20th Anniversary Solid Koa Top African Mahogany Baritone Ukulele with Bag

I highly recommend this mid-level priced baritone ukulele costing less than $700, despite its shortcomings, as follows:

Caveat: I’m a utilitarian & not a bling collector. Hence, my priorities are based on gigging performance, playability, & tonal qualities. I was attracted to the Koa top w/African mahogany solid woods combination for unique warmer tonal qualities. My Kala is #62 that may have been made in April 2025 (2504) & purchased directly from Kala Brand Music online on 09/08/2025 (see photo).

Pro/Con:

Craftsmanship: 4.5/5 stars since some excess glue oozed out of the internal tail block joint during assembly. Other than that, the factory craftsmanship was superb, similar to highly custom luthiers.

Playability: 5/5 stars. Superior comfort bevel for right arm and optimum neck thickness for left hand comfort. The comfort bevel allows hours of pain free arm playing. The neck thickness is not overly thick like Pono ukuleles or too thin like Kanilea ukuleles. It’s just right. No fret spurs & had low action.

Sound: 4.5/5 stars. The warm tonal sweet sound is very much like the old recordings and not found in any mid-level ukulele I’ve played so far. Many entry & mid-level ukuleles concentrate on having the loudness and quick pops like modern digital sound systems, but it’s rare to find a mid-level ukulele with an old time warmth like the old Martin’s or present day Kamaka’s. This attribute is why I’m keeping this baritone ukulele despite not sounding loud enough…

I'll start by saying I have owned alot of Kala models since their debut 20 years ago. Some I kept others I moved on from to try other brands and models. But I've always come back to owning another Kala ukulele. Just prior to purchasing this lovely 20th Anniversary Baritone, I had purchased a Kala Contour Series Baritone with the Solid Spruce top and Solid Rosewood back and sides and quickly became a favorite and will remain a part of my Baritone regiment forever. The 20th Anniversary with it's superb select Solid Hawaiian Top and equally superb African Mahogany Back and sides not only present as among the most stunningly beautiful instruments, but the tone evokes that traditional Baritone sound with unequalled sweetness . It compliments my Spruce top Contour Baritone which is brighter with the Koa's deeper and richer tone. My 20th anniversary and Contour Series Spruce Top Baritones two most favorite and equally #1 all Solid-Wood Baritones I have ever owned.

These are already sold out, I think I got the last one available on Kala's website. But a few New ones are showing up sparingly on a few different Kala Dealer websites and selling quickly when they appear. These 20th Anniversary models are instant collectibles and I will have mine forever!

Well, after selling some of my other ukuleles this summer it did not take long to find a new member of my collection. l sold off my Kala Uke Like the Pros Baritone model and the 20th Anniversary Solid Koa African Mahogany Baritone was the perfect replacement. The tone, the comfort, the look of the instrument are all great selling points. Still learning but in the few sessions of practice l couldn't be happier with this. Kala continues to impress and now two of my favorites to play are Kala Brand.