Saturday, February 4, 2017

Kanile'a Ukulele


While we were on Oahu's North Shore, Rob discovered Kanile'a Ukulele was just a 40 minute drive away, and there were factory tours each morning at 10:30. This was where the ukulele we bought in Hilo was built, so of course we had to take the tour.

The owner of the company, Joe, was generous with his time, and spent an hour with us patiently answering our questions and explaining the process. Only 40 ukuleles are made here each week, and we were able to observe how the craftsmen transform the koa wood from lumber through to finished instruments. 

Kanile'a ukelele are acoustically engineered to enrich the sound by enhancing vibration. UV finishing helps preserve the strength of the koa, and each piece of koa has a unique pattern. For every uke sold, another koa tree is planted in the Kanile'a forest. This is an amazing company and now I feel part of their extended family.

My new Kanile'a ukelele

1 comment:

Kurt said...

What a great thing to do. I would have liked to have visited the Kamaka factory when I was in Hawaii, but I never made it. I have a Kamaka uke from 1971 that I don't play often enough.