Kanilea Ukuleles – Ukuleles page
Kanile'a 'Ukulele offers both pre-designed and design your own instruments. All
pre-designed models come equipped with the accessories listed on our Models &
Pricing page. Every instrument, with the exception of an eight string, may be
equipped with a fourth course G fixed with a 0.029" wire-wrapped nylon-core string
for no extra charge. The woven G-string is tuned an octave lower, which gives a
richer sound and opens a wider picking range. Other upgrades are available on our
Accessories page.
Styles:
Suprano
Concert
Super Concert
Tenor
Super Tenor
Baritone
Islander
Tiple
Po`okela
Pea Li`i
Hanohano
Every Kanile'a 'Ukulele built carries with it, the knowledge and precision of masterbuilder Joseph Souza. We offer both pre-designed and design your own
instruments. By utilizing any of our pre-designed "K" models as a template and
choosing your Accessories, you can personalize your new instrument. As you enjoy
viewing our web site you will notice that Koa and other exotic woods are so diverse
in color and grain; each instrument has its own uniqueness. With that in mind, you
can truly own a one of a kind masterpiece.
Models
K-1
K-1 models include a Select Koa Body, Koa or free upgrade to
Rosewood fret board and Paua mother-of-pearl position dots. A South
American mahogany neck and Kanile'a's own unique rounded back.
Your choice of Grover chrome open gear or friction style tuning keys.
To complete the instrument every 'Ukulele receives a hand rubbed the
buffed high gloss Lacquer finish and a Free upgrade to a hard case.
K-2
K-2 models come with a Select Koa body or your choice of Exotic
wood from our selection. Top binding (Tortoise, Ivoroid or Black) and
an elegant Black/white/black rosette. Curly Koa or free upgrade to
Rosewood and Paua mother-of-pearl position dots on top and side of
fret board. A South American mahogany neck and Kanile'a's own
unique rounded back. Your choice of Grover chrome open gear or
friction style tuning keys. To complete the instrument every 'Ukulele
receives a hand rubbed and buffed high gloss Lacquer finish and a
Free upgrade to a hard case.
K-3
K-3 models come with a Select Curly Koa body or your choice of
Exotic wood from our selection. Top and Back binding (Tortoise,
Ivoroid or Black) and an accenting wood inlay rosette. Your choice of
fret board material and Paua mother-of-pearl position dots on top
and side of fret board. A South American mahogany neck and
Kanile'a's own unique rounded back. Your choice of Grover chrome
open geared , Grover gold open geared or friction style tuning keys.
To complete the instrument every 'Ukulele receives a hand rubbed
high gloss Lacquer finish, a Free hard case and FREE shipping in the
continental US.
K-4
K-4 models come with a Premium Select Curly Koa body or your
choice of Exotic wood from our selection. Your choice of Top and
Back binding material. Paua mother-of-pearl top purfling (edging
around soundboard) and rosette. Your choice of fret board material
with Paua mother-of-pearl position dots on top and side of fret board.
A South American mahogany neck and Kanile'a's own unique
rounded back. Your choice of geared open/closed or gold friction style
tuning keys with pearloid buttons. To complete the instrument every
'Ukulele receives a hand rubbed high gloss Lacquer finish, a FREE
hard case and FREE shipping in the continental US.
K-5
K-5 models come with a Premium Select Curly Koa body or your
choice of Exotic wood from our selection. Your choice of Top and
Back binding material. Paua mother-of-pearl top and back purfling
(edging around soundboard and back) and a custom double course
mother-of-pearl rosette . Your choice of fret board bound with
material matching the body's binding and Paua mother-of-pearl
position dots on top and side of fret board. A South American
mahogany neck and Kanile'a's own unique rounded back. Your
choice of geared open/closed or friction style tuning keys with pearloid
buttons. To complete the instrument every 'Ukulele receives a hand
rubbed high gloss Lacquer finish, a FREE hard case and FREE
shipping in the continental US.
Custom
Islander
The Islander model originated from an idea Joe had that took
several years to come together. An inlay of this sort was never
done on any type of instrument. Its originality is unmatched
and the sound is still superb. This instrument is a Super
Concert made of Select Curly Koa, which has your choice of
binding (Tortoise, Ivoroid or Black), and a fingerboard and
bridge made of Ebony. It can be built with either 4,6,or 8string combination.
Tiple
The Tiple is a ten stringed instrument that was introduced by
the Martin Guitar co. in the 1920's. This steel stringed
instrument is tuned like an 'ukulele and has a sound that is
very distinct with incredible projection and sustain. Our Tiple
is designed after our K-3 Super Tenor with some unique
features that is are available only on the instrument.
Po`okela
Po'okela in Hawaiian means "superior". This instruments
beautifully designed ornate accessories elevates it to the highest
level of art ever done with the 'ukulele. We created a web page
to list and categorize all of these incredible accessories. Please
look at a true masterpiece we have named "Po'okela".
