Help with new Tenor

I'm in need of some help. I want to get a new tenor. But I cant decide between a Kamaka , Kanilea , Koaloha. I know they all are great quality but I have not had a chance to play the Kamaka or the Kanilea. Any input would be appreciated

By the time you get into that price range, everything is good and it all comes down to personal preference. It gets even more confusing since some custom builders price their instruments to compete directly with the K-brands.

If you can't play them all side-by-side to compare, check out sound samples and read reviews. Can't imagine you'd be disappointed with any one of those, though.

I have the KoAloha tenor which I also had to purchase sight unseen. I have been extremely pleased. Workmanship/finish is excellent. Three comments: neck is very playable; frets are all perfectly finished with no sharp edges, etc; sustain is outstanding (Miso soundhole design?). I play about 95% fingerstyle in low G, but it also strums well. Good luck.

Jon

When considering a new tenor in the price range of the K- production makers, you might want to take a look at Mike Pereira of MP Ukuleles' work. IMHO, his ukuleles far exceed the quality, sound, looks, and playability of what the Hawaiian production makers can offer. Just my 2 cents.

Kanile'a Represent!

I have a Kanile'a K-1T gloss finish and a Kanile'a K-1TSM sound monster matte finish and I am more than happy with both. If I were to choose my favorite, it would be the sound monster in the matte finish due to the projection and the sustain. Either way they are way worth the money. It is a tough decision, and I had to go through the same process before going with the Kanile'a! :shaka:

This would be a tough choice, especially if you can't try them out in person. I just acquired a Kamaka tenor in Maui a couple of days ago and I have had a Kanile'a super tenor for a couple of months now. Now that I'm back home and had a chance to briefly play both back to back, I'd say the Kanile'a super tenor is the better sounding uke. But this Kanile'a I have is strung with Worth CT and to me it is pretty much as good sounding as a couple of custom ukes I have, so it doesn't mean that the Kamaka is bad at all. And the Kamaka still has the stock Kamaka strings on it.

I picked this Kamaka tenor after playing about 10 different Kamaka tenors at Lahaina Music. All of them looked different and I could tell that some sounded better than others. There was one that had some curly koa, maybe 3A, on the soundboard. I really wanted to get that one, but it was probably the worst sounding one of the bunch so I couldn't bring myself to get it. It came down to one that had a fairly plain soundboard and headstock veneer with some very mild curls in both, and one that had 4A curly koa headstock veneer and striped grain on the soundboard. The plain one sounded a little better to me, but I chose the one that looked better. This is the first time I got to play through so many examples of one model of ukulele, and it was definitely an interesting experience. They really all look and sound different. I would say they all sounded good, but some better than others.

I guess I would say that if the Kamaka name means something to you, get the Kamaka (I fully admit the reason I got this Kamaka is because I wanted a Kamaka. I wasn't comparison shopping). Otherwise, I think Kanile'a, especially if you go for the super tenor, will probably be better sounding. One thing's for sure, the Kanile'a gloss finish is far superior to Kamaka's gloss finish. All of the Kamaka tenors I tried had rough patches of the clear finish somewhere (this has also been an issue with KoAlohas in the past. I'm not sure about now). The great sounding plain one mentioned above had a rough feeling neck, which also contributed to my decision to get the better looking one.

Anyway, I think all three brands are very good so it probably comes down to which design you like the best.

GX,
It's great that you share you unbiased opinions on these ukes. Too often people are hesitant to mention the not so positive attributes of instruments here. I'm also sure it comes down to experience. I too have not been impressed with the finish on the Koaloha and Kamaka, of course I'm unfairly comparing them to custom ukes. The Kanilea gloss has a nice finish for a production ukulele. It also has a very nice sound, perhaps even better than the famous Kamaka. These are all great ukes but I too have found the Kanilea edging out the other two..in just my opinion and from the instruments I have played. For $900, these ukes are way worth it.

Another thing to take notice is that a solid koa topped instrument will mature in it's sound. Sometimes as we play, we may not realize the changes, sometimes you can. But if you were play the hell out of your uke, and then compare it to a brand new one, you'll hear a much more mature sound. The softer wood topped instruments will sound more responsive and open from the get go and mature differently to a koa instrument.

