For the past few years this has been one of the best seller for us in the store, and one we recommend online all the time because it sounds great. The tone along with the overall build quality and value is very impressive. Take a listen as Kalei gives us a "raw" sound sample.
Features on this tenor ukulele include a solid sitka spruce top with a simple ring rosette, body and fretboard binding, and a beautiful gloss finish. Great looks and excellent tone at an affordable price. That's why we love the STG model!
A crucial part of this value is the time and expertise we put into it before shipping. Our custom setup includes lowering the action, planing and re-crowning the frets and other processes that greatly improve the instruments playability. If you are looking around $200 this is one comes with our highest recommendation.
Top customer reviews
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Awesome once I got the right set of strings on... 0 people found this helpfulLooks and sounds good, great for the money! Fun and easy to play! Added a Misi pickup. Initially set up with Southcoast SLMU strings but the 1st string kept going flat as you go up fretboard. HMS customer service is great as they sent another set of the same strings but it still went flat. Long story short, sent the uke back (free shipping!) and Chris tried a bunch of different strings to find the set that stayed in tune. Aquilas and Oasis Warm worked and so did the Southcoast SMU set so I got those put on. At least I know which sets I can use now! Super fast return, too. HMS knows how to make a customer happy.
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Excellent sound, great to play! 0 people found this helpfulThe Kala KA-STG is my first ukulele. I was a bit nervous about buying an instrument online but after spending days at the site, I was convinced that these people are serious about ukuleles. I must have listened to every instrument under $200. I kept coming back to the STG because of the sound, sweet and mellow. The construction is clean and neat. The finish is excellent. Colin mentions the bridge catching on his cleaning cloths. I noticed that the corners are sharp so I took an emery board and sanded the tips. I had Hawaii Music Supply set it up with a "low G" string, giving it a more guitar sound (to me). HMS did a fantastic job setting it up. I put a straight edge on the frets; they were dead flat. No burrs, warped neck, or anything. It is a job well done. Would I buy the Kala KA-STG again? In a downbeat! Keep up the great work HMS! I'll be back for sure.
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Excellent ukulele, especially for the price! 1 people found this helpfulI received the Kala KA-STG from Hawaii Music Supply a few months ago. So far I have been very pleased with it. Solid spruce top with laminate mahogany back and sides is very common for acoustic guitars, but is not as common for ukuleles. As such you don't exactly get that traditional tone produced by ukuleles made of koa. The sound is somewhat brighter, however it still has plenty of depth and is quite pleasing to my ear. The solid top also allows it to project very well and this ukulele can be very loud if you want it to be. In my experience with ukuleles and guitars, solid top instruments are almost always the best value. The quality of the top of the guitar has by far the highest impact on the sound. You can usually very easily hear the difference between a solid top and a laminate, but it is generally more difficult to discern between solid top and all solid. Also the price difference between laminate is relatively small compared with the step up from solid top to all solid. I think solid top always gives you the best bang for your buck and this ukulele is an excellent example. You get a very high quality instrument with excellent sound for less than $200. The setup by HMS was excellent, the action and intonation were perfect.. It is well worth paying for shipping to get the free setup they include on every ukulele. Ordering from them is definitely the best value. All the parts were high quality and it has stayed in tune very easily since the strings have been stretched out. The only exception is the bridge, which seems to be made of very cheap wood which is rough and gets caught on cloths during cleaning. Overall, I am extremely pleased with my purchase and I would highly recommend this ukulele to anyone, just make sure that the sound is for you.