The acoustic Kala U-Bass is a short-scale bass with four strings tuned in standard E-A-D-G. Kala Brand's Michael Upton started the production of the ukulele-type bass after having played the original Big Bufo bass design by Owen Holt in Hawaii. In 2014 there are more than 32 different acoustic and electric Kala U-basses available. For the acoustic models Kala brands received a prestigious
Musikmesse International Press Award (MIPA) 2014.