Ron is well versed in his business and helped us purchase several baritone ukuleles. Two for my son to be shipped to his home in Alaska. There no pressure to purchase. Just friendly advice. We are fortunate to have such a fine establishment in our neighborhood. read more

About two years ago I bought a capo here. I needed one for my acoustic guitar and I use it on my electric guitar now and it works well. There aren't many options on Kauai, so if you don't want to order gear online there's Scotty's Music in Lihue (which is where I bought the guitar) and this place. The shop is easy to find downtown on the main drag. It's near the bus stops which is convenient and one is covered in case it's raining. I think it's like a hub and one line goes to Lihue and the other line goes to Poipu from here. They didn't have a lot of guitars or guitar stuff, but they had what I wanted. Aloha read more

I am here in Kauai for my 5 year anniversary and my dear wife surprised me with ukelele lessons. Ron is a wonderful human being. He owns and runs the place with his wife Lawrie. I have owned a ukelele for a few years and have always wanted a proper lesson. Within a 30 minute session Ron made me see some of the mistakes I was making in holding the Uke which was interfering with my strumming. He is a kind, patient teacher. He is honest and straightforward. His philosophy around what the instrument can give to the player and the people around you fits right in with what I was looking to get from my experience. He also sells instruments which he carefully inspects and tunes. I highly recommend taking a class with Ron. read more

Thank you for the Aloha! Immediately we felt welcomed! Ron was very patient with me, allowing me to play and question many ukes! He was very passionate and knowledgeable. He helped me accept that I can still get a good Koa uke if it wasn't specifically made on the island. Ron and his wife have not too many, and not too little of choices. I walked out with a well built Kumu Koa wood slim body concert uke. The sound is fabulous and quality. I highly recommend taking his lessons whether you are a local or not...he's an excellent kumu and "tunes" them to your ability. read more

Kalaheo Music and Strings - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Kalaheo, Hawaii

See all

Had to pick up a couple things here and found this place to be super stocked and the staff were nice.

I'd hoped to arrive in time to visit the famous Kamoa Ukulele headquarters in Kapa'a Kauai before they closed... but couldn't make it! I have a nostalgic attraction to Uke's, and handcrafted instruments... I'm no musician; I wasn't in the market to buy, and frankly couldn't have afforded a Kamoa Uke. As luck would have it my wife spotted this small shop on a drive across the island, and "convinced me we should stop and look. Ron and his wife were real... they tuned at least 7 instruments I asked to hold, I strummed em like a 3 yr old, and then asked Ron to play them for us... Once I'd looked at a few instruments with flashy modern contrasting cutaways, I asked to see a beautiful more traditional instrument, thats when the magic happened... Ron said he'd designed this line of instruments, had them custom made to his Spec's, and sounded better than the other instruments he played at a price I could afford. I left without a Uke that day... but simmered on it a few days, and blew back across the island at the very last minute to before a 1:00 PM flight out to bring it Hm. I was thrilled to buy from a small family business who offers payment plans and lessons to locals... a musician, a maker... keeping Hawaii's musical tradition alive! Thx for helping us make memories, Kauai was the best! read more

Such an amazing little store. It's owned by a couple, Ron and Lawrie. Ron was in a lesson but Lawrie was super helpful. This store carries a small selection of custom Ukuleles that are only carried in this shop. oh. my. god. they. are. beautiful. They also sounds divine. Lawrie knew her stuff! Just FYI, if you're looking for a cheap janky ukulele to hang on your wall and never use, this isn't for you. If you're looking for a beautiful instrument with a wonderful tone to start or continue playing, look no further. read more

My daughter and I go to every ukulele store we can when we travel and love talking with the shop owners. Kalaheo is one of our favorite experiences. They were engaging and exited to talk ukuleles and hand you every Ike in the shop to try. We fell in love with a Kauai Koa ukulele designed by The shop owners. Beautiful design - koa with abalone inlay, very well built, and great pop and sound with Aquila carbonblack strings. We brought it home with us and love it! Please go see them and you will feel their aloha and leave with a beautiful ukulele!!! read more

Kalaheo Music and Strings - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Kalaheo, Hawaii

See all

So awesome, the wife gave me a beautiful ukulele made of the most interestingly patterned maple. Thanks dear and to Kalaheo Music. This is so much fun! read more

See all

This place is still playing pandemic at the end of 2022 and won't let you in without a face diaper (mask). They were quite rude about it, too, when I tried to go in. I was planning on purchasing a nice instrument. I ended up going to Hanalei Strings and spent my money there, which was much more friendly and accommodating. read more

