I have always wanted to learn how to play the ukulele. When i was a kid, Roy Sakuma was the gold standard for ukulele lessons, and a few of my friends actually took lessons from Mr. Sakuma. While my parents supported my music aspirations by signing me up for piano, chorus, dance, and clarinet (total geek I know) lessons, adding one more instrument was too much. For the past few years, every time I'd return home I'd go to different ukulele stores, try a few and give up. Too many options, not the right time, or too much to carry back was always my excuse for not buying a ukulele. Visiting Kanile'a Ukulele in Windward Mall, felt different. The huge store was empty and one sales person was at the register. He was a no pressure sales and just so nice. He played the ukulele so effortlessly, natural, and I was SOLD! Since I had never owned or played the ukulele I was thinking of getting just a starter uke ($150-$200/ea). But the wood and manufacturing was in China. That did not feel too authentic. On the other end of the spectrum is all Hawaii made with local wood (koa) at $3000 and up. That seemed too expensive for a beginner ukulele. I ended up with koa wood locally sourced, and the ukulele made in China but verified for quality standards in Hawaii. ($800-$1000). The ukulele comes with a standard case. I ended up liking the custom Kanile'a case because it's waterproof, sturdier, and had a K logo. I also got the moisture control packs that sit in the case to maintain proper moisture levels (not too humid/ dry). And finally I got a tuner. I cant wait to bring this piece of home back with me to the mainland. I have already taken an online class and loved it! I'm so glad I visited Kanile'a! Start to finish the experience was superb! Highly recommended! LOCATION: 4/5 SERVICE: 5/5 VALUE: 4/5 AMBIANCE: 4/5 PET FRIENDLY: yes CLEANLINESS: 4/5 PARKING: 5/5 read more

Kanileʻa ʻUkulele & Guitar - The koa soprano ukulele I selected - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Kaneohe, Hawaii

This store was great and the staff was particularly amazing! I visited last month with 2 young kids with em, just trying to find my dream Ukulele. Originally just window shopping, but after meeting the helpful staff and getting to see how amazing the Ukulele's they make are, I am now saving up for one of the Ukes from this store. They were so patient with me and never made me feel bad when I was not able to buy the uke that day, or because my kids were running around. Mahalo! read more

This was an incredible factory tour! We happened to be greeted by Joe, the owner, as we walked in. Benji was a fantastic tour guide, giving us the history of the ukulele, the company, and information about the koa tree and other woods they use in manufacturing. The factory is small and intimate and you can see how each instrument is hand manufactured through every step of the process. It was absolutely fascinating and each piece is a unique and custom work of art. The tour lasted about an hour and we thoroughly saw everything and Benji answered all of our questions and provided so much great information. After we went to their store at the nearby Windward mall where we were greeted by Kristen, Joe's wife and company co-owner, and Aivao who helped us try our hand at playing some of their amazing instruments. I cannot recommend this enough! read more

Kanileʻa ʻUkulele & Guitar - Factory tour - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Kaneohe, Hawaii

We took a tour at their ukulele shop. It was great and definitely a highlight of our trip. I love that they treat the environment with respect, only using koa trees that have fallen and died and take the time and care to plant new trees. The tour is perfect because a non-musician like me can appreciate all the care and skill they put into making the ukuleles and my wife, a violinist, was able to have good crafting and trade conversations. And, I might add, my 4-year-old son's questions were also answered. It was amazing to see how extensive their shop is for, what appears to me, is a relatively small space. Hopefully we'll have time to swing by their retail space at the mall. Needless to say, if we ever get a Ukulele, it will be from them and the next time we're in Oahu, we will take another tour. Highly recommend! read more

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Went into store fully Ready to buy a new ukulele. Prices are a bit steep but I was still ready to purchase until the worker told me my nails were too long and I was scratching the wood while I was testing the ukulele. I have MANY Kamaka Ukukele and not one of them has scratches because I know how to play. Regardless, I'm still a customer and should not be scolded period. They lost a sale that day and quite possibly forever. I may stick with Kamaka brand since they don't scold you as a potential customer. Went to store on 9/15/23 around 3p. Bad customer service! read more

Joe and Kristen Souza are some pretty amazing people. We took their factory tour and loved every minute of it! Their location is 46-216 Kahuhipa St. #2, Kaneohe, HI 96744. Afterwards you can head a couple of blocks down to the mall nearby that holds their retail store and buy their amazing instruments amongst other merchandise. If you love ukuleles and want to appreciate where your instrument is made and what this family stands for, then this is the place for you. Thank you Souza family for an amazing time and experience. We truly appreciate meeting you all and purchasing a beautiful work of art, the ukulele!!! The Langley Family read more