Pea Li`i
Pea Li'i means little Bear in Hawaiian. This instrument has
been designed to be the ultimate 'ukulele. It's body design is a
Super Tenor made of Premium curly Koa, Ivoroid binding
with mother-of-pearl trim, a custom double-course mother-ofpearl rosette with a curly Mango accenting inlay. In addition,
Ebony fret board and bridge, and Grover tuners. This
instrument was designed and built with the professional in
mind.
Hanohano
Hanohano means magnificent in Hawaiian. This truly
describes the beauty of this Super Concert 'ukulele. From its
premium curly Koa back and sides to its heavily figured "bear
claw" spruce sound board. Every aspect of this 'ukulele is
spectacular! We also added a premium curly Koa rosette along
with top and back binding of Ivoroid. Next to the top binding is
a strip of herringbone purfling. On the back, a
black/white/black "trim strip" incased with a layer of Ivoroid
outer binding. Other accessories that complete this instrument
are an Ebony fret board/bridge and black nickel closed gear
Grover tuners. The design of this instrument is straight from
our workbench. You will not find another ukulele like it
anywhere!
String Conbinations
Every instrument we build, with the exception of an eight string, may be equipped
with a “G” fourth course (196Hz) fixed with a 0.029" wire-wrapped nylon-core
string for no extra charge. The woven G-string is tuned an octave lower, which gives
a richer sound and opens a wider picking range. In addition each Kanile’a ‘Ukulele,
with the exception of our Baritones and Sopranos, can be upgraded to a multiple
stringed instrument. All of our six and eight string instruments come with a 1/8" x
3/8" Carbon Fiber (Graphite) rod inlayed into the neck. This Carbon Fiber rod
adds significant strength to the neck and improves instrument tonal response. Here
we list the standard ‘ukulele tuning and the different string combinations.
Standard Tuning
*1st course “A”= 440Hz
*2nd course “E”= 329.6Hz
*3rd course “C”= 261.6Hz
*4th course “G”= 392 Hz
5-string
*Double “A” 1st course at the same octave (440Hz)
or
*Double “A” 1st course with a high/low octave (440Hz/220Hz)
or
*Double “C” 3rd course with a high/low octave (523.2Hz/261.6Hz)
6-string
*Double “A” 1st course at the same octave (440Hz) and a
double “C” 3rd course with a high/low octave (261.6Hz/523.2Hz)
or
*Double “A” 1st course with high/low octave (440Hz/220Hz) and a
double “C” 3rd course with a high/low octave (261.6Hz/523.2Hz)
8-string
*Double “A” 1st course at the same octave (440Hz),
a double “E” 2nd course at the same octave (329.6Hz),
a double “C” 3rd course with a high/low octave (261.6Hz/523.2Hz),
and a double “G” 4th course with a high/low octave (392Hz/196Hz)
Tiple
Double “A” 1st course at the same octave (440Hz),
Triple “E” 2nd course at the high/low/high octave (329.6Hz/164.8Hz/329.6Hz),
Triple “C” 3rd course with a high/low/high octave (261.6Hz/130.8Hz/261.6Hz),
Double “G” 4th course with a high/low octave (392Hz/196Hz)
INSTRUMENT BODIES
Koa (Acacia Koa) is unquestionably Hawai'i's most prized wood.
Hawaiians have always valued Koa for its beauty and durability.
Koa still remains the premier Hawaiian timber for 'ukuleles,
furniture and other woodcrafts. Its diversity and shortage has made
Koa prices soar. With an ongoing reforestation program, and
sensible logging, Koa will always be available.
Koa's use for instruments is superb. It has a "tap-tone" quality that
is almost second to none. Besides its beauty, our Koa instruments
produce outstanding tones that are "Kanile'a".
Guitar and 'ukulele builders check our luthiers page to view available Koa
sets.
