Need help deciding

T-UKEL

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I have finally saved up enough to buy a nice ukulele. My only problem is that I don't know what to get. I am stuck between koaloha and kanilea. I also don't know whether I want concert or superconcert. I am a strummer but want to try out low g (want the option). I can't go into the stores so I have to order from online. Can someone please give me the pros and cons of each? And no, getting both is not an option.
 
KoAloha for sure! Ukes, customer service, family - it doesn't get any better than KoAloha!! :D If you want the concert neck, go with the concert. If you want the tenor neck go with the tenor. I bet both would sound amazing in low g. You could also call KoAloha, speak directly to Brian and have him send one your way. He's the BEST and he could even help you make your decision on which size is right for you.

Lil
 
I've had both, and prefer Kanile'a for a many reasons. I've been away from the forums for a while, so I don't know how to phrase why I prefer Kanilea without it seeming like I'm against Koaloha. So I'll just give the disclaimer here that what works for me wouldn't work for someone else.

So here goes: The choices of koa. Some of the current pictures I see online of the newer Koalohas don't much appeal to me. Koa could be getting scarce, so maybe that's why? Kanile'a has a "deluxe" option on even their "basic" model, so that you can upgrade the koa used a bit, and it looks the business, better than either of my Koalohas. That leads to bridges: what happened to the cool crown bridges on the superconcert on upwards models? Customer service: Kanilea answers emails, Koaloha has never answered any of my emails. (Please understand this is not an attack at all, just maybe they don't do email? It's a moot point since I don't have one ATM.)

Finish - When it comes to this, I like em both. When it comes to glossiness, Koaloha has this thin finish that seems light and nice and unobtrusive. Kanile'a has a killer gloss finish that looks like it'd be really thick, but isn't, and each is cool in it's own way.

Sound - They both kind of have their own thing going on don't they? The Koaloha sopranos I had were bright, loud, ringing, and great. The Kanile'a superconcert is dark and rich and full. They both have some cool bracing going on, so yeah it's down to preference there. Shame not to be able to compare like to like, but even youtube vids tend to show this as stereotypical of their house sounds. Intonation has been spot on with both brands.

Feel - both feel great. The Kanile'a neck MIGHT be thicker... tough to say since I've not compared like to like. Certainly both feel nice to play and can be setup anyway.

Speaking of bridges, I wish Kanile'a had something other than just the pin bridge option. I have bad luck with those on ukes.

Both are run by some great people, both have factory tours on Youtube I believe, only Kanilea has two, so pick the one with the more current date, since the finishing method has changed.
 
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Thanks for the awesome help. I am going to call MGM tommorow and ask him to play both so that I can finally decide. Is the concert more of a strumming uke than the superconcert which would be more for picking?
 
Thanks for the awesome help. I am going to call MGM tommorow and ask him to play both so that I can finally decide. Is the concert more of a strumming uke than the superconcert which would be more for picking?

T-Ukel, I'm a strummer as well and I own three koalohas. Well actually two since one is the wife's. I have a tenor, a concert and a longneck soprano. I strum all and finger pick all. What size uke do you play right now?
I never found a kanilea that I felt like I had to get but that might have been b/c i was koaloha focused. I'd like to try a kanilea out again and one day I might, but for now Ai am Koaloha for life except when i want a mahaghany uke and then it is Mele:)
 
I'm a total Kanile'a fan. I have to second the comments made above about the appearance of the wood on Kanile'as vs. KoAlohas - even on my very plain soprano the Kanile'a wood is beautiful, with just a hint of curl shimmering through - most KoAlohas I've seen have very plain koa.

I also like Kanile'as gloss finish much better than the KoAloha - I like gloss ukes, so I don't have much to say about the satin versions each company offers.

I prefer the more traditional headstock and round sound hole on the Kanile'a over the crown headstock and musubi sound hole.

I like that Kanile'as come with geared tuners standard on all models - I don't care for friction tuners, though I've heard that the KoAlohas are top of the line.

Kanilea's has 1.5 inch necks at the nut - even on sopranos. I don't know what KoAloha measures, so this isn't a comparison. But that slightly wider neck is what has made the difference for me, hands down. I am so much more comfortable playing a Kanile'a soprano than any other with a 1 3/8 inch nut. I like the sound of a soprano the best, so these have been the only ones which, for me, are a joy to play as well as listen to.

So...all the comments above pertain to appearances and features, but not sound. I'm afraid I've never heard a valid head-to-head comparison of like models from each manufacturer, so I can't comment on that. What I do know is that from the moment I first heard my soprano Kanile'a I was hooked - so much so that I now have the Kanile'a K-1S and also a Lanikai LK-1S (same body, neck, bridge, hardware - different bracing, but still oh so sweet).

What I do know is that both ukes are super high quality, built by great families. I think whichever you choose, you can feel great that you got a beautiful, Hawaiian-built instrument that will be something you can be proud to own and play.

Good luck!
 
thanks for all the help. I currently play a concert but feel like I can't put a low g on it that's why I wanted the superconcert.
 
Remember when this forum used to dismiss Kanile'a for their bridge pins? Now people are Kanile'a krazy. It's amazing to watch trends evolve right here in UU. Personally, I love the sound of Koalohas with Worth clears--so much clarity. It really makes you step back. I knew I should have bought one from MGM at the SoCalUkeFest.
 
I've had both, and prefer Kanile'a for a many reasons. I've been away from the forums for a while, so I don't know how to phrase why I prefer Kanilea without it seeming like I'm against Koaloha. So I'll just give the disclaimer here that what works for me wouldn't work for someone else.

