Kahuna CLU-Bass Mahogany Uke : Good setup and sound. Heavy laminate body.

The bass is constructed from laminate with very thin mahogany facings. I was a little disappointed by this as the description states the top back and sides are mahogany.

You can clearly see the composition of the laminate by examining the edges of the body. What looks like a lighter coloured binding is in fact the core of the laminate. The laminate is quite thick making the instrument feel on the heavy side.

Other negatives are the layout of the tuners on the headstock which results in the A string coming into contact with the windings of the E string on the adjacent tuner. I also didn?t like the operation of the active electronics which automatically switch to tuner mode when plugged in. You have to press the tuner button to hear the instrument every time it's plugged in. (This bass shares the same electronics as the Goldtone micro bass which is 3 times the price !)

I really like the traveller style body very like the Goldtone micro bass. I think standard ukulele bodies look out of proportion on a ubass. The setup out of the box was good with the twelfth fret action around 3mm. Most notes sounded cleanly and I only noticed a slight buzz on the A string at the 5th fret. Intonation was good on the EAD strings but a bit sharp on the G. This maybe down to the strings.

General finish was very good with a very nice looking fingerboard and no sharp fret ends.

Overall I'm very pleased with the instrument which for the price represents excellent value. Playability and sound are comparable to instruments many times the price.