Review: The Pono Kalele Solid Mango Tenor Packs a Loud Punch in a Beautiful Package

BY DANIELLE ANDERSON | From the Spring 2025 issue of Ukulele magazine

My “oohs” and “aahs” were audible as I laid eyes on the Pono Kalele mango tenor. Staring into the textured wood felt like looking into a landscape. The impressive grain of the mango body held layers of brown, like swirls of sandy hills in a desert sunset, or an hourglass pooling sand in piles. In other words: hubba-hubba! 

Pono ukuleles are made by the Ko’olau Guitar and Ukulele Company and were created to offer quality instruments similar to the company’s hand-built models at a more affordable price. Pono ukes are produced in a factory on the island of Java in Indonesia, and Ko‘olau is involved in their design and assembly. The new Kalele series is available in solid mango or mahogany in soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone sizes. My review instrument came ready to play, and after a quick tuning, I pulled it into playing position and gave it the first strum. I realized quickly this instrument packs a punch in both looks and sound. 

Sound and Playability

Right away, I was impressed by the amount of volume the Kalele was able to produce. I didn’t realize a tenor ukulele could create such fantastic volume. And it isn’t just loud—the instrument has deep and rich tones, as well as great sustain and clarity to go along with that volume.

I generally strum with a hard pick and preferred it on this uke as well. The pick maintained a volume and brightness that I liked, though strumming with my finger gave a sweeter, softer sound. I got the best and brightest sound when I was fingerpicking. The fact that the Kalele can create volume so easily made playing through my favorite styles extremely satisfying. This instrument invites expressive playing and performance, and I found myself swaying back and forth, nodding my head to the tempo, amping up drama, and milking every chord and note for the last drop of emotion. The Kalele was super fun to play.

I look for instruments that can accompany me as I sing. I usually play solo, so I need an instrument with clarity that is capable of producing dynamics. I need an instrument that can be played in multiple styles, fingerpicked and strummed with a pick, that can be loud if I’m leading a jam circle or a workshop, and can be so tender that I can move someone to tears in performance. I found the Kalele capable of all this.

Attention to Detail

The solid mango top, back, and sides have a satin lacquer finish that is perfectly soft and subtle, allowing the wood grain to shine while maintaining its natural beauty. The headstock is black matte with the printed Pono logo, which leaves the mango body as the focus of the instrument. 

The merbau fretboard and bridge are a darker shade of brown but have a similar rich and varied grain, complementing the texture of the mango body, while the Honduran mahogany neck has a slight reddish color. The neck felt a little thick in my hands, but the action was nice and low and the frets smooth.

I attribute the good sound of this instrument to not only the solid wood body and excellent construction, but to the Ko’olau Alohi high-G string set it came with. These strings gave a full sound that resonated all the way up the fretboard with no buzzes. There was
 an even tone and nice clarity from each of the strings, so every note sang.

This uke’s nut and saddle are made of Tusq, a sustainable alternative to bone, and it includes a dual action adjustable truss rod that can help stabilize the curvature of the neck in cases of humidity or change in climate. The Grover tuning keys are sturdy and turn smoothly, making the process of tuning feel easy. These tuners do add some weight to the headstock, which may not be an issue for everyone but felt like something I’d need to get used to. The weight is well balanced with the support of the thick neck, however, so the instrument feels secure. 

Little Extras

This is a little thing that means a lot to me, but I need an instrument with enough space on the headstock to avoid having a clip-on tuner pop off in the middle of a set. This tenor has a good amount of space between the tip of the headstock and the top pegs, providing ample real estate for a tuner of your choice. There are no pre-installed strap buttons, but I would want to play this instrument using a strap to make sure I had control of the heavier headstock and neck. As it comes, the Kalele is purely acoustic, with no option for pre-installed electronics from the factory (though they can be added later).

As a performer, I wind up at many different types of events, and I know how a beautiful instrument can help bring in a new fan or friend. Sometimes an instrument can catch someone’s attention and pull them in to listen a little closer, and be intriguing enough to inspire them to come up after the performance and ask, “What is that beautiful instrument you were playing?” The fantastic mango woodgrain on this Kalele would catch the eye equally under stage lights, at a coffee shop open mic, and hanging on a wall at home.

The Pono Kalele mango tenor delivers in both looks and sound. The woodgrain is eye-catching and interesting, and the solid-body sound is capable of great volume. This instrument is fun to play, offering a quality build at an affordable price.

BODY Tenor size with solid mango top, back, and sides; satin lacquer finish

NECK Honduran mahogany; 20-fret merbau fretboard (14 frets to the body); 17″ scale; 1.4″ Tusq nut; 2.25″ Tusq saddle; merbau bridge; Grover tuners

OTHER Ko’olau Alohi tenor strings (high-G); dual action adjustable truss rod

MADE IN Indonesia

PRICE $350 street

ponoukuleleco.com