This is the Kala Revelator tenor electro ukulele, the Night Owl model made in the Far East and based on Pete Howlett's design. These are supplied with Kala Revelator strings, with wound D’addario low G and C, and Worth Brown E and A.

This is a limited edition one made from Tibetan Toon. And yes, that’s a new one on me that I had to look up! It’s also known as ‘Chinese Mahogany’. But whatever it is, it looks pretty and sounds great. The story goes that a tree fell in a storm in the grounds of the factory that makes these Kala Revelators. Instead of just clearing it, they cut and seasoned the wood waiting for a project where it could be put to good use - and here it is, the KA-OWL-TBT-TE. Initially I had thought it was made by a Tibetan Monk who was an avid fan of Newcastle United, but I think the actual story is more sensible!

Let's go on to describe the Kala Revelator Night Owl. It has a that Toon soundboard, which has a gloss finish, with a slimline body that you might expect would make the sound a bit thin? Well, you'd be wrong. There's really good volume, an impressive chiming tone, nice sustain and a lovely richness too. On the Kala site, this model is described as an acoustic anomaly - and there's some truth in that. The original Revelators were made by Pete Howlett in Wales and they had this magic quality. With minimal bracing, the top really resonated, producing a sound you wouldn't expect. Thankfully, that great sound translates to this new, Asian-made model.

Kala also make the Revelator model with their team of luthiers in California, and you might ask how this measures up? Well... it's fair to say the US made models are superior, but these are less than a quarter of the price. And they're really very good. The build quality has continued to improve since their initial release so they represent superb value these present, especially when they're supplied with a nice padded gig bag as well.

The Revelator ukes have a 38mm nut, solid okume back and sides and black, geared tuners. (The back is three pieces of solid wood joined together). They also have a natural sounding passive pickup, so you can plug into an amp too. To get the best from that you might want to use an external pre-amp or some effects, but it's a nice clean, well-balanced tone from the pickup so it's not bad at all just on its own. Other neat design features include the off centre soundhole which delivers the tone nicely to the player as well as projecting out to an audience, and a satin neck - meaning the gloss doesn't extend to the neck - something which concerns some players with sticky hands!

Sound wise, these instruments are nice and open sounding, with a fullness of tone. It isn’t vastly different from the other Night Owl variants but it definitely sounds good - with a sparkle at the top and a richness at the bottom.

At the bottom of the page you'll find a number of adds on and extras (which are standard to every ukulele on the site, so not all are appropriate). You CAN fit a second button to the neck but I wouldn't suggest you do - if you can get away with it - simply as it is such a graceful area, with that sweeping curve where the neck joins the body. I can put a button there but it seems a shame! You don't need a case as it comes with a decent one. Oh, and it comes with a low G as standard too.

To conclude, Pete Howlett made a marvel with his original Revelator design, and that revelation continues with this Kala Night Owl tenor electro ukulele model.