In its 21^st year in business, Kanileʻa ʻUkulele decided to shake things up.

 

How?

 

They already exceeded their goal of planting a koa tree for every Kanileʻa they build.

 

They introduced a revolutionary ʻukulele bracing system that time and time again has been mimicked by the competition.

 

They locked arms with Taylor Guitars, one of the most innovative, forward thinking guitar companies in the world to bring a UV cured polyester finish to the Hawaiʻi’s ʻukulele industry.

 

So how were they gonna shake things up in 2019? 

 

By standardizing features that would normally be considered ONLY for custom builds.

 

A Bracing System Like No Other

Peek into the sound hole of a Kanileʻa and you know you’re seeing something different. Master luthier and company co-owner Joe Souza introduced the Total Resonating ʻUkulele, or TRU, bracing system in 2006. The design, with its signature circular cutouts in the Spruce cross braces, was patterned after the architectural truss. Like a bridge, this bracing system has a touch-release-touch-release-touch set up. Less material touching the soundboard means more resonance and sustain. It’s a strum that can carry on and on and on.

 

Look into the sound hole of a 2019 Kanileʻa and you’ll notice a change has been made to the design. The TRU-Redesigned or TRU-R bracing system incorporates the strongest geometric shape in nature, the triangle. A row of alternating triangles has replaced the circles. “Using this triangle pattern allows us to remove even more material from the bracing,” says Kaimana Souza, Production Manager. “So now you’ve got a lighter brace that is as strong as its predecessor. And you’ll find it in every Kanileʻa model starting from this year.”

 

Silky Smooth

Pick up a 2019 Kanileʻa and you’ll automatically notice a unique feel of the neck. It’s silky smooth to the touch. Your thumb glides easily along the South American mahogany as your fingers deftly change positions and chords. A full-protection finish that allows for better playability? I’ll take it!

 

Ebony is Elegant

When CITES restrictions on the movement of rosewood internationally went into effect, many music instrument manufacturers needed to find a suitable replacement for the traditional rosewood fingerboards and bridges. For Kanileʻa, responsibly sourced ebony was the ticket as it was already offered as a custom feature. But our production team fell in love with ebony’s clean and elegant look. So in 2019, ebony became the standard on every Kanileʻa (with the exception of the Maoli Nō which is built entirely of Hawaiian endemic woods and the affordably priced Oha series.)  In fact, the team took it a step further with an ebony head plate which just completes the look beautifully.

 

So with Kanileʻa, you don’t just get an ʻukulele, you get a masterpiece.

See more for yourself at kanileaukulele.com