Kanile'a Tenor Comparison

Here I am playing three Kanile'a ukuleles. The first is the Islander Solid Mohagany Tenor satin (MST-4), the second is a Kanile'a solid Koa gloss version (K1), and lastly my new Kanile'a Tattoo Tenor satin finish (Tat t). I wanted to see what differences I could hear when I played the same song.

To me, the Islander has a very loud, but thin sound.
The K1 has a fuller, warmer tone.
The Tattoo tenor has a more crisp and clear tone to it. But that's just me

Just for my own reference I recorded an Islander MT-4 (laminate), Islander MSC-4 (solid mahogany concert) and a Kanile'a K-1. Very different ukes for many reasons (including different sizes, woods & strings) and I can clearly hear those differences even in a recording. But I think the qualitative difference in sound is even more distinct when you hear the ukes in person.

There's a very rich resonance in the Kanile'a that I don't think a recording picks up. In other words, in a totally unintentional fashion, a recording such as this gives you the impression that the gap between an Islander and a Kanile'a is smaller than it truly is. The Islanders are great ukes and provide excellent value, but the step up to a Kanile'a is more than justified by the price.

There's a very rich resonance in the Kanile'a that I don't think a recording picks up. In other words, in a totally unintentional fashion, a recording such as this gives you the impression that the gap between an Islander and a Kanile'a is smaller than it truly is. The Islanders are great ukes and provide excellent value, but the step up to a Kanile'a is more than justified by the price.

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Interesting that you say this. I own an Islander MST-4 but have my eye open for a K-1 to come up for sale. I thought there would be a huge difference but this video does not show that- at least not in a cost/quality ratio. I tried to balance that with the fact that when I try to record, the compression from the mic on my computer pretty much makes all of them sound alike. I started playing ukulele before my eldest daughter moved to the Netherlands. She did not know I played, so I sent her a video and used all of my ukulele's. the only one she could determine a different total sound from was the Kamaka 8 string. All of the others sounded pretty much the same on the video, however, I know that in person, there was a world of difference, not only due to scale of the uke but also the manufacturer, and the type of wood, and stings. So Drew, I have to agree with you and I am still looking out for the Kanile'a K-1 in the Marketplace.

Nicely done comparison! Thanks for posting that.


The Kanilea has better tonal qualities than the Islander. It's obvious to me. Those tonal qualities might be even greater when heard in-person and, if I had a need for a public-performance ukulele, they might be enough to entice me to buy one.

For now, I think my Islander MST-4 has enough of what I'm looking for. I'm certainly happy with it. I'd keep it as a back-up even if I purchased an upgrade.

Totally agree. Recorded ukes from a mic that cannot pick up the full range of sounds makes it very hard to hear the differences, it must be played and heard in person to really catch the full effect. However, there has to be something said about skill level and your ability to notice the difference. When I started playing the uke I could not tell, tonally, the difference between a $300 and $1000. Thus I was not able to fully take advantage of what the extra $700 would afford me like bell shaped tones, notes resonating longer, harmonics, perfect intonation all the way up the fret board. My wife's motto, if you cannot tell the difference between a $15 bottle of wine and a $315 bottle, differ to the cheaper one. Gladly she acknowledges I can not only hear the difference between the $250 MST-4 and the $1200 Tattoo, but that I can "play" the difference...

Mahalo everyone for viewing the vid. Hope it has helped some of you.

efiscella said:

Interesting that you say this. I own an Islander MST-4 but have my eye open for a K-1 to come up for sale. I thought there would be a huge difference but this video does not show that- at least not in a cost/quality ratio. I tried to balance that with the fact that when I try to record, the compression from the mic on my computer pretty much makes all of them sound alike. I started playing ukulele before my eldest daughter moved to the Netherlands. She did not know I played, so I sent her a video and used all of my ukulele's. the only one she could determine a different total sound from was the Kamaka 8 string. All of the others sounded pretty much the same on the video, however, I know that in person, there was a world of difference, not only due to scale of the uke but also the manufacturer, and the type of wood, and stings. So Drew, I have to agree with you and I am still looking out for the Kanile'a K-1 in the Marketplace.

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Hi, I'm new to this forum so I hope I don't come across as speaking out of turn. I don't currently play a ukulele (indeed I'm eagerly awaiting delivery of a Tanglewood TU 4 as I type) but I have played guitar for over 30 years - nothing special just folk stuff. I read this thread with great interest and in particular this post. I for one can definitely tell the sonic differences between these 3 instruments and they do not all sound the same to me even through my Macbook Pro's inbuilt speakers. I don't know what these ukes cost but to me the tenor sounds best to my ears. I don't know whether it's the cheapest or most expensive I just know what I like.

