Picked up my new Kanile'a Premium Island Inlay tenor from HMS

wickedwahine11

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About four years ago when I started playing the ukulele, the first "real" uke I bought was my Kanilea K2 tenor. I really wanted one of their island inlay tenors but couldn't afford it at the time. Ever since then, I've been fortunate enough to have some great ukes, but I couldn't get that island inlay one out of my head. Still, I just couldn't justify having two Kanilea tenors.

So a couple of weeks ago I was browsing the Hawaii Music Supply website and happened to notice that they had a sale on one that they had in stock. I mentioned it to my spouse as a joke, and asked for it as my anniversary present. To my shock, I was told that if I sold my current Kanilea tenor (I have a one uke in, one uke out policy now), the balance owed would in fact be my anniversary present.

So I ended up selling my K2 tenor (thanks Mike I hope you like it!) and bought the new one from Music Guy Mike last Friday. He ended up dropping it off at the Kanilea factory this week so that Joe could install a pickup in it, and yesterday I took a bus out to Kaneohe and got my new baby.

I'm not going to lie, when Joe opened up the case to show it to me, I got incredibly choked up and almost started to cry. This uke had been my dream for so long and I couldn't believe it was finally mine.

I am still in Hawaii so I don't have any photos taken of it yet, other than the one Kristen took yesterday of my Mom, Joe and I (and put on Kanilea's twitter and Facebook), and the ones from the Hawaii Music Supply website. I'll take more when I get home and put it in its humidified cabinet next to its sibling ukes.

I am naming her "Ailana" which means island in Hawaiian, due to the island inlay. I know it is probably too much bling for some folks but I love the abalone. I ended up replacing the stock plastic bridge pins with some koa ones that I bought years ago. They are a little too loose in this uke so I just ordered some rosewood w/ abalone that I will use instead.

So far yesterday I tried four types of strings on it (I brought six types with me to try out). First, I tried my fave PhD (that I use on my KoAloha and Kamoa) -- to my surprise, they seemed kind of muddy, while they are great on those other ukes. I then tried my old standby Worth CHLGHD and both A strings I tried snapped on me when I was tuning it. The Worth CMLG were not bad but they were a bit too tinny. On a lark, I tried Worth BTLG strings. I usually find them too warm, but I was pleasantly surprised to find they sounded good. They were loud and had a nice clarity. So for now, they are what I will use until try some Fremont Blacklines (that I forgot at home).

First impressions, the curly koa is nice eye candy. The neck is super smooth and fast. I haven't tried the pickup since I don't have an amp with me, but I will at home. The tone is not quite as good as my KoAloha, but seems to rival my Kamaka and I much prefer the glassy UV finish to the Kamaka and KoAloha finish. It isn't as loud as the KoAloha either but I don't mind that. Joe mentioned it was from log 45, but I forgot to ask if it had the sand inlay on the logo.

I just want to thank Music Guy Mike so much. Not only did he get the uke to Kanilea but he delivered a hard case to my hotel in Waikiki last night since he forgot to bring it to Kaneohe. He really went above and beyond and his customer service was amazing.

I also want to thank Joe for installing the pickup for me in such short order so I could pick up the uke before I leave Oahu tomorrow. He and Kristen are such wonderful people and I can't thank them enough for letting me bug them with calls and emails.

Until I can take some photos at home, here are the ones from the factory and the HMS site.

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Congrats, Staci. It's gorgeous and super unique.

A special uke made more special by the experience.
 
A dream is a wish your heart makes, according to Cinderella in the movie. Congratulations on having your dream come true! (And bravo for keeping an eye out for a bargain price, and for living right so that people go out of their way to help you.)
 
Much congratulations!

I also salivated when I first saw that uke, but there was no way I could afford it. I'm really glad it went to you, because there's no doubt you'll have that special bond with it.

Great picture of you with Joe and your new baby, too!
 
Aloha Staci,
I seen one of those in a uke shop in Waikiki last year, don't remember which store as I went to all that was in walking distance from my hotel. Anyway, THE Islands inlay got to me cause that's where my heart always was, born and raised in Honolulu but moved to Cali. 45 years ago.
I seen the pix on FB and was happy to see YOU holding it. Congrats bigtime Staci. May you have many happy moments with Ailana.....................................BO.............................
 
Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!
Congratulations on your new ukulele!
 
Congrats, it's beautiful!
Happy strummin'!
-Tsaw
 
Congrats, Staci. Wonderful story and absolutely gorgeous uke. MGM provides amazing service and Joe did his part too. Enjoy your new dream uke!
 
Congratulations to you. It's beautiful. Will hope that she opens up to rival or surpass the Koaloha.

Am curious where you bought your koa bridge pins and ordered the rosewood/abalone pins from.
 
Congrats, Staci! I saw that on FB and thought "That looks like WW, but she already has a Kanilea and I think she likes KoAloha" then I saw you posted to FB.

I love that uke! I want a modern Kanilea premium model pretty bad. I played a K1 and it sounded great and I love the Kanilea neck; I think their neck is the best I've played regardless of brand. I bought a vintage Kanilea, but it was before they perfected the neck design. I also like the inlay (I like tasteful bling). That grain is simply spectacular!

Congrats on the uke! It's a beauty!
 
Thank you everyone for the very kind words. This uke means a great deal to me. I guess the wait was worth it...I just have to find the perfect strings for it.

Congratulations to you. It's beautiful. Will hope that she opens up to rival or surpass the Koaloha.

Am curious where you bought your koa bridge pins and ordered the rosewood/abalone pins from.

I got the koa bridge pins from Stewart Macdonald ages ago. I had gotten a couple of sets, and sent one off with my old KoAloha, and currently have the other set in this one. Unfortunately, they don't carry them anymore, but they do have snakewood ones that a lot of UU users have. I got the rosewood/abalone ones from a store in the UK. It will probably take a long time to get to me, but I thought they would go well with the bridge. The link is here: http://www.smallwonder-music.co.uk/shop/Bridge-Pins/c-1-125/

I think you can get them a lot cheaper though on ebay but I already placed my order.

Nice Staci. Is the uke shopping over for good?

Ha, I would like to say so, but I guess never say never. I think Moore Bettahs are wonderful but even if I was lucky enough to be on the waitlist, I wouldn't want to get one unless I knew exactly what I wanted on the inlay and I am too fickle to know the right design for me, so I will just love those from afar.
 
Congratulation from one Kanile'a Premium Island Inlay Tenor owner to another :). MGM also sold me mine when I visited HMS in January. Love playing it but sometimes I'm afraid to bring it outside fearing I may scratch it. To me it's a playable piece of art. One I'll never part with.
 
Absolutely beautiful. I have been looking at that same one for a while now.
 
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