Kala Revelator NSL-POC-B Port Orford Cedar & Korina Baritone Ukulele w/Gigbag #41560526

In January 2024, we visited the Petaluma HQ of Kala. Spending the day with Mike Upton and Kala USA Custom shop luthier Markos was an absolute treat... seeing the love, care and creativity that is going into the present and future of the Revelator is really soul-enriching. Pete Howlett told us when he created the Revelator that he had hit upon something special and we are happy to have been the store that linked Kala and Pete up in the first place. Fast forward to today and Kala Revelators continue to blow us away.

So how does this latest version stand out from its predecessors? The main body is built from korina, just like many Revelators have been. Korina was Pete's recommendation and prefered wood for building the original Revelator. Easy to work with but with stunning tonal properties, for him it was the obvious choice. Less muddy than mahogany with rich mids and clear articulation, we can totally understand why.

But what about Port Orford Cedar? Port Orford Cedar is actually a type of cypress that is highly prized for soundboards. Bridging the tonal gap between sitka spruce and western red cedar is is bold, robust and has fantastic headroom. The stiffness to weight ratio is what makes Port Orford special for instrument building. A good piece will be around 40% stronger and harder than typical western red cedar. That means thinner and more resonant sound boards, more sustain, and tonnes of character.

Pete has always described the Revelator as an 'acoustic anomaly'. Basically, he means that it has no right sounding as good as it does acoustically. If you have never heard a Revelator before you might see the slimline body and assume that there is going to be no acoustic volume or projection. And you wouldn't be more wrong! It is loud, lively and characterful, with a fuller tone than it has a right to make.

In the hand, it is so light (without ever feeling fragile), because it is not a solid body instrument. The body is routed out before the top is glued to it, so very clever acoustic chambers are created which pump out this supernaturally rich and vibrant sound. And when you plug it in, you'll notice a very high quality sound through the installed passive piezo pickup. We chose the premium specs for these customs as we have a fondness for the Royal Blackwood fingerboard and chrome hardware look of these Revelator models.

Highly recommended! Pictures show the actual Kala Revelator you will receive. If you have any questions about this instrument, please drop us an email. 

Specification:
Solid Port Orford cedar top
Premium korina body
UV cured satin finish
Royal blackwood fretboard and bridge
Corian nut and saddle
36mm nut width, with 30mm G to A string spacing
Worth Brown trebles strings
D'Addario wound D and G strings
Passive Piezo pickup
Mother of pearl fretboard and headstock inlay
1.4375 inch body depth
490mm scale length
Hard case