2010 Kanilea Custom Tenor Ukulele SOLD











Comments This 2010 Kanilea Custom Tenor Ukulele might be the best-sounding uke I’ve ever played.

Of course it’s comfortable to play and has a good action, but the tone is outstanding, with a rich fullness and great harmonic overtones, excellent separation between notes, and very good sustain. It response exceptionally well to nuances in touch. And on top of that, it does this while providing a pretty high level of volume!

It’s also a beautiful instrument, with very highly figured Hawai’ian Koa for the top, back and sides, and an abalone rosette.

Kanile’a builds ukuleles in Kaneohe, Hawaii, using traditional techniques and woods with a high level of attention to detail. This Concert example shows off their work and their innovative use of bracing patterns- it has a fan brace with ported, notched cross braces.

While the ukulele is now most associated with Hawai’ian music, it was actually brought there by Portuguese immigrants around 1879. Its popularity with Hawai’ian royalty made it fashionalble and popular with everyone else. The rest is history!

Hawai’ian Koa (which is technically a member of the legume family) is used for traditional designs. Koa harvesting is highly regulated because it has been seriously threatened by overharvesting with a lack of replanting, and land clearance for cattle farming. As well, cattle, pigs and goats are very fond of the seedlings. Most of the old Koa forests are gone, but replanting is taking place. Now, many reputable lumber suppliers and purchasers for instrument companies only buy from private landowners who are doing clean-up logging of dead and dying trees.

Read the Kanile’a Ukulele Custom Tenor page here

Serial Number 0709-3367, built during 2010 at the Kanile’a shop in Kaneohe, Hawaii.
Pricing $1750.00 Canadian, with hardshell case. SOLD
Neck Mahogany neck with unbound rosewood fingerboard; New Zealand abalone dot position markers. Standard 17 inch Tenor scale length.
Frets Narrow frets; 14 frets to the body, 19 frets in total. No discernible fret wear.
Body Standard Concert size body, made of highly figured Hawaiian Koa with spruce braces. Rosewood bridge with Tusq ™ saddle, New Zealand abalone rosette. There is a small dent in the lower treble bout side near the tailblock, but otherwise it is in near-new condition.
Finish Clear gloss finish in very good condition.
Hardware/electronics Original hardware. Grover Sta-Tite open tuners, Tusq ™ nut and saddle. Abalone-decorated brass bridge pins add to the appearance and the tonal separation and sustain.
Playability/Action This tenor ukulele plays extremely well. At a normal action height, each note is clean and well-defined with even tone.
Case Black hardshell case included.







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