(This is the first of two kind-of unplanned purchases. I'll talk about the other one when it arrives.)
Like many of you here, I am a bit of a ukulele collector. I have far too many and I swear I am trying to downsize. But sometimes UAS gets the better of me.
I have Kamaka and KoAloha concert instruments, but not a Kanile'a. I really like many things about Kanile'a as a company. I like their build quality, the woods they use, and the work they do trying to bring native trees back in Hawai'i. I really like the different groups, festivals, and artists that they support. But I never really liked the Kanile'a instruments I had an opportunity to play. The sound just wasn't quite to my liking. But I really liked the company, and so many other folks loved their Kanile'a's. Was I just missing something? I really wanted to give them a fair shake, and spend some real time with one of their instruments, and I intended to do so eventually, maybe sometime late next year or so.
Then two things conspired to make it happen much sooner than expected. With the current COVID situation, we weren't able to travel as we had planned for the holidays, so we had a little extra money and I noticed that Uke Like the Pros was having a Black Friday sale that discounted everything, even the expensive stuff. One thing lead to another and...
My Kanile'a arrived last Friday. (After all, if I didn't end up liking it, I could probably sell it for a decent price, right?) I was busy with a project so I didn't get a chance to type this up until now.
It is, as expected, a beautiful instrument. The fit and finish is flawless. The build quality is impeccable. The sound still wasn't quite right to my ears, and I think I know why. Kanile'a ships with nylgut strings, and I strongly prefer fluorocarbon strings. I really tried to like them, but the nyguts only stayed on for about a day and half, and it is now strung up with Worth brown mediums. This gives it a much sweeter voice, in my opinion (but I would love to know what other Kanile'a owners like!)
One of Kanile'a's defining features is their wide fretboards. It is *very* comfortable to play, but my fingers are still getting used to it. Some chord shapes just don't "feel" quite right yet, as my fingers are used to being closer together. It isn't a huge deal, but it is taking a bit of getting used to.
I thought I would be disappointed that the K-1 C comes with a padded gigbag instead of a hard case. In my mind an instrument of this quality really deserves a hard case (and I may still get it one eventually) but this is great bag! It is the nicest "gig bag" I have ever had. I kind of feel like the term "gig bag" is doing it a disservice and maybe "padded soft case" is a better way to describe it?
This was my first time ordering from Uke Like the Pros, and it went great. Pretty quick turn around, packed well, shipping was great. They do have a small charge for setup, and I did pay for that as well as a tail strap-button. I am about to say something that will sound like a complaint, but please let me explain: the setup is good but not amazing. I know that this sound bad, but understand that most of my higher-end instruments have come from 1) Mim, 2) The Ukulele Site, or 3) Elderly Instruments. If these are the places I am comparing to, calling a setup "good" is actually quite good! I'd like the action a just a hair lower, but not by much.
All in all, I am pretty happy. I see why people love their Kanile'a's. That said, I still do prefer the sound of my KoAloha silver, but that is really just a personal preference. There is a reason that Kanile'a is part of the "Hawaiian K's", and it clearly belongs there.
I will try to post some pics soon, but for now, back to playing!
Like many of you here, I am a bit of a ukulele collector. I have far too many and I swear I am trying to downsize. But sometimes UAS gets the better of me.
I have Kamaka and KoAloha concert instruments, but not a Kanile'a. I really like many things about Kanile'a as a company. I like their build quality, the woods they use, and the work they do trying to bring native trees back in Hawai'i. I really like the different groups, festivals, and artists that they support. But I never really liked the Kanile'a instruments I had an opportunity to play. The sound just wasn't quite to my liking. But I really liked the company, and so many other folks loved their Kanile'a's. Was I just missing something? I really wanted to give them a fair shake, and spend some real time with one of their instruments, and I intended to do so eventually, maybe sometime late next year or so.
Then two things conspired to make it happen much sooner than expected. With the current COVID situation, we weren't able to travel as we had planned for the holidays, so we had a little extra money and I noticed that Uke Like the Pros was having a Black Friday sale that discounted everything, even the expensive stuff. One thing lead to another and...
My Kanile'a arrived last Friday. (After all, if I didn't end up liking it, I could probably sell it for a decent price, right?) I was busy with a project so I didn't get a chance to type this up until now.
It is, as expected, a beautiful instrument. The fit and finish is flawless. The build quality is impeccable. The sound still wasn't quite right to my ears, and I think I know why. Kanile'a ships with nylgut strings, and I strongly prefer fluorocarbon strings. I really tried to like them, but the nyguts only stayed on for about a day and half, and it is now strung up with Worth brown mediums. This gives it a much sweeter voice, in my opinion (but I would love to know what other Kanile'a owners like!)
One of Kanile'a's defining features is their wide fretboards. It is *very* comfortable to play, but my fingers are still getting used to it. Some chord shapes just don't "feel" quite right yet, as my fingers are used to being closer together. It isn't a huge deal, but it is taking a bit of getting used to.
I thought I would be disappointed that the K-1 C comes with a padded gigbag instead of a hard case. In my mind an instrument of this quality really deserves a hard case (and I may still get it one eventually) but this is great bag! It is the nicest "gig bag" I have ever had. I kind of feel like the term "gig bag" is doing it a disservice and maybe "padded soft case" is a better way to describe it?
This was my first time ordering from Uke Like the Pros, and it went great. Pretty quick turn around, packed well, shipping was great. They do have a small charge for setup, and I did pay for that as well as a tail strap-button. I am about to say something that will sound like a complaint, but please let me explain: the setup is good but not amazing. I know that this sound bad, but understand that most of my higher-end instruments have come from 1) Mim, 2) The Ukulele Site, or 3) Elderly Instruments. If these are the places I am comparing to, calling a setup "good" is actually quite good! I'd like the action a just a hair lower, but not by much.
All in all, I am pretty happy. I see why people love their Kanile'a's. That said, I still do prefer the sound of my KoAloha silver, but that is really just a personal preference. There is a reason that Kanile'a is part of the "Hawaiian K's", and it clearly belongs there.
I will try to post some pics soon, but for now, back to playing!
