Slothead or Solidhead Kanile'a

Hawaiiguy

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I am torn after listening to both a Kanile'a KCS-TP slot head and a Kaniel'a ISL-T island tenor. My question is the thin slot head as durable as the solid head? Both are ebony, with the Slot head having Gotoh stealths and the solid faceplate geared Grover tuners. I know many people say it's personal but I have a hard time differentiating sound between the two. The price is comparable but how is re-stringing a slothead? Thanks for any feedback before I pull the pin on my Christmas present to me!
 
I like the look of the slotted headstock, and don't find string changing to be all that difficult.

Great demo video for restringing here: https://youtu.be/M-eqwZmlVpQ
Skip to ~14:15 for the slotted headstock demo.

I like the solid look on concert/soprano, but much prefer slotted for tenor/bari. Not sure why. Could be the larger sizes look/sound more guitar like to me and I see a lot of slotted headstocks for classical guitars.

In the end, go with what you like.
 
Slothead's are more cumbersome to restring. Fans of slothead ukuleles can argue that its not THAT difficult yet it will always be more cumbersome that a standard flat peghead.

Some/many people just prefer the look of slotted pegheads and are prepared to pay extra for them.
For the record I do prefer the standard/flat pegheads.
 
Slothead's are more cumbersome to restring. Fans of slothead ukuleles can argue that its not THAT difficult yet it will always be more cumbersome that a standard flat peghead.

Some/many people just prefer the look of slotted pegheads and are prepared to pay extra for them.
For the record I do prefer the standard/flat pegheads.

Maybe a bit more difficult until you get the hang of it. I have a 12 string slothead guitar and it takes just a little longer than my paddle head. But break angle affects sustain and sound. And how often do you need to change uke strings anyway... Kanile'a sounds perfect as it is and strings may last for years.
 
I like the solid ones because there is space for you to put a sticker or a decoration on them :)
 
I find slot heads easier and faster to restring than solid nones but that's a minor thing (and maybe because I've played classical guitar most of my life). I also like the slot head look and I suppose the break angle is another tiny advantage. Most of all, I love being able to attach a strap in the slot so it's not snug against the nut and out of the way of my hand! I did try a Kanile'a at HMS with the mini slot last week and was surprised at how tiny and thin it was. I prefer the look of the larger slot design and I suspect replacement heads would be easier to come by.
 
I am torn after listening to both a Kanile'a KCS-TP slot head and a Kaniel'a ISL-T island tenor. My question is the thin slot head as durable as the solid head? Both are ebony, with the Slot head having Gotoh stealths and the solid faceplate geared Grover tuners. I know many people say it's personal but I have a hard time differentiating sound between the two. The price is comparable but how is re-stringing a slothead? Thanks for any feedback before I pull the pin on my Christmas present to me!

Well, Hawaiiguy, did you get one?
 
Well, Hawaiiguy, did you get one?

Thanks for everyones help on this. I did end up buying a Kaniel'a ISL-T and put a Baggs 5.0 on her. I was leaning towards the slothead but in the end chose the solid as the break angle was not that overwhelming as a selling point. I also do spend a good amount of time pau hana playing with guys up in Holualoa and sometimes down at the beach. I appreciate all the input and wish everyone a great Holiday Season! View attachment 123734Kaniel'a.jpg
 
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