Choice between different tenor ukulele brands

Hi,

I'm French and I need assistance in choosing a ukulele.

I would like to know what is the difference between the TENOR ukulele, proposed by Kamaka, kanile'a, G string and koaloha. particularly (in sound).

I heard that Kamaka ukuleles manufactured less well than before. It is difficult to find these brands of ukuleles in France, I could not test them.

What would be your choice?

I apologize for the mistakes of English.

thank you in advance

Votre anglais est plus bien que mon français. I've been able to do side by side comparisons with KoAloha and Kamaka tenor ukuleles. They're both excellent, but my personal preference is for the KoAloha. I play my KoAloha in a band with a Kamaka tenor player, and my KoAloha is louder and richer sounding than the other player's Kamaka. Other band members have commented on the difference as well. Part of the difference could be the different string brands we prefer. I also like the slightly wider neck on the KoAloha, since I do a lot of fingerpicking. Two ukuleles from the same company can sound very different, though.
What part of France do you live in? Is there a chance for you to get together with other players so you can try their instruments?
Bonne chance!

Everyone will have their favorite brand they will recommend especially with the Hawaiian built instruments. All four you mentioned are great instruments and within the same price point, it's finding the one that suits you best. Each instrument, each build will sound different even from the same builder. The build along with string selection will definitely determine how an instrument will sound like. Other factors (in no particular order) to consider would be feel, aesthetics, volume and playability. Sorry to make this even more difficult and I wish you the best of luck in your selection.

Kanaka916 said:

Everyone will have their favorite brand they will recommend especially with the Hawaiian built instruments. All four you mentioned are great instruments and within the same price point, it's finding the one that suits you best. Each instrument, each build will sound different even from the same builder. The build along with string selection will definitely determine how an instrument will sound like. Other factors (in no particular order) to consider would be feel, aesthetics, volume and playability. Sorry to make this even more difficult and I wish you the best of luck in your selection.

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If there was clear "BEST" we would all be playing the same uke & strings.
As Kanaka said, any of your short list choices are great instruments. For a traditional Hawaiian ukulele I really like the KoAloha. I have found them to be very consistant. String choice will change the ukes voice and can be matched to you style and ears.
I believe you will be happy with any of your short list and of course the differences is the excuse to buy another.

Kanaka really has it right. all the brands you mentioned are wonderful, and everyone has their preference. for example...i prefer Mele. thin but wider neck, got the double puka so i got a very nice fishman pickup that is hidden, and unlike kamaka...they would customize it for me. but all and all this is a preference and is probably due to my father and uncle playing them most of my ukulele life.
oh! and don't worry bout your english...its my first language and i STILL can't figure out how to speak it.
KoPa

You will be happy with any of those ukes!!!

I'll throw my hat in as a KoAloha Fanboy. I will also say that I played a really sweet sounding Kamaka Pineapple Soprano at Gryphon Strings in Palo Alto. I damn near bought it...in fact, I should have, in fact...I might still

Just need to sell a couple I'm not playing. In all honesty, I find my low g KTM-00 is my favorite but I've played guitar for eons and it has that guitar-like depth. It has a very rich tone.

My PS is probably the most traditional sounding concert on the planet but with more volume and WAY cooler looks.

My Tenor Sceptre has more dynamic range than any instrument I've ever owned and I've owned a couple. Just ask my wife It also has a very traditional ukulele sound.

The Pono is also very rich but quiet.

The Ohana is very bright and traditional and decently loud with Aquilas (and a cedar top) but not so complex.

The Kala concert plays very well but just doesn't do it for me.

The Lanakai soprano cost me 70 bucks with a gig bag and extra strings...unbelievable sound for the money but I have to say there was another just like it that didn't cut the mustard.

No Financial Interest...call MusicGuyMic...tell him what you're looking for and what you want to pay and he'll hook you up with a good match.

Didn't mean for this to be a review of my ukes but hopefully it helps.

Thank you for the answers!

I wanted your opinion, because in France, there are no stores carrying these brands. must be purchased by Internet or come to the USA. By cons, a French website sells Koalohas.

I live in Paris, but the brands most used are: Kiwai Flea / fluke, Martin, Kala. Therefore, it's hard to find a Hawaiian ukulele.

I hesitated between a pineapple Kamaka and koaloha. I preferred koaloha's sound, from what I heard on the internet

(I also have another problem. I asked on a French forum, if anyone knew Hawaiian music, but nobody knew)

Thank you for the answers!

I wanted your opinion, because in France, there are no stores carrying these brands. must be purchased by Internet or come to the USA. By cons, a French website sells Koalohas.

I live in Paris, but the brands most used are: Kiwai Flea / fluke, Martin, Kala. Therefore, it's hard to find a Hawaiian ukulele.

I hesitated between a pineapple Kamaka and koaloha. I preferred koaloha's sound, from what I heard on the internet

(I also have another problem. I asked on a French forum, if anyone knew Hawaiian music, but nobody knew)

laurent93 said:

(I also have another problem. I asked on a French forum, if anyone knew Hawaiian music, but nobody knew)

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These are just a few of the resources available for Hawaiian music. Check Tropical Storm Hawaii for Contemporary/Traditional Hawaiian music. YT has Hawaiian music videos, just gotta know what to look for. Lyrics to Hawaiian songs can be found at Hawaiian Music and Hula Archives. He Mele Aloha is another great source for Hawaiian music. The Hawaiian Style Ukulele music books (Vol. 1, 2, 3) come with a CD to play along with can be found here.

