This is the Kala KA-JH-AMHG-C-E, a model brought out as good quality serious beginner/improver instrument, with good specification - including all solid mahogany body, a gig bag and an active pickup with tone/volume controls and a built-in tuner.

This signature model, also known as the KA-JH-AMHG-C-E, has a smart appearance without being particularly flash. The wood grain is brought out by a medium-dark mahogany stain.  And the black face of the headstock looks smart, with the Kala and James Hill logos appearing, without either looking over the top. There’s an abalone rosette, but aside from that, decoration is minimal.

The tone has a bit of sparkle from the concert sized body, and a bit of warmth from the solid mahogany and clear nylon strings. It’s well balanced in terms of warmth and brightness, has decent volume without being overly loud, and has good sustain, without being remarkable in that regard. It isn’t outstanding in any particular area but isn’t lacking in any field either. In that respect, it’s a solid choice and wouldn’t let you down. Amplified and it’s decent as well with the supplied pickup and preamp a solid choice for a relatively inexpensive electro-acoustic model.

There does seem to be a lot for your money with this James Hill concert, with that pickup for one, and a solid mahogany top, back and sides for another. Add in a really decent gig bag and it seems a very good value package. The fingerboard is rosewood, the nut and saddle are NuBone and the closed, geared tuners work cleanly and well. I am not usually a big fan of nylon strings, but these D’Addario clear nylon strings seem a little brighter, thinner and more stable that many – so they’re not putting me off.

Anyone who has been playing for a while and has played Kala ukuleles will be familiar with how this model plays… perfectly ‘normally’. It’s 35mm nut is still totally standard amongst concert ukuleles and everything else about it is unremarkable. This is not a criticism! One nice feature is the edges are significantly beveled between the top, back and sides – almost like a mini comfort edge all around the uke. It’s subtle, but does make it nicer to hold and play.

I don’t know how much input James Hill had into the design process for this model. It is a good value, nicely playable instrument, with very good specification for a very reasonable price. And if you are going to put your name to something, then probably these factors are the most important. But it’s nothing particularly new. However, if this encourages more people to start playing the uke, or buy their first serious ukulele, then they’ll be getting a lot of ukulele for the money.

There are some optional extras at the bottom of the page that might interest you. These are the same options for every ukulele, so you can ignore the gig bag as this ukulele has a good one already. Low G and strap buttons might be something you want, however.