gathering thoughts on the kala elite super tenors. How are they overall? Any tonal differences that are worth the cost vs traditional tenor?
I love the sound samples from what I’ve seen on the HMS, but wanted to chat to any owners out there. Has it been worth it during your ownership? Is it one of your “go-to” ukes?
Just so that we are on the same page, I'm assuming that by super tenor, you mean an instrument with a tenor sized body and a 19" scale neck?
Is this correct?
Do you intend to play it tuned GCEA, or DGBE?
I have baritones with 19" scale necks and I like them tuned DGBE. Any time I have played a baritone tuned GCEA, I've never really liked it much.
Too tight.
I don't have a super tenor, but I have a Kala Elite tenor and can speak to their quality. Of my several ukes, it's 2nd only to my Ono custom instrument. I have different things I like about all of my instruments, but in particular the Kala elite is loud, has great full tone, and feels nice to play if I just had to choose a few attributes in particular. That being said I'd buy a Revelator from Kala now if I had the funds.
OK, I did a bit of research and found that a Kala elite super tenor is basically a 19" scale baritone. The body is larger than a standard tenor.
I have a couple of instruments this size. Again, I like them tuned DGBE, but personally not such a fan of them being tuned GCEA.
If you look at my signature you will see I own a LfdM 19" super tenor. I have had this tuned from GCEA to DGBE and everything in between, B and B flat are very nice. Tuned GCEA the tension can be on tight side but it doesn't bother me. I developed this instrument with Luis (the builder) to be tuned B or B flat, it has a deeper body then his standard tenors. It is loud with lots of sustain and projection.
Tuned DGBE is it's weak spot. The tension is too low at 19" scale length and the body too small, it works but a standard baritone is better at that tuning. Kamaka and Kanile'a make 19" super tenors so there is a market for them
To summarize I think of a 19" tenor as an outlier. It can give you more volume at the cost of higher string tension. It does work very well tuned lower to B or B flat, if you like a warm mellow tone. As DGBE it's not as effective as a standard baritone but does work. So it can be versatile if you are willing to experiment with strings.........a lot!!!
I have both a Kala Elite Myrtle tenor and a Cocobolo Super Tenor and can echo some of the sentiments expressed above. My Kala Elite is the best tenor I've had the good fortune to lay hands on and the one by which all other ukes are judged, chosen from an impressive selection of ukes, including all the K Brands, etc. It's The One.
I've only had the Cocobolo a short time, so very little experimentation has been done, but it sounds fantastic tuned GCEA and Bb. I haven't taken it down to DGBE (I prefer higher tension). Sounded great with the stock Worth Browns (unwound low G) and with the current set of (wound low G) Aquila Reds. While all I really care about is the sound, what needs to be said about the Cocobolos (I assume the rest are as mine) is they are absolutely meticulously crafted. It's a stunning build; as good, but probably better than anything I've ever seen. Only call out is they are quite heavy; I'm not sure what kind metal the truss rod is made of, but it adds some serious weight; as does the somewhat oversized headstock.
