Kala Ukuleles – The World's Most Popular Ukulele Brand

If you've ever picked up a ukulele, there's a good chance it was a Kala. As the world's most-popular ukulele brand, Kala Brand Music Co.® has done more than almost anyone to bring the instrument to players of all ages and abilities — from classroom beginners to world-touring professionals.

A Brand Born from Passion

The Kala story begins with founder Mike Upton, a California-born musician who fell in love with the ukulele during a spell living and working in Hawaii in the 1990s. He noticed a glaring gap in the market — a choice between expensive artisan instruments and poorly built toys, with very little in between. Back home in Petaluma, Northern California, Mike set out to change that.

Kala was founded with a clear mission: to design and build affordable, quality ukuleles that make the instrument accessible to everyone. The first sales and instrument tech team got to work in 2005, operating out of a converted chicken hatchery. From those humble beginnings, the brand rapidly scaled to national — and then global — distribution.

A Catalogue Built for Every Player

One of Kala's greatest strengths is the sheer breadth of its range. Whether you're a complete beginner or a seasoned performer, there's a Kala ukulele built for you. Sizes span soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone, while the tonewoods on offer go well beyond the traditional mahogany — think Pacific Walnut, Striped Ebony, Flame Maple, Ziricote, and Exotic Mahogany, many of which Kala helped bring into the mainstream ukulele world.

The brand's early flagship, the KA-15 satin mahogany series, helped establish Kala's reputation for accessible quality. That reputation has only grown as the catalogue has expanded.

Innovations That Changed the Game

Kala's influence extends well beyond the ukulele itself. In 2009, the brand introduced the U•BASS® — the Original short-scale bass, built on a baritone ukulele body strung with thick, lightweight rubber strings. The result was a small, deeply resonant instrument that turned heads in the bass world and earned early endorsements from luminaries such as Bakithi Kumalo (of Paul Simon fame) and Hutch Hutchinson (Bonnie Raitt's bassist). Browse our Ukulele Bass collection to see what's in stock.

In 2013, Kala released The Waterman: an all-weather, plastic ukulele inspired by the 1950s Maccaferri instruments. Tough, playable, and affordable, the Waterman quickly became one of the most widely used ukuleles in American classrooms. Kala has since donated over 30,000 Waterman and other ukuleles — valued at more than $1.5 million — to schools and charities across the country.

In 2011, the brand brought production closer to home with the launch of its USA-Made series, beginning with the California U•BASS®. Taylor Guitars even helped Kala source its first side-bending machines to produce premium models at the Petaluma workshop. This range has since grown into the Kala® Elite USA Series, representing the very best of what the brand can offer.

Most recently, in 2023, Kala partnered with renowned UK luthier Pete Howlett to create the Kala Revelator — a multi-award-winning electro-acoustic ukulele described as an "Acoustic Anomaly." Striking to look at and inspiring to play, it represents the cutting edge of ukulele design.

The Artists Who Play Kala

Kala's rise has been matched by growing recognition from major artists. Vance Joy and Twenty One Pilots — both acts who brought the ukulele to stadium-sized audiences — play Kala instruments, as do Bakithi Kumalo, John Driskell Hopkins of the Zac Brown Band, and Hutch Hutchinson of Bonnie Raitt's band. The brand has also developed artist signature models for players including Nik West, mxmtoon, Sunny & The Black Pack, and Mandy Harvey — the singer celebrated by America's Got Talent.

Kala ukuleles are now sold and played in over 50 countries worldwide, a testament to how far the brand has come since that converted chicken hatchery in Petaluma.

Why Kala at Music Bits?

At Music Bits Company, we stock Kala ukuleles because we believe in what the brand stands for — quality, accessibility, and a genuine love of music. Whether you're buying your first ukulele or adding to a growing collection, Kala offers something for every stage of the journey. Come in-store or browse our full ukulele range online to find your perfect match. You'll also find everything you need to keep playing, from ukulele strings to gig bags.