Joyful Sound

We now leave Oahu behind us and take Hawaiian Airlines to Kapalua, Maui.

After the bustle, tourist traps, and millions of Japanese tourists in Honolulu, Maui proves to be quite a change.

But first. Gotta get in some beauty shots of my new Kanile'a K-1 Tenor ukulele. I mentioned and blogged about getting it in Honolulu at Ukulele Pua Pua. And here it is.

This is the 'bottom' of Kanile'a's line. I'd say, much as it is with a guitar, usually you get more fancy binding, etc., as the price goes up. And this seems to be true to an extent with Kanile'a and other manufacturers. And the high end Kanile'a ukes are really something.

But not to take away from mine! It's all koa, with nice paua inlays. I played probably a dozen ukes at Pua Pua, and this one played and sounded the best. The choice came down to this one with the satin finish and its brother, with the gloss 'UV' finish. I loved the look of the gloss, but it didn't sound quite as good as the satin.

Kanile'a is a relatively new maker, but already they've gained a large following. You can see why - their instruments are very well made. They have some nice touches such as the shape of the bridge and saddle - there is a slight diagonal cut on the saddle that matches the bridge ends.


Relaxing on the couch on the balcony...in Maui. Perfect.

This is the Tenor size - 17" scale. The tone is fuller and louder than the (most common) Soprano size. At times it sounds like a small classical guitar.

Lookit that nice bookmatched top. Nice grain, eh?

In case you're wondering, "Kanile'a" means "joyful sound" in Hawaiian.


They threw in a cool faux-gator case. I got all kinds of comments in the Kaanapali airport - from mostly other uke players!


Sort-of-closeup of the inlays.


The overlay on the headstock is koa also. The tuners are Grovers - high quality all around.