Makala Ukulele with Original Case. Pretty yellow finish with cute dolphin-shaped saddle and the name written at the top of the headstock. Likely from 2010s through present. 

Size: 21 1/2 X 7 1/2 X 2 3/4 in. 

#7152 . 

Kala Brand Music Company is the world’s most-popular American-made ukulele brand, family-owned and operated in the city of Petaluma, California. A California-born musician named Mike Upton became enamored with the ukulele tone and craftsmanship while living in Hawaii in the early 1990s. At the time the instrument had not yet seen a resurgence in popularity thanks to musicians like Paul McCartney and Israel Kamakawiwo’ole in the mid 1990s, and he could find very few options available between the high-cost artisan ukulele makers and what were essentially cheaper poorly-built toys. After returning to California Mike founded Kala Ukulele in 2005 in order to fill this gap, working out of a converted chicken hatchery on his family property. Hitting the market exactly at the zenith of the ukulele Renaissance, Kala was able to rapidly expand its production and distribution to a national scale, emerging as a leading name in boutique indie music circles in the United States, Canada, and England. They popularized using other woods besides the preferred Hawaiian endemic koa, particularly crafting pieces in Pacific walnut, mahogany, maple, and even African ebony. In the 2010s Kala expanded into music education lessons as well, and the Makala line was developed specifically for children and beginners, becoming the most cost-efficient and accessible line of ukuleles available in the world.