Kanileʻa ʻUkulele & Guitar - Joe Souza, the owner, and Daniel Langley, my husband and an amazing ukulele player - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Kaneohe, Hawaii

This store is filled with beautiful Ukeleles! If you are looking for a great instrument then this is the place to look. Whether you are a beginner or professional, they have a great selection to choose from. The staff are knowledgeable and very helpful. The ukelele's are not only beautiful, and many are one of a kind, works of art, but they also sound amazing! read more

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I visited the Kanile'a Factory on Monday, February 17, 2020. It was a wonderful experience! Well, wonderful except for trying to find a place to park; barely made it for the start. I probably have a different perspective from most visitors. I've played fretted instruments for sixty years and I started with a baritone ukulele. Also, I have a number of friends, luthiers, who custom build amazing musical instruments. And I've visited factories where musical instruments are mass produced. The wonderful things about the small custom builders in common with several of the Hawaiian manufactures are the importance of love of music, love of fine wood, love of family plus extended family, and appreciation of the art and science of selecting and fine-tuning materials for a particular instrument. I feel that this approach produces instruments that have souls, especially the ones that are played often. I was amazed to discover that Hawaiian builders can achieve all of this so completely on a much larger scale than the individual luthiers I appreciate so much. Every individual working in one of these factories projects the image of being a proud member of a great family. I believe it may have something to do with living in a spirit of aloha. Then again, "Love is all you need." So, what sets apart Kanile'a from the other builders? A number of things do. Their methodology to produce ukuleles respectfully combines the fine art of building these special instruments with extreme precision in construction and the application of combining the art of hearing with science to continuously improve. This may not actually be unique; however, Kanile'a sets the bar a little higher than the other builders I've visited. And, as expected, the finished products show off the benefits of the approach. But that's not the only thing that makes Kanile'a special. It may not even be the most important. Joe Souza and his family, the owners of Kanile'a, also share a great love of the environment on our planet. Their approach to gathering materials, especially the beautiful koa wood only found in the Hawaiian Islands, is uniquely sustainable. They never harvest living koa trees to build ukuleles! They only use trees that for one reason or another have completed their life cycle. The Souza family then goes further in that they sponsor renewing koa trees by planting a tree for each ukulele they sell. And then, they use the same scientific approach that serves them so well in building better and better ukuleles, to significantly and continuously improve the results achieved from planting. These baby koa trees will complete their life cycle anywhere from 250 to 350 years from now, as I understand the process. When they grow up and complete their job to beautify and sustain the environment, some can become ukuleles. What a wonderful thought! I am 72 years old now. I got my first ukulele when I was 12. I want to be more like Joe Souza when I grow up. read more

Kanileʻa ʻUkulele & Guitar - Here is Joe Souza explaining how a koa log is sliced into a wood set for a ukulele. - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Kaneohe, Hawaii

If you have any interest in ukulele, or in music in general, you have to come here for their factory tour. It was outstanding! It happens every weekday at 10:30! read more

The tour was beyond amazing. Joe was so kind & knowledgeable. My mom really wanted to do this tour as she owns some of their ukuleles. It was a great time, very enjoyable and loved learning about the history of their instruments and their process. read more

I went in for the first time to check it out. It was clean and beautiful. All the Ukulele's had categories for beginners to professional ranging from affordable to expensive. Which makes sense cause the quality I which it is made. You will get the best. I picked up a turner for my Dad for Christmas. The Manager helped me. She explained it all. She was friendly and knowledgeable. I went to check it out cause my son wanted to buy one. Decided to go back to get my kids a tuner for our ukulele too. Met a girl named Moana who remembered my kids going in to play Ukulele, cause their name was Royal and Moana. Lovely young woman who is related to A friend of Royal. Anywho, my son is looking to save money to buy the professional ukulele which is about $4000. Hand crafted with quality and unbelievably sound. Mahalo for Kanile'a Ukulele and Moana for allowing my keiki to sit and play the Ukulele while they are in there. Excellent Customer Service every time to go in. Aloha! read more

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My visit to Kanile'a totally completed my relationship with my lovely Kanile'a tenor. To see the shop and meet so many of the people who work on these beautiful instruments was quite a treat. My tour, led by Sasha, was perfect. She answered all of my questions, and believe me there were many :-) The instruments made here are totally and obviously a product made by skill & experience as well as a passion for perfection, and Hawaiian aloha. read more

Aloha! I purchased a D series model, my first with a price that high, and let me say, it was worth every single red-cent that I spent. In a time when customer service is declining and it seems that people just don't care, I had the finest customer service from Lina that I've ever had anywhere. She called me twice letting me know of options in the wood and research they had made on the installed pick-up. Now down to the facts. The koa was just gorgeous and the finish shines. You could fall into it if you're not careful. And the sound? Warm lows with crisp highs and a sustain that lasts until the ship is over the horizon. You can tell it's handmade with great care. It sings. It's alive. Do not, ever, be afraid of doing business with Kanile'a. Aloha, ko'u aikane. read more