Efiscella, you do not say whether your daughter is a musician or not. To a lot of untrained ears most cannot tell the subtle differences between instruments if asked. Granted mics may have something to do with it but so do speakers. A lot of youngsters rely on MP3s for their music and have never heard a CD through a proper hifi system. Although MP3s are good and convenient a whole generation is missing out on an aural experience of uncompressed music which I think is incredibly sad and I think this affects their ability to judge music, not from a construct as in a song but from the various individual elements which go to make the whole.

Another observation from my guitar playing experience is that as the player we never truly hear the finer qualities of our instrument because we sit behind and above it. Only when it is played by someone else and we sit in front of it can we truly hear the sound it produces properly. As we all perceive sounds slightly differently what we expect or look for in an instrument will vary, hence the hundreds of different ukuleles offered for sale.
Just my two penny worth

Steelarts, you are so right. The trained ear can hear the difference and it will bug them till no end to play the lesser instrument trying to be passed off as something greater. It is subtle, but VERY noticeable.

I do prefer the Tatt model. It resonates longer and hits the notes better all the way up and down the neck. The K1 is good, but slightly misses the mark on tone. It does punch louder but I think the gloss or something else muffles the sound. And the MST 4 is crisp but does not hold the note and does sound boxy.

I did just pick up a MT 4 Islander. (I have a bit of UAS.) while I do love the similar feel of Kanilea you do have to work much harder to hit the notes and play faster as the notes do not ring out. Feels good and sounds great in the open air. Which is where I will play this mostly as it is my beater. Not bad for ~$100.

steelarts said:

Just my two penny worth

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That assessment is worth at least a dollar :agree:
My daughter is in no way a musician by the way

On Sunday I was jamming with a friend and I had and Islander MST-4 and a Kanile'a Ki1 tenor. I started playing the Islander. My friend was not looking at me and was looking at his music. I changed to the K-1 tenor. All of a sudden he looked up and said, "Did you change instruments?" I told him I had and he said, "I could tell. they had the same kind of tone but the one you have now is so much richer."

steelarts said:

I for one can definitely tell the sonic differences between these 3 instruments and they do not all sound the same to me even through my Macbook Pro's inbuilt speakers. I don't know what these ukes cost but to me the tenor sounds best to my ears.

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All three ukes are tenors. Which one sounds best to you? I don't know if anyone said they couldn't hear the difference. What I said was the difference is more obvious when you hear the ukes played in person rather than through any speaker system.

Even if a group of us gathered in the same room and listened to these ukes in person, what sounds "best" will be debatable. Each of us has our own personal preferences and varying levels of auditory sensitivity. My aging ears aren't what they used to be. I don't think hair growing inside them helps. Also just 2¢ worth.

I'm so sorry if I didn't make myself very clear Drew Bear. I was directing my comments towards Efiscella's daughter who couldn't tell the difference between his instruments over the internet and I agree wholeheartedly, as you say, instruments sound better live than through tinny computer speakers. All I was pointing out was that with a reasonable set of speakers a musician with some experience can relatively easily tell the differences between instruments more often than not.

Personally, I think all these ukuleles sound great finger picked but if there had to be an order of preference for me it'd be 1) the Tattoo 2) the K1 and 3) the Islander. But we only heard the Tattoo being strummed so things could change if we heard all 3 played exactly alike.

Yeah, I have the hair in the ears problem too. Ain't it strange what gravity inflicts on men? It stops the hair growing on the tops of our heads and makes it sprout from our noses and ears! LOL

Well Gentlemen, I have been thinking about this a lot since reading the posts and then I remembered an experience I had at a wine tasting of great Sauterne wines from Bordeaux. I was anxious to go to this tasting because they were finishing off with Chateau Yquem a legendary wine that costs close to $1000 a bottle. All of the wines I tasted were very very good and I would have any at any time. When the Yquem was poured I waiting to be knocked over by it --- but to my surprise --- the thing that made the Yquem so remarkable, so different, so out of the ordinary, was that it was in perfect balance. It did not knock you over, but if you know and appreciate fine wines, you know that this one is in perfect harmony and you just don't find that. Where the others might be a little acidic, or a little too sweet, or a little weak, the Yquem was in total balance.

And that got me thinking about the difference between my K-1 and my Islander. The Islander had a great sound and played loudly but was okay soft. if you had it, you wanted to play it loud and for soft I would choose another ukulele to play. The Islander was great playing chords but not as great finger picking. The K-1 is lovely and very satisfying playing softly but also sounds great with a more aggressive strum. it has a rich tone throughout and great sustain. Each string holds it own and does not get lost in a strum. Also, it is a real joy to finger pick whereas the Islander was good but nothing special. As soon as you fingerpick the K-1 you can feel and hear how special it is. The Islander was well built and solid but the K-1 was a piece of art.

