Mike Upton is the founder of Kala Brand Music Co. in northern California. Established in 2005, Kala builds 140-plus models of ukulele, including travel and bass variations.Kala and Makala brand of ukuleles.

From the distinctive soundhole resonance to the exotic woods used to hand craft each one to tonal perfection, every one has a song waiting to be played. Pick up an Eddy Finn and it's like a blast of warm sea air hitting your senses. Hand set ocean abalone, fishbone, herringbone's all here. But the truth? It has to sound great first or it's just a decoration hanging on a wall. Nobody wants that. At the core it has to be musical. It has to breathe.

Mario Maccaferri (1900-1993) and his custom molding company Mastro Plastics Corporation, founded by Maccaferr i in association with his French American Reeds Manufacturing Company, introduced the first Maccaferri plastic guitar, made of Dow Styron (polystyrene) in 1953. Production continued until 1964.

The Outdoor Ukulele is injection molded from glass fiber filled polycarbonate. This high-performance composite plastic creates a very strong structure with exceptional tonal quality.

Outdoor Ukulele™ is a father and daughter manufacturer of composite polycarbonate instruments. Scott does the design, development, and assembly. Grace does the marketing, photography, and customer relations.

Recently, some overseas manufacturers began using the Outdoor Ukulele™ name on their plastic ukuleles. Some have even advertised using "Composite Polycarbonate" construction. These instruments are actually made from ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), and they will not have the resonance or durability of the Outdoor Ukulele™.