need a little extra support holding it which is a great feature to have on any stringed instrument.
The tonal qualities, are honestly great. The instrument has a very good mid range and treble when playing through the standard guitar tunes.
Will it give you all of the low ends that an acoustic guitar offers, of course not, but it will get the job done if you are just doing an acoustic set. The resonance is good and the instrument has enough sustain to get through ballads and even some faster pace tunes from the rock genre.
One thing that we noticed was that when playing up on the 12th frets and beyond the sustain tends to get lost. The notes are a bit more cut off that a guitarist might want but not so much that it ruins the quality of a song.
I don't think many people are picking up the ukulele to shred, tap or go on epic solo sections so I think the sustain on the high register is perfectly acceptable for the majority of players.
Is the instrument acoustic/electric? Sadly no but it does not stop me from enjoying it in any way.
The clarity of the notes on the wound/nylon strings are really pleasing to the ears and have actually set me out on a mission to create a small EP using only the bamboo baritone ukulele, Logic Pro X, and some plugins.
I had no actual intention of ever releasing an EP on the ukulele but noodling around on the bamboo model from Kala got me playing more and more tunes until I realized, "man enough of these sound good on the baritone Uke that I could put a small collection together."
So that is what is happening and I can tell you, this instrument is fun to play, a blast from beginning to end.
Would we recommend this to people, absolutely. The baritone ukulele is a great stepping stone for someone who wants to work their way up to guitar and is also great for anyone who travels but does not want to haul around a full size instrument or portable amp.
Kala really delivers with the Bamboo line of ukulele's and we encourage everyone to give them, and the baritone line a try. Will it be for everyone? Of course not, but most people will be really impressed with what this little instrument has to offer.
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