So yes, steelarts and Drew are right on. It is not just the sound itself but also what a trained accomplished player can bring to it. Just like the wine, to someone who has only a passing interest in wine (they drink it) - then wine is wine. But for one who understands it, studies it, seeks the qualities and enjoys the differences, then you can really see the difference in qualities. It is the same for these musical instruments and you can't just tell by listening to the song on the computer. You need to hear it live. To feel it. To allow your senses to take it all in. To touch it.

I am curious as to how the OP felt about playing the three. What were his reactions?

Excellent dialogue going on here ...
Many thanks to mycdavid for the video comparison!
I was able to play the Islander and the Tattoo side by side and noticed the greater volume coming from the Islander (MST-4).
I cannot remember if the Tattoo emphasized the fundamentals more than the overtones. Islander generates a LOT of sympathetic overtones from each note struck.

steelarts said:

Ain't it strange what gravity inflicts on men? It stops the hair growing on the tops of our heads and makes it sprout from our noses and ears! LOL

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Sad, but too true. The hair also grows in places best left unmentioned...just anywhere except the head.

efiscella said:

It is not just the sound itself but also what a trained accomplished player can bring to it...you can't just tell by listening to the song on the computer. You need to hear it live. To feel it. To allow your senses to take it all in. To touch it.

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I've been meaning to start a thread on the importance of tactility. But the "feel" of a uke is not entirely connected to the sense of touch. I've asked more experienced uke players about this and it's very hard to describe. Suffice to say it's difficult to evaluate a uke based only on photos & sound samples.

Another topic worthy of its own thread is the interaction/collaboration between player and instrument. Just as it happens between people, I think sometimes a person can "click" with a particular uke. I've read accounts where someone has tested dozens of a specific make/model of uke before finding that one uke that they connected with. And that's only the initial spark. I would imagine the synergy blossoms from that point forward.

Original OP.

If this means me... I mentioned briefly my comments but I'll elaborate more here. I was told that kanileas, like most brands very greatly uke to uke. Of course I love the tattoo the most. It sings tactically by itself. Lightly press the frets and you hit the chords, even barred chords with ease. The mst4 sounds okay lighty played but does not resonate as long and hit spot on notes up and down the fret board. However, given that the k1 and the tattoo are the same model, same wood, specs, etc just with a laser etched design, I thought there would not be much difference. Playing live, I could hear and feel the difference. I know in the video I am playing a glossed version, but I have played many k1 and none matched the sound of the tattoo. I may have to play more to see if the 200-300 more bucks for te laser etch is worth it but in the store I went to, this tattoo was the one I did not want to pass on. As I have mentioned in another post, this particular one could have had a huge coffee stain on it, I still would have purchased it because of the sound that came out of it.

I did purchase a mt4 but perhaps it is not worth doing a vid because the plywood does not at all compare to the tattoo or even the mst4 (solid mahogany). I do love the simplicity of the design though. Looks like a k1 from a distance...

mycdavid said:

Lightly press the frets and you hit the chords, even barred chords with ease.

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Is there a difference in action between the two Ks? Are you using the same tensioned strings?

I was told that kanileas, like most brands very greatly uke to uke. Of course I love the tattoo the most...I have played many k1 and none matched the sound of the tattoo...As I have mentioned in another post, this particular one could have had a huge coffee stain on it, I still would have purchased it because of the sound that came out of it.

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Seems like you found that one Kanile'a meant for you. Did you notice any general difference in sound between glossy & satin K-1s? HMS claims the satin finished ukes have a more "woody" tone. I wonder if the fact that the Tat models are "ordinary" koa instead of curly koa makes a significant difference.

Drew Bear said:

Is there a difference in action between the two Ks? Are you using the same tensioned strings?

Seems like you found that one Kanile'a meant for you. Did you notice any general difference in sound between glossy & satin K-1s? HMS claims the satin finished ukes have a more "woody" tone. I wonder if the fact that the Tat models are "ordinary" koa instead of curly koa makes a significant difference.

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Both strung factory with aquilla. Same tension. Maybe but lower on tat model but no buzzing. Just like you said, it jut feels right. Meant for me! As for satin, I am a fan of the sound not or their durability. I think that if you had the EXACT uke one being satin and the other gloss, the satin will keep the sustain longer. And vibrate the sound board better. Simple physics of one being less coated and the wood being more porous. However, not all ukes are the same. Some may have a thinner sound board but glossed and sound louder and better than a thicker sound board and satin finish. You just have to pick it up and pluck the strings. With my UAS in full force I am on the look put for a no name, or "lesser" name brand uke and finding one that will match or sound better than the tat. When that happens ill
Sell U'la. Till then she's first wife!

Hope that helps.