Kanile'a K-1 Tenor ukulele - REVIEW

This one is an absolute peach. It's a Kanile'a K-1 Tenor ukulele all the way from Hawaii.

I have hankered after a Hawaiian ukulele for some time, and am thrilled that I am now an owner. Time for a detailed review!

Kanile'a ukes (pronounced Kan-ile-aya) are made by Joe Souza's team, by hand from wonderful solid woods in Kaneohe, Hawaii. Being a handmade Hawaiian uke gives it the moniker as being a K Brand ukulele (more about that HERE.  Not having the funds to fly to the islands myself, I placed my order with the wonderful Southern Ukulele Store who are the registered UK dealers. Paul at the shop was extremely helpful, and shipped the uke in perfect packaging, inside a pod case that came as part of the price.

Whilst this is an entry level model in the Kanile'a range, this represents my first "professional" grade ukulele. I chose the Tenor as my collection prior to this consisted only of sopranos and concert ukes. Time for a step up in size! And what better than such a well loved name?

So, first off, the build details.  The uke is constructed from solid, select Hawaiian Koa wood with a stunning bookmatched grain pattern, and this one is finished in satin, not gloss. The photos I have taken of it really do not do justice to how wonderful this wood is. It's a traditional double bout shape, simple but gorgeous.

The neck is a single piece of mahogany (strengthened with a carbon fibre rod inside it) with an impeccable rosewood fingerboard and 19 silver nickel frets with 14 to the body joint. Fret markers both on the fingerboard and the upper side of the neck are made from Paua Abalone. It's also a traditionally Hawaiian wide nut at about 38mm or 1.5 inches. That makes for such comfortable playing. Believe me, I see so much rubbish about how you can only play bigger ukes if you have a bigger scale ukulele. Really, the scale of the instrument makes far FAR less difference than the width of the nut does. You really notice this wide nut.


The headstock is faced with a veneer of Koa, and the Kanile'a logo is not printed but inlaid in a lighter wood. I love the headstock shape as it differs from the usual lazy three pointed crown style.

The tuners are excellent quality open geared Grovers in chrome. At the bridge end you will spot something more unusual - the strings are not tied to the bridge, but held in place by black bridge pins as you would normally see on an acoustic guitar. The bridge is rosewood also, and both nut and saddle are made of NuBone.  Aside from that, there are no other embellishments or binding - this is a plain ukulele... and I like it for that reason. It arrived strung with Aquila strings, but more on that later. Inside the uke is the Kanile'a label showing its provenance and serial number.

As I say, the uke is a traditional shape with wider lower bout, and also has a slightly arched back for better sound projection. Inside the uke, it uses the revolutionary Kanile'a TRU (Total Resonating Ukulele) Bracing system - this is a system similar to those seen on very high end custom guitars. It  essentially allows for a more efficient vibration in the soundboard in multiple directions.

The first thing that hits you in picking this uke up is the absolute impeccable quality of the build. There is not a mark, blemish or anything anywhere on the instrument. Everything is fitted together perfectly and the uke feels solid in the hands. It is however extremely light for a large instrument and feels perfectly balanced to hold. Frets are finished superbly and smooth, and the fingerboard looks well conditioned. The set up was also just perfect - the action height is just as I would like it, and testing the intonation all over the neck with an accurate tuner shows no issues at all - this is a uke that will be in tune!  The tuner quality is superb, with each one stamped with the name "Grover". They have an excellent turning ratio meaning fine tuning of the uke is an absolute breeze. They are also incredibly smooth and stable.  The nut and saddle are also perfectly finsished, and I adore the way the bridge saddle shape blends with the rosewood of the shaped bridge plate.  I also like the shaping of the neck which is extremely comfortable to play.

So, how does it sound? Well, first off, it arrived with Aquilas as I say, so the first job was to remove them and put some Worths on. I have nothing against Aquilas, but they are a powerful string, and I wanted this uke for its tone and clarity, not volume. The range of tone that comes from this uke is quite astonishing. There is good bass, but a real shimmery chime across the notes. As is the case with high end guitars, every string shines through equally on this uke, nothing is "lost in the mix" or muddy. Just marvellous range.

Sustain is massive and the volume and projection is great, helped by that bracing system and arched back.  I do mainly strum in my playing, and this ukulele certainly delivers in that regard, but where it really shines is when fingerpicked (part of the reason I bought it) - it's absolutely glorious in its voice.

The other thing that struck me was how balanced it sounded no matter whether you play it quietly or thrash it as hard as you like. Many cheaper ukes can suffer in this regard and either "boom" when played hard, or just lose their tone when played softly. As such, despite it being an acoustic instrument, I can see this as being perfect for late night practice without waking the family - supremely satisfying at low volume.

I really am thrilled with it, and fully understand where the money goes in making a step up to a pro level instrument. As much as I love my other ukes, this is a significant step up in quality. I suppose its like spending your life playing a Yamaha piano, then sitting down to a Steinway Grand, or upgrading from a Volkswagen Golf to an Aston Martin - sure they are both cars, but... well, you know what I mean! People often ask whether you can notice the step up from the mid range instruments. I can say categorically that YES you can.

But lets be balanced. Do I have any gripes?  Small ones I suppose.

Firstly, I really dont know why they ship these with Aquilas (presume a deal was done with the Company), but I cant believe they are the best option. This is a uke that wants to shine and show off its voice, and many many players prefer the use of Worths or D'addario Pro Artes. Saying that, you know my views on strings - they are totally personal and most people will think about putting their own favourites on instead, so I wouldn't run it down for this.

I suppose that if I had the choice, I would have preferred high quality friction tuners rather than geared. Dont get me wrong, there is NOTHING wrong with the Grovers on this uke, I just prefer
friction tuners for their looks.

Finally, I suppose some (not me), may think that the uke is a little too plain. Going up in price to the K-2 model gives you binding on the uke that some may prefer, but bear in mind that the K-2 is an identical uke musically. The binding is purely decorative. I prefer understated, but this is a VERY plain looking uke.

But those gripes are so minor they should not be worried about.

Would I recommend it?  What do you think?! This is simply outstanding.


STOP PRESS - What happened next with this ukulele was heart wrenching, and then, ultimately, heart warming - read all about it here https://www.gotaukulele.com/2019/10/a-big-got-ukulele-thank-you.html



http://kanileaukulele.com

UKULELE PROS

Amazing build
Beautiful tone wood
Great quality tuners
Incredible projection, sustain, clarity of tone
Wonderully comfortable neck

UKULELE CONS

None really, suppose some would prefer more bling (not me though)


UKULELE SCORES

Looks - 9
Fit and finish - 10
Sound - 9.5
Value for money - 8.5

OVERALL UKULELE SCORE - 9.3

UKULELE VIDEO REVIEW



STOP PRESS - You can read my update to my review, having had some proper playing time Here, and my Long Term Test having owned the ukulele for nearly 18 months.