Kala15S Satin Mahogany Spruce Top Ukulele (KA-15S-S)

I know this is more about personal experience with a uke in general than it is about the actual product, but I will get to that, also. I had been trying in vain to learn guitar, and one of my main problems is that my hands are too small to chord properly. That's why I first went looking for a ukulele. I heard that for one, with a smaller neck, and only four strings, it eliminates that issue. Two, it's easier to feel strumming patterns. I don't know if that's true for everyone or not, but it sure has been for me! Three, they're just so darn cute!So after a TON of research, reading reviews, product specs, etc, I settled on this one. It was affordable; and I LOVE the finish. Plus, it comes with aquila strings on it, so I didn't have to restring it immediately. I could focus on learning how to play the instrument before having to figure that out.It arrived a day earlier than the original delivery estimate, first off. Which was good, because I wanted it SOOOOO bad! When I pulled it out of the box, it was so much better than I thought it was going to be! The finish is spectacular! It's a matte finish, so that you can see the beautiful mahogany. The sound is perfect. Like I said, I did a lot of research before buying. One of the things I did was search comparison videos on youtube. Although there were some ukes that topped the sound, the cost was enough of a drawback that I can honestly say that within this price range, there is NO comparison!!I love that I have been able to just pick this thing up and play within a couple of hours. I couldn't do that with a guitar no matter how hard I tried!!All in all, it has been a VERY good little instrument for me so far. As a side note, I purchased a uke tuner from a different seller, and it hasn't arrived yet, so I used my sister-in-law's guitar tuner. I didn't even know you could do that, but it worked! I guess no matter what the range of the instrument, g will always be g, c will always be c, and so on.

Let me start by saying I am a musician. I've played a variety of instruments but this instrument is the first string instrument I've played. So although I'm not an expert in string instruments specifically I think I have a little authority in knowing what makes a good instrument.The Kala KA-15S is the perfect string instrument to start out on. The qualities that make it so is the fact that it's high enough quality to be easy to play, while not being prohibitively expensive in cost. Basically, it's the best bang for your buck as a beginner.I got one for me and my sister. Both were in excellent condition. I like mine so much that I got a baritone ukulele so I can have access to a more unique sound in my arsenal of instruments.This instrument comes properly set up (at least the two I bought did), and prestrung with Aquila nylgut, one of the best in the industry. Some reviewers mistakenly call them toy strings because they are not steel strings, they are just ignorant of the fact that ukuleles don't have a truss rod and are too delicate for steel strings. Even classical guitar strings, though they look like metal strings, are just nylon with copper or aluminum wound around them. Only steel guitars are sturdy enough for steel strings, and you wouldn't want your ukulele to sound harsh like a steel guitar anyway. This instrument is easy to play and if you wanted to could use the same instrument up to expert level (although once you hit that level you might want to invest in a $500 dollar instrument and super nylgut strings as they do in fact sound better).I've communicated with other ukulele players and a common problem when purchasing an ukulele is that often the instrument itself is functional, but the frets, saddle, nuts, etc are not set up right, making it difficult to play. This can be corrected relatively easily by going to a local Luthier, but most beginners don't know this. The frets should be level and the action should be as low as possible without buzzing (higher action for more experienced players). Beginners will struggle to play on an instrument that is not fit to play and blame their own lack of skill, and eventually give up.I noticed this when I bought my baritone ukulele. Fortunately the problem for me was that the frets were not level, which is more easily recognizable as the instrument fault not user error. Also the strings were in visibly poor condition. The luthier has it now and says it will cost at least $35 bucks to properly set it up, plus $7 for some decent strings. The funny thing is if I had gotten a kala, it would have only been $30 more and come with a case.Long story short, if you are new to ukulele this is a no brainier. The quality you get for the price is amazing. The instrument should be fine out of the box, but if you are having a hard time with it try taking it to a Luthier before returning it and giving it a bad review. Mistakes can happen even with the best brands and you might just need a slight adjustment.