What a great store! I stopped in to casually look at ukuleles, and was greeted by owners Ron and Lawrie. Ron walked me through their selection, and spent time with me chatting about the different brands, the woods used on different models, and the tone of the instruments while I tried several of them. I've played guitar for 20 years, and didn't want just any mediocre ukulele. I was hooked by one of their own custom KMS/Kauai concert models that can only be found at their store--a beautiful and *affordable* solid rosewood uke that had a wonderfully warm sound and impeccable detailing. So, not only did I go home with a special memento from my first visit to Kauai/Hawaii, but an instrument I'm excited to play and hope to use for a long time. I highly recommend that visiting musicians and others looking to learn to play visit this wonderful shop. Thanks, Ron and Lawrie! read more

My husband & I happen to stop by here on our way to check out another Uke shop which was closed. A guy had just turned on the "open" sign and he was waving us in to say, WE are OPEN. We walked in and left about 2hrs later with a pretty good knowledge of ukes and I also received my first lesson. We came back twice during our stay for my lessons. Ron is a very good teacher and plays beautifully. He gave me plenty to work on at home and I do hope he is able to set up his online lessons soon! If you are looking to buy ukulele or want lessons during your visit to Kauai, check out Ukulele Mele and Friends! read more

We were looking for an activity with a Hawaiian feel and out of the sun for a change while we were on vacation on Kauai. We signed up for a family Ukulele lesson with Ron and he gave the five of us a great lesson and made it fun. He is a great instructor with a great story. We learned a ton, had fun out of the sun and walked away with a starter Ukulele that our daughter played for the rest of the week! All for less than we paid for dinner that night! read more

Nice store, but my wife and I stopped in for the sole purpose of purchasing a quality Uke. We were the only two in the store and stood looking and pointing at ukuleles on the wall. There were two people behind the counter but neither made any attempt to show us anything, or ask any questions, or make any attempt to be friendly. So, we simply walked out. This store lost a sale. read more

I'm a guitar player and I always bring a guitar with me when I travel. Unfortunately when flying to Kauai with the whole family it just wasn't going to happen. I decided to take a look at a Ukulele. After reading the reviews I chose to go check out Kalaheo Music & Strings. It was everything I hoped for. I got an awesome sounding ukulele from a small local business. Ron has pride in his shop and a passion for the ukulele. He answered all of my questions... and because I didn't know how to play the ukulele, he played several so I could really hear the difference. I left feeling great about the purchase. Ron and Lawrie were absolutely wonderful. LOVE MY UKE! read more

The owner was so sweet and helpful! Obviously passionate about the ukulele and other instruments as well. He was amazing with his Uke skills my gosh. My sister and I bought the Kawaii brand that is specially made for that shop, and we LOVE Them! Such good quality and sound. Worth the money. Ask the owner for help and you are in good hands. read more

Absolutely the best on the Island. I actually went to a few of the others and was not very impressed or feel like I was anything buy money coming through the door. Ron worked out a great deal with me for a really nice Ukulele and lessons. He's very patient, knowledgeable and real. Highly RECOMMEND! You will not be disappointed. read more

Mahalo, Ron! We are happy to be the first to review Ukulele Mele and Friends. We discovered this store by accident while shopping for T-shirts across the street. My son wanted to check out the store as he had been wanting a ukulele. We went in and Ron was great. Even though we weren't sure we were going to purchase, he spent about an hour with us trying out different models. He was so helpful that both of my kids ended up taking lessons from him on the spot. At the end of the lesson, as we were leaving, Ron felt bad that the kids didn't have anything to practice on. He GAVE us a ukulele for the kids to use! "Bring it back when you're done," he said. No deposit, no drivers license no nothing. They don't do this in L.A.! True ALOHA spirit in this place. If you are not in the market for a uke, one corner of the store has some great local Hawaiian bread. While the kids were taking lessons, Josh let us taste some of the breads. They were so good, we purchased a couple of loaves to take home. Should have bought more-it was delicious! I highly recommend a visit to this store - great ukes, great bread, great people! read more

Ron was great! He was Very helpful and patient. He spent well over an hour with my husband. His time and attention peaked my interest enough to bring us back a day later for a lesson when I bought one as well. read more

Great experience - love my new uke and appreciate the time Ron spent talking with us.

Just got a new ukulele for my mother in law here. It was easy and fun to buy from them. Very knowledgeable gal running the place. I know the basics and feel confident in what we bought! Thank you guys! read more

Ron is a talented and knowledgeable ukulele player. I've bought 2 ukuleles from him and he's backed up his sales with excellent support. His shop is a winner. If you want to learn about ukuleles, this should be your first destination read more