NUD: Kanile'a SUS-T Tenor
- Thread starter Jerryc41
- Start date
OP
OP
Jerryc41
Well-known member
Well, a small part of my post made the trip. Let's see if I can get the rest of it.
Baz did it to me again. After reading his review, I didn’t have a chance. I went to the Southern Ukulele site and clicked on Buy.
https://www.gotaukulele.com/2020/10/kanilea-sus-t-tenor-ukulele-review.html
This look beautiful, and it sounds beautiful. As you can see in the review, the case itself is a work of art, and it comes with a D’Addario humidifier.
The people at the Southern Ukulele Store are very nice to deal with. Take a look at their site sometime.
https://www.southernukulelestore.co.uk/
Baz did it to me again. After reading his review, I didn’t have a chance. I went to the Southern Ukulele site and clicked on Buy.
https://www.gotaukulele.com/2020/10/kanilea-sus-t-tenor-ukulele-review.html
This look beautiful, and it sounds beautiful. As you can see in the review, the case itself is a work of art, and it comes with a D’Addario humidifier.
The people at the Southern Ukulele Store are very nice to deal with. Take a look at their site sometime.
https://www.southernukulelestore.co.uk/
Damn it, you beat me to it! My Kanile'a SUS Concert arrives tomorrow. 
I got hooked in because of the sale Southern Ukulele Store had. Plus they're my favourite uke shop by far. Such lovely people. Alex from SUS has his own Youtube channel nowadays. You should check that out as well: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmhxDlQD6QfoxbKutkGLFQg
Congrats on the new uke! I'm itching to try mine. Not doubting the quality of a Kanile'a for a second but I'm really curious how this compares to my K1.
I got hooked in because of the sale Southern Ukulele Store had. Plus they're my favourite uke shop by far. Such lovely people. Alex from SUS has his own Youtube channel nowadays. You should check that out as well: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmhxDlQD6QfoxbKutkGLFQgCongrats on the new uke! I'm itching to try mine. Not doubting the quality of a Kanile'a for a second but I'm really curious how this compares to my K1.
OP
OP
Jerryc41
Well-known member
Damn it, you beat me to it! My Kanile'a SUS Concert arrives tomorrow.
Congrats on the new uke! I'm itching to try mine. Not doubting the quality of a Kanile'a for a second but I'm really curious how this compares to my K1.
Thanks. When did you order yours? I ordered mine on 10/8, and I received it on 10/19 because of the delay over import fees. I haven't compared the sound to my other K-tenor or KoAloha tenor, but I didn't buy it because it's going to sound better than another uke. I'm sure it sounds different, but the sound is beautiful, as you would expect from a first class ukulele.
SUS doesn't show the one I got now, just the Deluxe version. It's fancier, but I like the standard looks better. The finish is beautiful. I'll have to be careful playing it.
Last edited:
OP
OP
Jerryc41
Well-known member
I don't know anything about the K1, but I have a Honu tenor. I'll have to compare the sounds.
I ordered it a bit over a week ago so later than you. It's at the post office at the moment waiting for me to pick it up but I don't have time until later today.
I'm not expecting it to sound necessarily better than koa Kanile'as or other similar ukes either, rather I'm curious how the sound differs. This is my first cedar top uke as well so I'm extra curious. I'll have to start testing different strings on it immediately.
OP
OP
Jerryc41
Well-known member
I ordered it a bit over a week ago so later than you. It's at the post office at the moment waiting for me to pick it up but I don't have time until later today.
I'm not expecting it to sound necessarily better than koa Kanile'as or other similar ukes either, rather I'm curious how the sound differs. This is my first cedar top uke as well so I'm extra curious. I'll have to start testing different strings on it immediately.
I like the look and sound of cedar, but I generally leave the original strings on my ukes. The strings on mine will take a lot of stretching.
Last edited:
Nickie
Well-known member
I'm curious, why did you blame your UAS on Baz? He's just the messenger!
I hope you're enjoying it.
Maybe you should stop watching Baz.....
I hope you're enjoying it.
Maybe you should stop watching Baz.....
Baz is an enabler. Shame on him for reviewing so many excellent instruments and making us crave them.
OP
OP
Jerryc41
Well-known member
You could replace "blame" with "thank." Without the messenger, I wouldn't have gotten the message.
Yes, I love playing it. I'll be using it for our Zoom jam tonight, 6:30 - 8:00.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84728097972?pwd=dSt1VzJaTkg2N2tIS0VIZ0ozMHF2UT09
Song book - Pete Seeger, down the page on the right. Originally from June 2019.
https://www.normanskillstrummers.com/song-sheets7560b422
EDIT: Now this is odd. I received an email at 9:42 last night repeating the post I'm replying to here. I made my original reply the morning of the 22nd. Weird!
Last edited:
I can't be bothered to make my own NUD thread, so here's my Kanile'a SUS Concert with it's equally wonderful sibling:
I was really curious how the sound between the SUS and the K1 concert differed. I initially thought that the SUS had a brighter tone which threw me a bit since I always thought cedar and mahogany were typically warmer in tone compared to koa. But it turns out I was right since the SUS came with fluorocarbon strings. Once I switched them to clear nylon (which are the same strings as on the K1) the sound is indeed warmer than the K1. In fact, the sound is now so lovely that I'm now struggling to decide which strings to keep on which uke. The fluorocarbons this one came with sounded nice as well but I haven't really gotten on with fluorocarbons on a Kanile'a in the past.
