SUS Compares the Kamaka, Ko'Aloha & Kanile'a Tenors

Kenn2018

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Just saw this today hours after it was first posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jsv9sB6opmA

Southern Ukulele Store compares three current models of koa tenor ukes:

Kamaka HF-3
Ko'aloha KTM-10 (Satin version of the KTM-00)
Kanile'a K-1T

I have to say, Alex does a good job. Like him, I have a hard time declaring a preference. They sound different from one another, but all are excellent
 
The best sounding ukulele depends a lot on what kind of music you are playing. The Kamaka has a sweeter sound, which works great with more melodious music like hula music or folk music or modern singer-songwriter music. The Koaloha has a brasher/barkier sound that works great for edgier pop or reggae music. The Kanile'a is somewhere in between, though I'm guessing that most buyers immediately replace those Aquilla strings to get a different sound and feel.
 
I did not watch the video (yet) but wonder if they kept stock strings on or levelled the field by using same strings for the ukes. I have done quick comparisons between 3 K brand ukes in various Hawaiian uke stores that had many models and had similar observation as Manoa above. Though I generally preferred Kanile'a sound as player, but was never sure if this was because of higher sticker price or because of Aquila strings.
 
I really like videos like this. Thanks for posting.
My favorite is...all 3. LOL.
 
SUS have been doing really nice comparison videos lately. Alex is one of my favourite people in the uke sphere at the moment. His own channel is awesome as well, check it out: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmhxDlQD6QfoxbKutkGLFQg


I did not watch the video (yet) but wonder if they kept stock strings on or levelled the field by using same strings for the ukes. I have done quick comparisons between 3 K brand ukes in various Hawaiian uke stores that had many models and had similar observation as Manoa above. Though I generally preferred Kanile'a sound as player, but was never sure if this was because of higher sticker price or because of Aquila strings.

They had the stock strings on all ukes but changed the low G on the KoAloha to high G for the sake of the comparison. They mentioned in the comments that they can't really switch the strings from the stock ones because those ukes are all still for sale.

The Kamaka tenor sounds lovely with those lower-end overtones but it still has some nice brightness as well to make the sound fairly balanced. Sounds much better to me than their sopranos and concerts that don't have a lot of higher-end sustain at all with those stock strings. Of the three K brands I find myself leaning towards the other two these days, and the choice between those comes mostly into preference for sound. KoAlohas are notoriously bright and punchy and the tenor seems to be no different. The Kanile'a, on the other hand, has a really nice warm and sweet sound to it which I typically prefer with the larger sized ukes. The stock Aquila strings are ok but, in my opinion, don't quite bring the best out of a Kanile'a. I prefer mine with fluorocarbon, although nylon strings work really well on the tenor specifically.
 
SUS have been doing really nice comparison videos lately. Alex is one of my favourite people in the uke sphere at the moment. His own channel is awesome as well, check it out: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmhxDlQD6QfoxbKutkGLFQg




They had the stock strings on all ukes but changed the low G on the KoAloha to high G for the sake of the comparison. They mentioned in the comments that they can't really switch the strings from the stock ones because those ukes are all still for sale

If I were interested in buying one of them, knowing that the strings had been replaced would be a disadvantage. I'd want to know what the uke I was buying sounded like.
 
If I were interested in buying one of them, knowing that the strings had been replaced would be a disadvantage. I'd want to know what the uke I was buying sounded like.

Alex says in the video that they did a similar comparison of the three last year with the older models and they kept the Low-G that came on the Ko'aloha. They caught a lot of flak for that with the viewers complaining that it was an unfair comparison because it made the KTM-00 sound so much better than the others. He substituted the High-g with the same brand of strings strictly for the video. Which I think is reasonable.
 
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