So here goes: The choices of koa. Some of the current pictures I see online of the newer Koalohas don't much appeal to me. Koa could be getting scarce, so maybe that's why? Kanile'a has a "deluxe" option on even their "basic" model, so that you can upgrade the koa used a bit, and it looks the business, better than either of my Koalohas. That leads to bridges: what happened to the cool crown bridges on the superconcert on upwards models? Customer service: Kanilea answers emails, Koaloha has never answered any of my emails. (Please understand this is not an attack at all, just maybe they don't do email? It's a moot point since I don't have one ATM.)

Finish - When it comes to this, I like em both. When it comes to glossiness, Koaloha has this thin finish that seems light and nice and unobtrusive. Kanile'a has a killer gloss finish that looks like it'd be really thick, but isn't, and each is cool in it's own way.

Sound - They both kind of have their own thing going on don't they? The Koaloha sopranos I had were bright, loud, ringing, and great. The Kanile'a superconcert is dark and rich and full. They both have some cool bracing going on, so yeah it's down to preference there. Shame not to be able to compare like to like, but even youtube vids tend to show this as stereotypical of their house sounds. Intonation has been spot on with both brands.

Feel - both feel great. The Kanile'a neck MIGHT be thicker... tough to say since I've not compared like to like. Certainly both feel nice to play and can be setup anyway.

Speaking of bridges, I wish Kanile'a had something other than just the pin bridge option. I have bad luck with those on ukes.

Both are run by some great people, both have factory tours on Youtube I believe, only Kanilea has two, so pick the one with the more current date, since the finishing method has changed.

My KoAloha concert stamped October 2009 and purchased from MGM in November of 2009 has, to quote MGM, a simply gorgeous curly Koa top. Another KoAloha concert that MGM sold around the same time did too.
 
My KoAloha concert stamped October 2009 and purchased from MGM in November of 2009 has, to quote MGM, a simply gorgeous curly Koa top. Another KoAloha concert that MGM sold around the same time did too.

Yeah, I figured Koaloha fans would hate what I said, but I can't say your reply has changed my mind. For the record, I'd like to get another Koaloha in the family one day.

As for the OPs question about strumming versus picking, I strummed and picked both, and they're all 'rounders. I never tried a Low G on the Koalohas since they were sopranos... and Low G really isn't my thing, but it works fine on the Kanilea superconcert. I suspect a plain unwound Worth Low G on a Koaloha works just as well. Just different sound signatures.

I think calling MGM is a great idea. In general, about superconcert, Ken Middleton has a great video about what a superconcert is, but it's got the concert body, so it won't sound like a tenor. But, using tenor strings, having more distance from head to bridge, well that by definition sounds different than a concert. How much different depends on the uke and the player.
 
Plainsong
Not hating what you said or disagreeing with you, just telling what my experience was. Your review was quite interesting. Now I feel even more fortunate to have such a gorgeous curly Koa top on my KoAloha. It's what appealed to me and why I purchased it. When I received it, was blown away by the sound and playability.
 
Yeah I'd love to add one back into the stable, but I can't think of what to get right now. I've got the soprano I want, and I'm keeping my options open for something in mahogany for the killer concert (my favorite size). Superconcert is pretty much as close as I want to get to a tenor. But still, that leaves openings at supersoprano, and perhaps a tenor anways, or a 6 string tenor.

I'm trying to get one of everything, but it's no good saying to my husband "But most uke players have LOTS more ukes than I do!"
 
I have one of each, and they are very different.

Mind you, I think each ukulele can sound different, and play different, especially when you take into account different strings on each.

My Kanile'a was my first "real" ukulele. It has a boomy sound (that could be the bracing or the low g string though). It is the UV gloss, which is gorgeous to look at but does show fingerprints. It is super light (I think it is lighter than my Kamaka or KoAloha for its size). I don't mind the look of the bridge pins, but I absolutely hate changing its strings because it occasionally doesn't take on my first try, and I've had them shoot out and have the string snap up and cut me in the past. Not a deciding factor, but something to consider. Joe and Kristen are amazing people. I met them only once, but six months later they not only knew my face but my name when I saw them at the Ukulele Festival in Cerritos. I think they are beautifully made instruments, and probably the best looking ones of the big 4 Ks.

As for the KoAloha, I'm a latecomer onto the bandwagon, but I love my Pineapple Sunday. It has incredible volume (as does the KoAloha tenor that belongs to a friend of mine). I think maybe it is Papa KoAloha's background as an inventor that leads him to try new technologies and bracings. It is true, they are usually plainer looking koa and they are less radical looking now, especially with the new straight bridge -- though the Sceptre and PS and Jukulele are certainly unique. Their koa does tend to be straighter, and I think they kiln dry their koa while Kanile'a doesn't (I may be wrong on that though). They seem to be more techonogically advanced, and they have great volume. If you want a well crafted, loud, great sounding ukulele, you can't lose with KoAloha. I have only sent one email to them but it was answered by Brian, and Paul is great about writing on UU and so forth. I think they have the best warranty, as evidenced by the fact they have even helped "second owners" with their ukes. I agree the headstock is flashier, and the musubi sound hole is less traditional, but the rest of the uke seems more traditional than some of the flashy Kanile'as.

I think both companies actually have better customer service than Kamaka. Don't get me wrong, I love my Kamaka to death, and they were lovely people when I did their tour last year. But I think they coast a bit on their name and reputation. KoAloha and Kanile'a being the number 2 and 3 kids on the block seem to try harder. As a result, they both have incredible customer service, so I wouldn't let that be a factor.

I know this didn't help you at all as I sing the praises of both companies, but you can't go wrong with either. :)
 
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