The overall quality is typical Kanile'a. Surprisingly, the SUS was actually a bit lighter than the K1. There were a few weird niggles however. There are two little dents or dips on the finish which is very odd for a Kanile'a. One of them is right on top of a very dark dot on the wood grain so I'm wondering if the grain of the cedar is something that can do that to the finish. Still, they're very minor and certainly preferable to bubbles in the finish you can sometimes get on cheaper finishes. Also, I was really struggling with changing the C string as it barely fit the slot inside the bridge. The bridge pin was really tough to get into its place as well but I did manage it in the end. Really weird that. Aside from those small issues, I really like this one. The tone is certainly different enough to justify having both the SUS and the K1.
I was really curious how the sound between the SUS and the K1 concert differed. I initially thought that the SUS had a brighter tone which threw me a bit since I always thought cedar and mahogany were typically warmer in tone compared to koa. But it turns out I was right since the SUS came with fluorocarbon strings. Once I switched them to clear nylon (which are the same strings as on the K1) the sound is indeed warmer than the K1. In fact, the sound is now so lovely that I'm now struggling to decide which strings to keep on which uke. The fluorocarbons this one came with sounded nice as well but I haven't really gotten on with fluorocarbons on a Kanile'a in the past.
The overall quality is typical Kanile'a. Surprisingly, the SUS was actually a bit lighter than the K1. There were a few weird niggles however. There are two little dents or dips on the finish which is very odd for a Kanile'a. One of them is right on top of a very dark dot on the wood grain so I'm wondering if the grain of the cedar is something that can do that to the finish. Still, they're very minor and certainly preferable to bubbles in the finish you can sometimes get on cheaper finishes. Also, I was really struggling with changing the C string as it barely fit the slot inside the bridge. The bridge pin was really tough to get into its place as well but I did manage it in the end. Really weird that. Aside from those small issues, I really like this one. The tone is certainly different enough to justify having both the SUS and the K1.
OP
OP
Jerryc41
Well-known member
Congratulations!
As for the bridge pins, you didn't use a large enough hammer. I prefer a 20 oz.
Hey Jerry, have you had a chance to try different strings on your Kanile'a SUS yet? Of course anyone else that has one of these models is free to comment as well but I think they're somewhat rare.
My SUS-C came with Martin M600s, i.e., clear fluorocarbon which made the uke sound surprisingly bright and crisp since I always thought that cedar was more of a mellow tonewood. But then I switched the strings to clear nylons, same as my K1 concert, and the tone immediately became extremely warm and mellow, more so than the K1. In the end, I probably prefer the increased projection the cedar top offers so I might stick with fluorocarbon on the SUS-C. Currently, I have it stringed with Worth Browns, and the tone is almost identical to the Martin M600s. Seems to me it doesn't matter that much whether I string it with clear of brown/black fluorocarbon. I do like that with fluorocarbon strings the SUS-C offers a very different tone to the K1. Any other thoughts/comments/experiences?
My SUS-C came with Martin M600s, i.e., clear fluorocarbon which made the uke sound surprisingly bright and crisp since I always thought that cedar was more of a mellow tonewood. But then I switched the strings to clear nylons, same as my K1 concert, and the tone immediately became extremely warm and mellow, more so than the K1. In the end, I probably prefer the increased projection the cedar top offers so I might stick with fluorocarbon on the SUS-C. Currently, I have it stringed with Worth Browns, and the tone is almost identical to the Martin M600s. Seems to me it doesn't matter that much whether I string it with clear of brown/black fluorocarbon. I do like that with fluorocarbon strings the SUS-C offers a very different tone to the K1. Any other thoughts/comments/experiences?
OP
OP
Jerryc41
Well-known member
There are unlimited choices for good strings, but I don't usually change them just to see how the sound is different. I like the sound the way it is, especially the low-G. I made the mistake of buying replacement strings, thinking that breaking would be common. I have at least a dozen sets in different sizes.
I had to bring mine to a luthier for some fret leveling. The low humidity where I live presumably caused some fret movement which resulted in some string buzz. Now that it's fixed it plays like a dream. I still insist that the Kanile'a SUS models are a bargain considering you'd have to pay around double the price for a custom Kanile'a with cedar top and mahogany back and sides.
OP
OP
Jerryc41
Well-known member
Yes. That's what I like to hear - "a bargain." I'll never get rid of mine.
bearly_enough
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2013
- Messages
- 50
- Reaction score
- 30
I got my SUS concert last month. It is beautiful. I agree, the Southern Ukulele store is great to work with. I ordered mine on a Monday and it was at my door (WA state) on Thursday.
I've got the deluxe Baritone version. It was a little bit more but has a unique sound, really quite different to my Koa model. I did hear that the SUS models would be increasing in price this year but I'm sure it will still be less than getting one custom made to this spec.
