This Kala KA-ASAC-B baritone ukulele is a real beauty in more ways than one. The all solid golden acacia body gives a great big warm, woody tone, while the wood itself is gorgeous to look at, with an almost 3d effect. The satin finish helps to bring out the strong, richly patterned grain of the wood, which is complemented by lovely herringbone binding. The smooth rosewood fingerboard has very nice inlaid position markers at the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 12th and 15th frets - with dots on the neck too. With a beautifully finished slotted headstock too, this really is a uke that looks wonderful.

The sound produced by the KA-ASAC-B's solid body and DGBE Aquila strings is deep, rich and warm. While that warmth is the dominant feature, the treble notes stand out well. Perhaps slightly unusually for a baritone ukulele, this KA-ASAC-B seems to really lend itself to fingerpicking and melodies, as well as strumming. It sounds lovely further up the scale too - so this is a uke that would lend itself to an advanced player, not afraid to venture further up the fretboard.

Kala's KA-ASAC-B features vintage style Grover geared tuners, which are very effective. Although just a minor point, even the feel of the metal buttons is smooth and pleasant - as is the satin finish on the mahogany neck. Overall, this is quite an expensive baritone uke - but when you play one, you can at least see where that money has been spent.