With all the ukes you have, I'm sure you've heard the changes, therefore your opinions are based on experience, which I appreciate, versus those who make statements based on what they have read.

uluapoundr said:

GX,
It's great that you share you unbiased opinions on these ukes. Too often people are hesitant to mention the not so positive attributes of instruments here. I'm also sure it comes down to experience. I too have not been impressed with the finish on the Koaloha and Kamaka, of course I'm unfairly comparing them to custom ukes. The Kanilea gloss has a nice finish for a production ukulele. It also has a very nice sound, perhaps even better than the famous Kamaka. These are all great ukes but I too have found the Kanilea edging out the other two..in just my opinion and from the instruments I have played. For $900, these ukes are way worth it.

Another thing to take notice is that a solid koa topped instrument will mature in it's sound. Sometimes as we play, we may not realize the changes, sometimes you can. But if you were play the hell out of your uke, and then compare it to a brand new one, you'll hear a much more mature sound. The softer wood topped instruments will sound more responsive and open from the get go and mature differently to a koa instrument.

With all the ukes you have, I'm sure you've heard the changes, therefore your opinions are based on experience, which I appreciate, versus those who make statements based on what they have read.

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Hey thanks. I hope the information I post are helpful. I'm not all that experienced with ukuleles, just someone who went nuts buying too many ukes. Perhaps because I've gone through so many ukes, I haven't really been able to notice too much change in the sound of these solid wood ukes as they mature. I'm sure it happens, but it'll probably be a while before I'm able to notice it.

GX9901 said:

I guess I would say that if the Kamaka name means something to you, get the Kamaka (I fully admit the reason I got this Kamaka is because I wanted a Kamaka. I wasn't comparison shopping). Otherwise, I think Kanile'a, especially if you go for the super tenor, will probably be better sounding.

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Thanks so much for posting this. I love my Kanile'a but recently I had been wondering if I should have bought a Kamaka instead. Admittedly, I was feeling prey to the stature and name of "the" Hawaiian ukulele company.

A bit off topic, but sort of like my baseball glove. I have a personalized Nokona buffalo glove. Everyone always speaks of Rawlings and Wilson, never Nokona, mainly because it isn't well known, but that doesn't speak to its quality, just to the fact that it is a small family run business that isn't as famous as its competitors. Sometimes I feel like Kanile'a is in the same boat.

Kamakas are gorgeous instruments (as is yours, I saw your new one on your blog - congrats) but I didn't know if they were technically superior to the Kanile'a models, or just more well known. I had decided to keep my Kanile'a after all, since I love it, but thanks for putting some of my nagging doubts to rest. I really value your opinion since you own, and play, more than just one brand. I think some of us (myself included) tend to be ambassadors for what we buy, not objective arbiters of all the brands. Thanks for your post...

For to bluesuke, I think you can't go wrong with any of the K's. I have almost never seen complaints about any of them, and they all have their glowing fan bases. Good luck to you, and let us know what you choose.

wickedwahine11 said:

Thanks so much for posting this. I love my Kanile'a but recently I had been wondering if I should have bought a Kamaka instead. Admittedly, I was feeling prey to the stature and name of "the" Hawaiian ukulele company.

A bit off topic, but sort of like my baseball glove. I have a personalized Nokona buffalo glove. Everyone always speaks of Rawlings and Wilson, never Nokona, mainly because it isn't well known, but that doesn't speak to its quality, just to the fact that it is a small family run business that isn't as famous as its competitors. Sometimes I feel like Kanile'a is in the same boat.

Kamakas are gorgeous instruments (as is yours, I saw your new one on your blog - congrats) but I didn't know if they were technically superior to the Kanile'a models, or just more well known. I had decided to keep my Kanile'a after all, since I love it, but thanks for putting some of my nagging doubts to rest. I really value your opinion since you own, and play, more than just one brand. I think some of us (myself included) tend to be ambassadors for what we buy, not objective arbiters of all the brands. Thanks for your post...

For to bluesuke, I think you can't go wrong with any of the K's. I have almost never seen complaints about any of them, and they all have their glowing fan bases. Good luck to you, and let us know what you choose.

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I do think you have a point. I'm sure there are better ukes than Kamakas but for me it's more than an instrument; it represents Hawaii, a place I love. The fact Iz used one, and Jake etc uses them, and the fact one was given by Hawaii to the Whitehouse doesn't really add anything to the sound quality or build quality of the uke but it does affect the way I think of Kamaka.