4

Maui Music

Peter Lieberman formed Maui Music when the only "k" brand was Kamaka. On december 27 2000 a fire burned down his factory forcing him to close down. He was soon back to building, but instead of running another crew and factory production, he decided to be a one man custom shop and focus on the highest quality. Both the "pre-fire" ...
6

Ukulele at NAMM 2014 -Part 2

Uke News from NAMM - Part 2 In part 1 covering ukulele at NAMM 2014 seen HERE we showed some pics from our favorite ukulele makers. This year we attempted sound samples in spite of the chaotic atmosphere that goes on here. To do this I used a Sound Devices 722 field recorder and a pair of Schoeps CMC6 mics ...
11

Ukulele at NAMM 2014- Part 1

Uke News from NAMM – Day 1 This year I’ll be posting a blog each day of the NAMM, or at least that’s my plan. Corey arrives tonight and we have scheduled recording with many of the manufacturers before the show starts to give high quality sound samples. Today I will just share photos and reviews of the ukes that …

17

KoAloha Solid Body Tenor Electric!

This is a 7 piece neck-thru solid body tenor from the ever innovative KoAloha company. Not only is it the coolest thing I've ever seen but the sounds you can get are endless! KoAloha knocks this one out of the park. Check this out! When we get ukes like this they go up at The Ukulele Site and don't last ...
14

Moore Bettah Ukulele – 2 Tenor’s

Feast your eyes on two heart stopping tenors custom made by Big Island Luthier, Chuck Moore. They look amazing and sound even better. Huge, lively, warm, clean, and just a beautiful sound from both the spruce top and the all koa. Both instruments belong to my friend Stan. Not 4 Sale. Just a review, but  words won't do justice.  In ...
46

A New Concept from Daniel Ho – Acheived by Pepe Romero

For the last 15 years Daniel Ho has been a major force behind Hawaiian music and the ukulele renaissance. I could list all of his awards and hit albums but you probably already know. Basically, Daniel is the man. A musical mastermind and an intelligent business man. Pepe Romero is a highly acclaimed classical guitar builder who rocked the uke world a few years ...
3

Kanile’a Offers a New Satin

Kanile'a ukulele previously offered two finishes, satin or gloss. We often refer to their gloss finish as a UV finish. Conveniently misused term, UV isn't a type of finish. It's a method of curing finish. With powerful UV lights the lacquer dries within seconds rather than hours, days, and much longer like traditional nitrocellulose lacquer finish take to fully cure and ...
2

Islander Ukulele by Kanile’a -Video & Review

It can get overwhelming at times, trying to make the right decisions.  When buying an ukulele, considering it, or even looking at the market for friends, there are many choices in the 1 to 300 dollar range to consider. So where do you go to to find out the real scoops. Duh, Ukulele Underground. But often people’s recommendations are based …

8

The Truth About Kanilea Ukulele

There is something advantageous about not being “#1”. Maybe they aren’t the oldest or biggest, but the companies or individuals clawing for the top are always the best. That’s what Kanilea has been doing for the last 10 years. Driven, not by money or prestige, but a genuine love of the craft, and a desire to give something that can inspire,  yet still making it attainable for us ukulele lovers that aren’t rich$.

The emergence of Kanilea is comparable to the way Taylor Guitars came up in the 90’s as a fresh alternative to the Martin or Martin-like acoustic. Refreshing new designs and sounds are irrefutably beautiful and loveable.
A collaborative push from Joe Souza and Bill Griffin has made the Kanilea wave undeniable. These two artist/musician/master luthiers have what Hawaiians call “the mana”, and of course the Koa! (Man, they got some nice logs!!)

~These Koa Ukuleles will outlast us, and their sound will only get greater. Practically nothing else out there you spend money on has that quality.~

As musicians we LOVE good instruments. And it’s hard to not, in turn, love their makers in that “I love you man” kind of way. They’ve made our lives better!