Buying problem: Kamaka or Kanile'a?

I'm fairly new in this lovely forum. I have been reading a lot and absorbing information as much as I can. This is my very first post!

Last year I just picked up an ukulele in my classroom (I'm a teacher) and it was love immediately. Within a week I purchased my very own first ukulele and since then I just can't put it down. I have been taking ukulele classes and I practise when ever I can. Every day.

I'm a very trorough person so I have studied A LOT about ukulele. And very early on I had this idea that maybe, if this love for ukulele sticks around, I would get my self a Kanile'a K1 (or any other Hawaiian made koa ukulele, but Kanile'a speaks to me somehow the most). But so far I have not been able to justify the price. And I don't have an opportunity to try different K brands, or practically any all solid wood instruments here where I live. So I have to buy online.

Sorry for this long long story, I'll get to the point. It happens that I have been given an opportunity to buy a used Kamaka HF-3 tenor. It's made in 2015 and it is practically like new. Seldom used and in great condition. And half the price of a new Kamaka tenor!

I have listened every sound sample that I could find. Sometimes I love the Kanile'a sound, sometimes Kamaka wins, sometimes I find KoAlohas the best. And have read all the reviews and opinions and got my self a bit confused.

So I think I'll go for Kamaka. But will Kanile'a always be at the back of my head whispering?

Welcome to UU, Loska!

Try the Kamaka out and see what your gut tells you. Normally you can't go wrong with Kamaka, Kanile'a or KoAloha. They are all superb instruments. Even if Kanile'a keeps popping up in your dreams you'd have a K brand already. If you can justify the expense to get a second uke from these iconic brands then you make up your mind later whether or not to own both or sell the Kamaka at that moment. However, don't hesitate for long as I expect it will be snatched up quickly.

The trouble with listening to sound samples on YouTube videos are numerous. The quality of recording equipment, the proper use of it, the skill of the player and even the song played. I have owned and or played all three K brands, they all sound a bit different but all have excellent tone. You would be happy with any of them, all are of the highest quality in sound materials and workmanship.

Perhaps you have heard of a fellow by the name of Jake Shimabukuro.........not too bad of a player. He plays Kamaka, seems to make it sound pretty good. All teasing aside I really love Kamaka and at that price it is a no brainer to buy it. You can turn around and sell for what you paid if it doesn’t work out.

One caveat about Kamaka, they come with black nylon strings that a lot of people don’t like the sound of too much. Change them to Florocarbon, Worth or Oasis brand and it transforms the sound of the instrument. Best of luck on your decision

I have a Kanilea and a Kamaka. They're both great. But I love the HF-3 (w/ Worth brown). For me and my limited experience, nothing seems to "sing" to me (almost without playing like the Kamaka at the middle frets.

The sound is one thing and playability is the other. Each neck is slightly different. The width at the nut can make a difference as well as the shape of the neck in your hand. If you buy used and you can play the ukulele before purchasing, that is ideal. With a new instrument you often get a period to try and return. I have lusted after several ukuleles in the past to find that the neck shape, nut width and/or tone doesn’t suit me. For instance, I found out I prefer a 14 frets to the body on concerts. Other players don’t care.

There is nothing like actually playing an instrument compared to listening to a sound sample. I can’t play like Corey at HMS. Does the ukulele strum as well as being finger picked? Does it match the style of music you play? Can you sing with it? Just some questions I consider.

I had a friend try one of my ukuleles and exclaim, “this is so easy to play compared to mine.” It was one I purchased from HMS so the set up was excellent—so set up is important. Mim will also take care of set up. Just some things to consider.

The differences are much more about personal preference than actual quality differences. There is not objective "better" or "worse", and when I play various models side by side in a uke store I'd have a very hard time deciding which one to take home as each has features and qualities that I would prefer over the other. Both are familiy operations, and the Kamakas put their name on the headstock and have pride in more than 100 years of tradition that has survived many other brands, while Kanile'a is a relatively new brand and they have changed many things in the way they build their ukes compared to how they were made decades ago. Some of these changes I like and others I don't. I have a white label Kamaka tenor that was well used for more than 40 years and it's my favourite uke. But I certainly would not complain if I also had Kanile'a ... if you have to make the choice look at your personality: are you more attracted to tradition and keeping with things that have worked well for a long time, or more into innovation, change, and risk? The answer to that should help with your decision.

Oh, Kamaka or Kanile'a? What a horrible problem!

I'll add a vote for what Dave said. You're getting a bargain for the Kamaka, so if you decide you really wanted the Kanile'a, you can sell the Kamaka for what you paid for it.

Since you are guessing between the two, you would guess right if you bought either. At half price, just buy it!

And yes, Kanile'a would still be whispering, but a little softer for a while. Every time you pick up the Kamaka, it will drown out the whispering. Many in this forum solve the problem by buying both. So get the Kamaka now and decide if you want the Kanile'a down the road.

Kanilea and Kamaka both sound great. When I see professional ukulele players in concert, they are playing one of these brands more often than any other brand. They do have different shaped necks, so one or the other may be noticeably easier or more comfortable for you to play. For that much money, I would try hard to try the instruments out in person before buying.

I'm a simple person and my response is simple: get the Kamaka. It has the quality, it has the tradition, and the price is superb. After a few years of coveting and collecting ukuleles, I am down to two ukuleles and I will be that way forever:

1. A Kamaka HF-3L
2. A custom uke, based on the Kamaka but with a cutaway, cooler wood selections, and certain idiosyncratic visual tweaks.

The Kamaka is all I need. I'm not deprecating other ukuleles; I am merely saying that the Kamaka fulfills me.

To add a totally materialistic note: for the general buying public, Kamaka has far superior name recognition in case you ever decide to sell it. Of course, the same would be much less true for pro's and uke aficionados.

Since you can get the Kamaka at a great price, you should have no problem selling it if it turns out you don't love it.

Wow, you are simply wonderful, thank you! :worship: You all have such a good points and gave me a lot to think about. Now off to work, but I'll get back to this later.

Gee, I'd love to have this problem.....

Yes, maybe I chose wrong title for this thread. It's hardly a 'problem' when one gets to choose between great ukuleles. I just have created this huge dilemma in my head. Maybe I should just take a chance and toss a coin or something. But this tradition thing really got to me. I'm all about tradition - my main instrument is piano with a long, long history. And all those hybrid grand pianos, not my cup of tea. Kamaka tenor comes with a tradition, so I think I'll go with that. I love to play classical music and finger pick with uke, and Kamaka tenor will probably suit for that really well. And as I have heard, it suits to pretty much everything.

Maybe someday I get to play KoAloha and Kanile'a too.

Great decision, go for that Kamaka that will give you everything you can get from a Hawaiian made all solid Koa instrument, and more: a name that is connected to history and tradition more than any other ukulele.

I’m at about the same place you are in my playing. I’d agree with an earlier post about buying the Kamaka if you have found a good deal (and then you could always resell since Kamaka will hold its value if properly maintained).

I was also deciding between Kamaka and Kanilea, and found a good deal on a used Kanilea, so I’m going that route (as I love the wider nut width).

I would recommend keeping the box in which it arrives in. I didn’t do that, and I’m wishing that I had. I’m not sure how to sell anything from my inventory because I don’t have a good shipping container handy.

I would pick the Kanilea and then send me the info for the seller of that Kamaka

Taking a long view, buy the Kamaka now, enjoy having a great ukulele + a great price and down the road there may be a great Kanilea at a great price waiting.

As sad that it is, the Kamaka seller did sell the instrument to someone else. I think that it had to do with the fact that he had a buyer at his door with cash in hand. So the search goes on...