This Kala KA-FMTGE-C is a good option for someone stepping up from beginner level ukes, and wanting a ukulele with more tone and a lot more visual appeal than their existing instrument. This electro tenor incorporates a Shadow active pickup, is fitted with Aquila strings and has a very pleasant mixture of woods, highlighted by a high gloss finish. It has a very big, bold tone acoustically, and of course, the electrics offer you more flexibility and the ability to recreate the uke's natural brightness through an amp.

The top of this Kala electro tenor is solid spruce, with a nice, regular grain and creamy yellow tone to it. Around the soundhole is a nice abalone rosette, and there is lovely wooden binding seperating the solid spruce top from the laminate spalt maple back and sides. Spalted maple produces very interesting visual effects, with no uke the same - giving not just good looks, but unique ones too. To cap things off, there are very robust closed geared tuners, a high grade rosewood fingerboard and 18 well finished frets.

This is a loud uke, with very good projection and a clear bright voice. There is still some body to it, and it isn't too bright - but that clear, ringing brightness is very much the key element in the Kala KA-FMTGE-C's voice. It is nice when strummed, with plenty of volume and attack, but the clarity of tone and the cutaway design lend itself to fingerpicking too.