Wonderful tour of the manufacturing of the Kanile'a Ike's! Your given by one of the sons. Interesting and passionate retelling of the history and the business. Would recommend. read more

As an Ukulele player for 40 years I needed to replace my 30 year old Uku when I fell on it. It had an incredible sound that I never heard again. I shopped for months playing a cheap Uku I picked up at the center. Heck the cheap ones sounded as good as the expensive ones. The worst part is I couldn't find the name of the one I had and loved. Then one day I was in Kona and I could hear it, that amazing sound of a special Uku. I followed the sound to a 20 something jammin the sound of silence. I asked who made that Ukulele and he said Kanile'a of course! Haha I asked if I could pay it and he just handed it to me and it was so fantastic the feel the sound the action. I had to have one so I purchased a tenor and everywhere I play people love the sound. Since then I have bought 4 more and have recently bought a platinum for me and an Aldrine for my son. A priceless work of art and sound that's worth every penny. But I will add the less expensive Ukulele they make sounds just as good as the most expensive. Only an ear can tell the difference but I will add that My 2018 Platinum sounds amazing and my son loves Aldrine and his Uku and his music. I think he learns a song a week from Aldrine! Aloha read more

What a fun tour! We were introduced to everyone as we passed through. I was surprised to find that Kanile'a is only about 13 people. We followed the build process from Koa logs to stringing and tuning the finished instruments. Everyone was friendly and professional, and happy to say hi and pause to show us their work. The process is fascinating and the ukuleles are works of art. The showroom is very tempting. Highly recommend. read more

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Family run business operation who are friendly, clean and efficient. The work is performed by skilled artisans and craftsman. They are ecologically sound including a reforestation project (they plant a Koa tree for every ukulele the sell). They can design your own unique personal ukulele; by selecting from different woods, strings, inlays( abalone shell, sand etc.), and your type and size preferred to anywhere in the world. This is a must see and do adventure. I enjoyed the tour, the different wood colors and their wood grain patterns. The showroom has perfected ukuleles to show and they all are differently beautiful works of art. Mahalo read more

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Joe gave my daughter and I a superb tour of their shop. It's small but powerful, they are making superb instruments here. I would highly recommend that you take this tour and buy a Kanilea. I've also done tours as CF martin and Kamaka. They were all good, but I thought this was the most interesting. And Joe is a super guy, and has created a cool company here. FREE. read more

I took my ukulele class for a tour and were greeted by Lina. One of the biggest smiles in kaneohe town and full of the aloha spirit. When she speaks of Kanile'a it comes from the heart and you can tell she loves her job. We met uncle Frank who is very knowledgeable about the craftsmanship of ukulele making. Mahalo to Joe and Kristen for being good stewards to their employees better yet his work ohana. read more

This is your "one stop ukulele shop" !!! Their new showroom in Windward Mall showcases a variety of ukuleles from their Islander line to their world-renowned Kanilea Ukuleles made right here in Kāneohe, Oahu. What sets Kanilea apart from other ukulele manufacturers is their Reforest Hawaii organization. For every ukulele purchased, Islander of Kanilea, Reforest Hawaii will plant a koa tree. Since 2017, Kanilea and Reforest Hawaii have planted over 18,000 trees and counting! Check out their website for more information or head over to their showroom to see what Kanilea is all about! read more

Super friendly staff that really made the buying experience easy. They have everything you need whether you are a beginner or expert. Highly recommend Kanile'a 'Ukulele!! read more

My heart is full, we had a wonderful day touring and being treated with so much Aloha. Big thanks to Lena, Mika and Nanoi you guys rock! Sweet memories of the jam session, passion for music and sweet music that was made! I knew it was going to be special time but you guys made it a priceless one! Joe and Kristen thank you for welcoming us to the ohana we love our Ukes! read more

I have twice visited kanilea ukuleles. Once to have a pickup installed in one and to have the action adjusted to fit my playing style in another. Both times they went above and beyond to take care of me. Joe and his staff are great people and make awesome ukuleles. I can't wait to add another to my collection...hopefully soon. Mahalo guys!!!! read more

We went in for a tour of this ukulele shop. I didn't realize this was their factory where they produced all Kanile'a ukuleles. Each professional worker had their own station with a specific job that they have mastered. Each ukelele is hand made not mast produced! The owner himself gave the tour and took as much time with us as it took to go through making the ukulele from start to finish! How impressive their work and environmental ethics are! This should be a model of how a business should be run. Thanks so much Joe. You are an inspiration! read more

