Kanilea Super Tenor ALTERNATIVE?

[Paul December]

OK, here is the deal...
...MGM was blowing-out the Kanilea super tenor a while ago for under $800, now they are around $1,400 :(
I'd like a BIG body on a tenor neck, but I'm guessing custom is the only-way-to-go. Can it be done for under $1k?

BTW if you are a Kanilea super tenor owner...
...that BIG body is hideous, and as a favor I will take-it-off-your-hands for a fraction of what they are going for ;)

[coolkayaker1]

Paul, my friend, you need to step to the dark side (like I just did) --- baritone. I haven;t the foggiest notion if I'm going to feel Disneyworld aboutv this, or if I just bought a bridge to nowhere, but time will tell.

The scale on the one I have ordered is 19 inches. What's a tenor, 17 inches? I think you posted on the "year of the baritone" thread, so I know you're aware of them. Perhaps you've owned one? I have not, but it should be coming this week. Would that, esp. since re-entrant tuning can be used with the right strings, be an alternative for you? Something to play around with.

Example: solid 'hog Pono baritone on sale: http://www.theukulelesite.com/pono-mb.html

[kissing]

I'm feeling your pain Paul, was stalking Hawaii Music Supply again looking at the Kanilea Super Tenor page ... *drool*

[sumppump]

The Applause tenor by Ovation is a large body with a tenor neck.

[coolkayaker1]

The Applause tenor by Ovation is a large body with a tenor neck.

I actually own that exact tenor, and you are right, sumppump. Dead on right.]

I currently own this one:
http://tinyurl.com/d9pbcay

[slackkey007]

OK, here is the deal...
...MGM was blowing-out the Kanilea super tenor a while ago for under $800, now they are around $1,400 :(
I'd like a BIG body on a tenor neck, but I'm guessing custom is the only-way-to-go. Can it be done for under $1k?

BTW if you are a Kanilea super tenor owner...
...that BIG body is hideous, and as a favor I will take-it-off-your-hands for a fraction of what they are going for ;)


Ho, Bruddah Paul!

Here's a possible option under $1000 ... a Mele Jumbo Tenor! I think they're made with a 19" scale. Give them a call and see if they make them with a 17" scale.

http://www.meleukulele.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=54&cat=Jumbo+Tenor+Ukuleles


Good luck with your search!

[wickedwahine11]

There is currently a Kanilea Premium Super Tenor for sale for $950 over on the Flea Market Music Marketplace page. The pictures are a little blurry but it looks beautiful.

[JamieFromOntario]

What about a BlueGrassUkulele traditional shape tenor?

Mine is quite a bit large than any other tenor i've had or seen. I often describe it as a baritone with a tenor neck. I also like how the neck is joined at quite a high fret - no need for a cut away.

These seem to run from around $600-1000 (i got mine for a steal at $500).


Here's a pic of the BlueGrass beside a Kala tenor: http://www.box.net/shared/s58l59usjn

[Paul December]

Paul, my friend, you need to step to the dark side (like I just did) --- baritone. I haven;t the foggiest notion if I'm going to feel Disneyworld aboutv this, or if I just bought a bridge to nowhere, but time will tell.

The scale on the one I have ordered is 19 inches. What's a tenor, 17 inches? I think you posted on the "year of the baritone" thread, so I know you're aware of them. Perhaps you've owned one? I have not, but it should be coming this week. Would that, esp. since re-entrant tuning can be used with the right strings, be an alternative for you? Something to play around with.

Example: solid 'hog Pono baritone on sale: http://www.theukulelesite.com/pono-mb.html

My secret fear is I'd like a baritone too much!
My brother has a cheap one and I strung it GCEA for him and it sounds great.
Possibly I'm being silly, but I like to think of a Uke as a completely different instrument...
...the Bari strikes me as a Remedial Guitar.

[Paul December]

What about a BlueGrassUkulele traditional shape tenor?

Mine is quite a bit large than any other tenor i've had or seen. I often describe it as a baritone with a tenor neck. I also like how the neck is joined at quite a high fret - no need for a cut away.

These seem to run from around $600-1000 (i got mine for a steal at $500).


Here's a pic of the BlueGrass beside a Kala tenor: http://www.box.net/shared/s58l59usjn

How does it sound compared to that Kala?

[Paul December]

There is currently a Kanilea Premium Super Tenor for sale for $950 over on the Flea Market Music Marketplace page. The pictures are a little blurry but it looks beautiful.


OK, possibly I'm simply a cheap bastard...
...but I just can't bring myself to pay $1k for a 2-owner uke with some damage that originally sold for less than the selling price now.

[JamieFromOntario]

Waaay different than the kala or than my MP. I find it extremely comfortable to play - the fret board is somewhat wider other ukes.

Don't listen to the clips from my old review (they're okay, but not representative of how I think it sounds best) - i didn't have the right string choice, and the tension was too high and was over-driving the sound board.

I'll dig around and see if I can find (or make) a recording.

[coolkayaker1]

Possibly I'm being silly, but I like to think of a Uke as a completely different instrument...
...the Bari strikes me as a Remedial Guitar.

Yes. You're being silly. One could call it a refined sitar, or a nascent sanshin. Perhaps even a fetal cello.

But a remedial guitar. No.

[kissing]

Aquila's re-entrant GCEA strings do feel a bit tight in tension on a baritone.
As does a regular set of classical guitar strings I once used to tune to low-GCEA.

Does the bari have to have high tension if you want to tune it like a regular uke?
Or is it simply a matter of using lighter gauge strings (perhaps if I tried a light-gauge classical set, as opposed to regular).