SELECT CURLY KOA $70.00-95.00
PREMIUM SELECT CURLY KOA $90.00-160.00
CURLY MANGO (light brown in color) $35.00-45.00
CURLY WALNUT (dark in color) $50.00-70.00
CURLY MAPLE (white) $40.00-60.00
CURLY MYRTLE (golden) $40.00-60.00
SOUND BOARDS
For many years, Koa has been the preferred choice of wood for
'ukulele construction. In recent years the 'ukulele finally got the
respect worthy for what it is, a potentially excellent tonal
instrument. Through the years I have experimented with many
different type of "tone" woods. I have found, that the woods listed
on this page have excellent tonal qualities with the appearance to
SELECT CURLY KOA $45.00
PREMIUM SELECT CURLY KOA $65.00
CURLY MANGO $35.00
SITKA SPRUCE $17.50
"BEAR-CLAW" SITKA SPRUCE (rare) $55.00
WESTERN RED CEDAR $17.50
Additional Accessories
FRET BOARD OPTIONS
SELECT CURLY KOA FRET BOARD $35.00
EBONY FRET BOARD AND BRIDGE $45.00
ROSEWOOD FRET BOARD AND BRIDGE $35.00
PINK IVORY FRET BOARD AND BRIDGE $50.00
TO ADD A 16" RADIUS TO ANY OF THESE FRET BOARD $75.00
Tuning Key Options
FRICTION TUNING PEGS N/C
GOLD FRICTION TUNING PEGS $35.00
CHROME VINTAGE GROVER TUNING KEYS N/C
GOLD VINTAGE GROVER TUNING KEYS FOUR STRING $35.00
GOLD CLOSED GEARED GROVER TUNING KEYS FOUR
STRING $55.00
BLACK NICKEL TUNING KEYS FOUR STRING $55.00
PEARLOID BUTTONS $7.00 PER BUTTON
GOLD INLINE TUNING KEYS W/PEARLOID BUTTONS EIGHT
STRING $95.00
Binding and Purfling Options
Tortoise
Ivoroid
Curly Koa
Ebony
Purple Heart
Kolohalo
Curly Myrtle
Curly Maple
Herringbone Purfling
Rope Purfling
TOP BINDING (TORTOISE, IVOROID OR BLACK)
$125.00
TOP AND BACK BINDING (TORTOISE, IVOROID
OR BLACK)$225.00
BLACK/WHITE/BLACK TRIM W/OUTER BINDING
(TORTOISE, IVOROID OR BLACK) $175.00
BINDING (TORTOISE, IVOROID OR BLACK) ON
THE FRET BOARD $125.00
SOUND BOARD HERRINGBONE OR ROPE
PURFLING W/OUTER BINDING $195.00
MOTHER OF PEARL INLAY TRIM AROUND
SOUNDBOARD W/BINDING $375.00
MOP INLAY TRIM AROUND BACK AND SOUND
BOARD W/BINDING $690.00
MOP INLAY TRIM ALONG TOP AND BOTTOM OF
SIDES $690.00
WOOD BINDINGS ARE AN ADDITIONAL COST OF
$50.00
Rosette Options
SINGLE COURSE BLACK/WHITE/BLACK $60.00
SINGLE COURSE MOTHER OF PEARL $155.00
DOUBLE BLACK/WHITE/BLACK W/ACCENTING WOOD
INLAYED $175.00
CUSTOM DOUBLE COURSE MOTHER OF PEARL W/
ACCENTING WOOD INLAYED $295.00
Luthiers Page
KANILE'A 'UKULELE LUTHIER PARTICULARS
WE OFFER INSTRUMENT BUILDER SETS AND MATERIALS. ALL OF
THE SETS ARE MADE USING THE HIGHEST GRADE, WELL
SEASONED WOODS AND ARE CUT FOR BOTH GUITAR AND TENOR
SIZING. (CUSTOM SIZING AVAILABLE)
GUITAR BUILDERS CHECK OUT OUR GUITAR SETS PAGE.
INSTRUMENT BODIES (BACKS AND SIDES):
CURLY KOA (Acacia Koa) $75.00 - $110.00
CURLY MANGO (Mangifera Indica) $55.00
CURLY WALNUT (Juglans Californica) $75.00
CURLY MAPLE (Acer pseudoplatanus) $65.00
CURLY MYRTLE (Umbellularia California) $75.00
SOUND BOARDS:
CURLY KOA $55.00
CURLY MANGO $45.00
SITKA SPRUCE (Picea Sitchensis) $55.00
"BEAR-CLAW" SITKA SPRUCE (Rare) $75.00
RED WOOD (Sequoia Sempervirons) $50.00
CURLY RED WOOD $55.00
WESTERN RED CEDAR (Thuja Plicata) $50.00
OTHER WOODS ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST, PLEASE
INQUIRE.
PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
HAWAII STATE SALES TAX IS NOT INCLUDED.
ADDITIONAL BUILDERS ITEMS:
(Fret boards are cut 12"x2"x1/4" Minimum.)
CURLY KOA FRET BOARD $20.00
MACASSER EBONY FRET BOARD $30.00
STRIPPED EBONY FRET BOARD $30.00
ROSEWOOD FRET BOARD AND BRIDGE $50.00
PINK IVORY FRET BOARD AND BRIDGE $60.00
CHROME GROVER TUNING KEYS $4.50 A PIECE
CHROME INLINE MANDOLIN TUNING KEYS $50.00
GOLD GROVER TUNING KEYS $8.00 A PIECE
GOLD INLINE MANDOLIN TUNING KEYS $70.00
ELECTRONIC PLUG-IN $135.00
UNDER SADDLE PLUG-IN $285.00
REPLACEMENT STRINGS $4.70-10.00
ELECTRONIC TUNERS $75.00
UKULELE PITCH PIPES $14.00
FELT UKULELE PICKS $1.50