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| Moderated by: Tony Provencher, Richard Hefner |
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| Kanile'a "Custom C" Concert Ukulele | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Sun Oct 7th, 2007 10:36 pm |
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1st Post |
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Papamonty Approved
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I recently purchased and received a Kanile'a Custom C concert ukulele from eBay's MusicGuyMic (MGM). The transaction was easy and I was able to talk to Mike about the Custom C before I purchased it. Mahalo Mike!! The tone is quite exquisite; the tone is airy, rich and resonant. The Kanile'a isn't as loud as my 2000 KoAloha concert but it is loud enough. The Kanile'a's tone is rich, while the KoAloha's is punchy and not quite as rich. The neck is "chunky" at 1 1/2" at the nut but is comfortable to play. The top is very flexible; I saw the top flex up and down as I gently replaced the plastic bridge pins with ebony bridge pins. Overall, the finish is mirror-like on the body and neck. The top and back were personally selected by MGM. The Kanile'a is definitely a family heirloom. Aloha, Jon M Part of the family: (L to R) Epiphone soprano UKE-500KA, Kanile'a Custom C concert, 2000 KoAloha concert, 2007 KoAloha tenor  Top:  Back:  Last edited on Wed Feb 25th, 2009 08:02 am by Papamonty |
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| Posted: Tue Oct 9th, 2007 01:36 am |
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2nd Post |
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UkeForever Approved 
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Here's my completely unsubstantiated conjecture about Kanile'a. I think they significantly increased their factory production a few years back and then partnered with Lanikai to do solid ukes for them. Of course, every Lanikai dealer sold those as Kanile'a ukuleles, despite the Lanikai decal on them. So they broke their deal with Lanikai, and started mass producing on their own. I just picked up a soprano with that highly figured Koa from Taylor Guitar (pieces too small to make guitars), and I have to say that it is a beauty. I like the glossy finish, and the fit and finish on the rest of the uke looks pretty good. Yes, the seams are noticeable, but many mass-manufactured ukes (especially soprano) are single-piece, so I'm happy to see a bookmatch. Rosewood fretboards never have really turned me on, because even greased up, the wood just seems unrefined (I'm an ebony lover). All in all, it's an excellent uke, well worth the price. I'm not sure about this soundmonster bracing--I have my suspicions that it's part superstition mumbo jumbo, but hey, they do sound very nice. Not particularly loud (not mine, at least), but they have a sweet resonance that really pleases my ear. If I want treble and brash, I grab the KoAloha. Looking around at ukuleles at our local festival, I see that fit and finish is often an issue with these small instruments--from the mass factory makers to the better factory makers, all the way up to the custom makers. Here is an album link:      Last edited on Wed Oct 10th, 2007 01:39 am by UkeForever |
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| Posted: Thu Oct 11th, 2007 11:53 pm |
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3rd Post |
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GX9901 Approved 
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Papamonty, Yikes! Your descriptions above almost seem to be talking about a KoAlana. I too recently bought a Kanile'a supersoprano from MGM with some nice figured koa. Mine doesn't seem to have most of the issues you've outlined. Of course, the seam on the front and back are obvious, but most bookmatched top & backs look obvious to me, even from high end custom builders. I didn't realize the headstock was 2 piece. That explains why it's at a steeper angle than my KoAloha. Not a big deal to me though, since I didn't even realize it. I've always thought the rosewood fretboard on my Kanile'a looked smoother than other ukes I've handled with rosewood fretboard. Maybe I got lucky there. I will say that it has a decidedly "hand made" feel to it. The two sides of the top & back are clearly not completely symmetrical. That seem to be true of all Kanile'a (and Lanikai branded ones) that I've seen (online or in person). Maybe their plan was just drawn that way or something. By the way, I liked Worth BM's on it much better than the Aquilas that it came strung with. You guys should give it a try too if you haven't already. Anyway, perhaps I'm not being critical enough, but I'm extremely happy with my Kanile'a custom SS. Here are a couple pix of my custom SS to join in on the fun:  
____________________ Check out my uke blog: http://gx9901ukes.blogspot.com |
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12th, 2007 02:17 am |
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4th Post |
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Papamonty Approved
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UkeForever and GX9901, Wow, what gorgeous ukes!! Thanks for the comments; I'm glad that your experiences with your Kanile'as have been positive. I am certainly happy with my Kanile'a especially with that rich, airy tone. I originally started playing Hawaiian slack key guitar and wanted to branch out with the ukulele. For the last several years I have had a chance to inspect and play some beautiful guitars from Martin, Collings, Bourgeois, Huss & Dalton, etc. So I knew what I wanted to see in a custom instrument. I expected to see "custom" work and detail on my Kanile'a Custom C just as I would have expected to see from a custom guitar. Well I was wrong and now I know better. I certainly would buy another Kanile'a again and I'm sure the next one would be fine. Now for perspective, my overseas made Epiphone soprano UKE-500KA is mass produced yet has a one piece, perfectly quartersawn Mahogany neck with an angled headstock. The neck is connected to the body using a dovetail joint and the headstock is angled. The Rosewood fingerboard and bridge are smooth as silk. The nut and saddle are made of bone, and intonation at the 12th fret is perfect. The original satin finish looked very nice but after I hand polished it, imperfections in the finish were revealed. The Epiphone was used so I paid much less than what I paid for my Kanile'a. I had much lower expectations of the Epiphone yet the craftsmanship just blew me away. The top and back are each one piece. But as they say in Hawaii, no worries. I am just blessed to have a Kanile'a among the collection I have. While my custom has some issues they really aren't a big deal; it is still a keeper and I haven't even thought of returning it to MGM. Enjoy your ukes!! Aloha, Jon M Last edited on Sun Oct 21st, 2007 05:14 pm by Papamonty |
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12th, 2007 03:19 am |
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5th Post |
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UkeForever Approved
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GX9901 wrote:
I restrung to Worth BMs the same day I received the instrument. As for this being a "custom," well, maybe that's where the misnomer is. They can call it whatever they want, but these are definitely factory-line instruments, but with extra nice wood. Kanile'a does have a true custom line--that is, ukes made-to-order, but even with those, I'd have trouble calling "custom." My $.02. By the way, the Koa on these really opens up with some coaxing. My little soprano is sounding sweeter and sweeter every day.
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| Posted: Sun May 25th, 2008 01:52 am |
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6th Post |
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BanjoDave Approved
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Papamonty, this is just not good enough. I know you are still satisfied to a degree with your Uke but in all fairness what you have written is disgraceful and this Uke should never have been sent to you in that condition.
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| Posted: Thu Aug 7th, 2008 11:21 pm |
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7th Post |
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Papamonty Approved
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Banjo, I wouldn't go so far as to say disgraceful. It is what it is in this imperfect world we live in. I do appreciate your sentiments. Jon M Last edited on Fri Aug 8th, 2008 12:50 am by Papamonty |
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