Allo Laurent!!! Je parle français je suis de Montréal!!!! You English is very good!!!! if it was me, I would go for a Koaloha. I think their uke is quite consistent and their tone tone is quite unique too.

MGM on ebay would be the best choice...or Shawn at Ukulelefriend.com He sometimes has Koaloha.

Bon magasinage!!

Merci

I have owned a KoAloha soprano, and have tried all of the brands you list. I agree that you probably can't go wrong with any of them and none of them are inexpensive, however...

If I had to buy one of the ukuleles listed sight and sound unseen, which I have done, I would go with the KoAloha and I would but it from Musicguymic (MGM) on ebay, which I have also done...

...I think he currently has one.

John

PS... you may also want to get a few of string sets... Worth Brown, Aquilla, etc. to get the exact sound you are looking for, I think he can answer any of your questions.

KoPa said:

Kanaka really has it right. all the brands you mentioned are wonderful, and everyone has their preference. for example...i prefer Mele. thin but wider neck, got the double puka so i got a very nice fishman pickup that is hidden, and unlike kamaka...they would customize it for me. but all and all this is a preference and is probably due to my father and uncle playing them most of my ukulele life.
oh! and don't worry bout your english...its my first language and i STILL can't figure out how to speak it.
KoPa

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KoPa, You from Maui?

I have played all of these choices and my favorite is by far Koaloha. I will say that I really like my Kamaka tenor. I just got it a few weeks ago and I like its volume on the bass end. I have played a few koaloha tenors at some of our SEUkers meetups and I really want one of them. I wasn't impressed with the kanilea or G-string ukes that I played but I was impressed with one of the kanilea/lani kai models that I got to play. To each their own though.

I love the Kanile'a, but you have to try them in person to get the right one. I would not get one of those without hands on testing, because some are awesome right from the start, and others not so impressive (maybe they get better with age though). If you like the high gloss finish, there is something so beautiful and fantastic about that Kanile'a UV finish. It is a pleasure to see and touch. If you can't buy in person, I would go with a KoAloha. It may not be as dramatic in looks, but very bright and clear in tone, and consistent in that quality.
–Lori

I'm a Kanile'a guy, love the way it feels when I play and I really love the sound. I used to have UAS till I bought it.

But that's me, not you.

You need to do what you can to hold, and most importantly listen to examples of the instrument's you are thinking of buying.

I live in the northeast corner of the USA, and around here ukes have mostly been an impulse buy item in music stores. They carried Mahalo's. I ended up buying my K1T from MGM after listening to lots and lots of different youtube vids of sound samples of the brands I was interested in. I got lucky though and if I had it to do over again, this is what I would have done.

I would have tried to find a uke club close enough to where I live so that I could go there and see if I could try the uke's I was interested in. I say this now, knowing that such a club exists, but one might exist near you. You never know.

The other chance you have of trying one of the uke's you are interested in is the nearest Ukefest. I met this guy http://www.myspace.com/thekmusicpage at the NY Ukefest. The guy who ran the NY Ukefest said that The K had run a Ukefest in France so I know they exist.

Good luck with your choice, it's a really good dilemma to have as many will never have the cash to buy one of those.

Laurent,

I'm French too. Let me tell you that I second anything our friends wrote previously, like "I prefer this K brand, but you can't be wrong when choosing one of these K brands".
I went to Hawaii and bought a tenor Kanilea that I really love, oh that glossy UV finish!! I chose it over a Kamaka. Koaloha is good too.

You can find Koaloha tenor ukes in France there : http://www.musique83.com/-c-57.html?page=1&sort=2a. These guys are in the South and have a very good reputation.
Or you can resort to buying on ebay and Musicguymic (http://stores.ebay.com/Musicguymics-Room) seems a very good choice, but you'll have to pay some extras like VAT and customs taxes and you're not sure the customs people won't ruin your uke (many stories online about that).

Concerning Hawaiian music, I'm far from being a specialist but this is a music that I love (my god is named Troy Fernandez) and I could give you some advice. See ya.

Laurent,

Moi aussi, je suis français. J'approuve tout ce qu'ont écrit nos amis précédemment, comme "je préfère cette marque en K, mais tu ne peux pas te tromper si tu choisis une de ces marques".
Je suis allé à Hawaii où j'ai acheté un ténor Kanilea que j'adore, cette finition brillante !! Je l'ai préféré à un Kamaka. Koaloha est bien aussi.

Tu peux trouver des ukes ténor Koaloha ici : http://www.musique83.com/-c-57.html?page=1&sort=2a. Ils sont dans le sud et ont une très bonne réputation.
Ou bien tu peux acheter sur ebay et Musicguymic (http://stores.ebay.com/Musicguymics-Room) semble un très bon choix, mais tu devras payer des suppléments comme la TVA et les taxes douanières et tu n'es pas sûr que les douaniers ne vont pas abimer ton uke (pas mal d"histoires à ce sujet en ligne).

En ce qui concerne la musique hawaiienne, je suis loin d'être un spécialiste, mais c'est une musique que j'adore (mon dieu se nomme Troy Fernandez) et je pourrais te conseiller. Ciao.

Alain.

In your opinion, I think I'll buy a Koaloha Tenor. Although I could never compare a Kamaka Tenor and Tenor koaloha (I only heard a comparison between sopranos pineapple).

At first I thought buying a Kamaka (it was a little influenced by the famous, I confess), but many of you prefer the sound of a koaloha.

Another question: do you use a string different from others, for that in C?

PS : citizenjazz, tu dois être l'une des rares personnes que je lis, qui soit d'accord avec moi sur la musique hawaienne ! je trouve d'ailleurs que les forums français sont assez pauvres.