This review is for the tour, not the ukuleles. That said, my wife and I each are taking home a Kanile`a ukulele. The tour took us around the shop, and from person to person; each person having different tasks in the build process. In each case, we actually got hands on the ukes (or components) at each stage of the build process. As a woodworker, I get that there is no "magic" to building an instrument - and it was cool to see how they put these things together. It's all in the techniques and designs. In a different companiy's tour, for example, when we got to the stage where the bodies were sanded, they handed out a couple pieces of sandpaper to feel. :-( Here at Kanile`a, they let us feel the actual ukulele they were working on. Again, this is not magic - so it was really nice that Kanile`a does this. We got to see everything from the initial resawing through the final finish with hands-on along the way. Wifey feel in love with one of the tenors in the showroom, and we bought it on-the-spot from the owner of the company!. I initially was going to hold off, but ended up going back a couple days later and bought one myself. So if' you're reading this review, you must already know that the quality of Kanile`a is one of the best, and now you know what to expect if you go there and tour the shop. Aloha! read more

My brothers are ukulele players and one of them has two kanileas. So when they came to visit me, they wanted to tour the factory. Joe and all of the staff there were so friendly and really took the time to explain almost every detail of making these beautiful instruments. You go thru the millwork and finishing areas and see how the ukes are made from start to finish with live demos of the process! I found a new appreciation for ukes and highly recommend this tour even if you don't play at all! read more

Joe & Kristen (the proprietors) are like family and make incredible instruments out of their state of the art shop in Kaneohe, HI! Call in advance to find out about the factory tour. read more

We happened upon this place by chance, or perhaps destiny. Our son recently took up ukulele playing as a hobby and we wanted to surprise him with a nice instrument, so we decided to stop in. We decided earlier in the day to give up on our planned quest to the Kamaka factory in the big city because we wanted to take in the sights of the windward side of the island, and dreaded the traffic. It is a deceivingly modest ukulele shop (not a shop as we learned later) in a commercial district of Kaneohe. Once inside, we were met by Kristen Souza, who was welcoming and informative. She really went the extra mile to explain the differences in quality and sound among the instruments on display. Once we decided on two instruments, she offered to take us on a tour of the manufacturing facility in the back. The tour was amazing, and our son especially enjoyed it. We saw the intricate detail that goes in to making their amazing instruments and now have considerable appreciation for them. The whole experience was memorable, and a credit to such a fine company. Thanks for the memories Kristen! We will enjoy our top quality ukuleles now and always remember where they came from! read more

Kanileʻa ʻUkulele & Guitar - Family tour! - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Kaneohe, Hawaii

We took a trip to Hawaii and the one item our daughter wanted on the trip was a ukulele. We went into a shop and tried out various ukuleles until she decided on a Kanile'a 'ukulele. The girl helping us with the purchase mentioned that the uke was made locally and that you could visit the factory. My husband emailed them that day and heard from them immediately. We had an appointment for a tour for the very next morning. When we arrived we were greeted by the owners and our tour began. Everyone who worked there could not have been any friendlier or nicer if they tried. The tour so interesting and fun! They spend over an hour and a half with us. My daughter thought it was so awesome to see how her uke was made. She still talks to her friends about it. It made the purchase of her uke even more special and memorable. Highly recommend the tour and the ukuleles they make have an unbelievable great sound! read more

My wife and I took the tour in October 2017 and even though I was looking to buy a Kanile'a Uku I was more convinced after taking the tour. Joe Souza gave us the tour and made us feel like Ohana. Every member of the Kanile'a Krew we meet made us feel the same. After seeing the care and quality of the materials and workmanship I ended up ordering a Willie K before I left. I received my ookulele before Christmas and must say that it is a work of art in sound and beauty. If anyone plans on being in Oahu on vacation I recommend stopping buy for the tour. Even if you do play a ukulele. It well worth the trip. Pili from MT read more

Had a great experience at Kanile'a. I got exactly what I wanted thanks Lina girl for showing me what I need to make my choice. The Islander concert is perfect for me as I get back into playing ukulele. They have a wide selection for all players. Go check them out! read more

I have several in-laws in the music business in Hawaii, they all play ukuleles, and to a man, they said Kanile`a is the top of the heap in terms of quality, sound and appearance. My wife and I took advantage of the free tour which is given by Joe Souza, the owner. WOW, what an eye opener! If you love to see quality and pride of workmanship, this is a prime example. No question was left unanswered and Joe obviously enjoys this part of the job. Yes, I wound up buying my very own Kanile`a K-3 T and it is drop dead gorgeous. Only hope I can do it justice. This is a highly recommended outing if you are on Oahu. read more

Great tour. Love my new Uke! Glad that I looked around and found this hidden gem.