Get ready for something truly incredible.
The culmination of four years of dedication, creativity, and passion have all led to this: the brand new Kanile’a ‘Ukulele Oha Series.
In 2018 and 2019, we first built the Oha line here in Kāneʻohe, Hawai’i. It was an entry-level model created with different materials and methods to meet a certain price point, but we found that that was not sustainable.
To introduce a new line of Kanile’a ʻUkuleles at a more affordable price, we decided to further our 16 year relationship with our Islander manufacturer based in China. We found the most skilled and experienced workers in their factories, each with 8-15 years of experience of building for Kanile’a, typically managers and department heads, and we hand-picked the team to build the new Oha Series to our designs and specifications.
When we say “designs and specs”, we mean everything: body shape, neck, nut width, string spacing, thicknesses of the wood, and more. We are even processing all the Koa here in Hawaiʻi before sending it overseas, cutting the pieces, drying them, laying them out in sets, ready to be assembled by our longtime partners.
Front and back of the new Oha Series Super Tenor, KO1-ST
This means that we are controlling the quality, as well as the look, the grade, and the tonal qualities of every instrument in the Oha series.
For the rest of the story, we are pleased to have Kanile’a Director of Sales & Marketing Kaimana Souza offer you an up-close and personal view of the origins of the two lines in the new Oha Series.
As Kaimana mentioned, the careful attention being paid to the Oha series by our luthier partners is such that production time is quite long, and it will take some time to build enough to get new Oha Series ‘ukuleles into the hands of all of our resellers.
To begin, the Oha Series will be available in three ways. One is at the new Oha Series Available Gallery here at www.kanileaukulele.com, and our two physical retail stores, one in Kaneohe’s Windward Mall, and the other in Honolulu’s Ala Moana Center.
Kanile’a retail shop at Kaneohe’s Windward Mall
The other two are some of our longest-standing and largest retailers around the world, The Ukulele Site in Haleiwa on Hawaii’s North Shore, and The Southern Ukulele Store in Bournemouth, England. Both of them have also created videos sharing their impressions of the new Oha Series, complete with sound samples.
Learn more and order now from The Ukulele Site.
Learn more and order now from The Southern Ukulele Store.
And of course, no way would we miss out on providing our own sound samples! Our newest Kanile’a artist, the award-winning performer, composer, and producer Brittni Paiva joins Kaimana for an in-depth playthrough of all four sizes in the new Oha Series, as well as offering her candid impressions of how it is to actually play these instruments.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We have seen a number of questions about the new Oha Series in comments on the videos posted above, as well as in online ukulele communities, and we are happy to answer them here.
What does the word “Oha” mean?
We are especially happy to start here, because this word, “oha” and the concepts it represents are at the core of the Hawaiian identity, or if you will, its root.
That’s because the “oha” is an offshoot of the main corm (tuber root) of the taro, or kalo, plant that is a staple of the traditional Hawaiian diet, one which will become an entirely new plant as it continues to grow.
More than that, the Hawaiian creation story tells us that the first Hawaiian, our shared ancestor, was himself sprung from taro, making him the first oha, and all of us, his “ʻohana”, family. Yes, that’s right! “Oha” is the root of the word ʻohana!
To put it another way, Oha speaks to the concept of our shared identity as family, which has always been part of the core values behind the family business that is Kanile’a ‘Ukulele, also applying to all of us who have grown up in Hawaiian culture, and all of us who have embraced ‘ukulele as the heart of our own communities. The name “Oha” for this new series reflects our pride in these shared identities.
What is the bracing system for the new Oha Series?
The new Oha Series uses Kanile’a’s original TRU (Total Resonating Ukulele) bracing, which started back in 2006. Kanile’a Master Luthier Joe Souza wanted to maximize tone in the ukuleles he was building. His challenge was to take out as much bracing as possible to leave the top free to vibrate, but this sacrifices the structural integrity necessary to balance the string tension over the life of the instrument.
The TRU bracing system was inspired by Joe’s observation that the top of the ukulele was vibrating not just along the X and Y axes (left to right, as well as forward and back), but also the Z axis: in and out. The TRU bracing system takes the energy generated at the bridge, and radiates it across the entire soundboard. This makes the area that vibrates much larger than conventional bracing, for a much fuller sound, and is part of every ukulele in the new Oha series.
The UV curing system for finishes later introduced on Kanile’a’s Hawaiian-built ukuleles require far few layers of lacquer than the previous methods, which led to changes in the bracing to accommodate the different ways that the soundboard vibrates in the TRU-R system (a combination of the TRU bracing, and R, for Redesigned when Kanileʻa was able to improve it further)
Because UV finishing is not currently possible with our overseas partners both for financial and logistical reasons, Kanile’a’s previous approach to finishing is being used for the new Oha system, as well as the original TRU bracing system, whose innovation has yet to be matched or surpassed…except by Kanile’a!
What other Kanile’a features can we expect from the new Oha Series?
All of the ukuleles in the new Oha Series share hand-selected Hawaiian koa, TRU bracing, the Kanile’a exclusive radiused back, 1.5″ nut width (38mm, with 30mm string spacing at the nut from G to A), NuBone nut and saddle, Kanile’a open-geared tuners, pin-style bridge, and of course, the option of the Kanile’a-exclusive (and trademarked!) Super Tenor body shape.
If the new Oha Series is built with the same Hawaiian Koa, the original TRU bracing, and so many other Kanile’a features that even ʻukulele professionals are finding it difficult to distinguish from the Hawaiian-built Kanile’a instruments, why would I pay more for those?
It’s up to you! If you are looking for a Kanile’a ʻukulele that has the look, feel, sound, innovation, and attention to detail that the industry has come to expect from Kanile’a, for a breakthrough price starting at just over USD$800, then congratulations! You have found it with the new Oha Series!
In order to make the new Oha Series as affordable as possible, we have also limited the options available. There are only two choices for styling, and no five, six, or eight-string options. The only wood choice is Hawaiian koa with a gloss finish, satin-finish mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard, and the traditional headstock only. Bridge pins are plastic rather than ebony,
In addition to more options for sizes, tonewoods, necks, fretboards, headstocks, string configurations, finish, and styling, Kanile’a’s Hawaiian-built ukuleles also feature a range of Kanile’a innovations not available anywhere else, including the TRU Relief body shape for increased comfort and playability, as well as the TRU Reduction system, which reduces overall mass in the ukulele body by as much as 40% vs. traditional construction.
Going even further, the Kanile’a Custom Shop allows you to work with Kanile’a’s designers and luthiers to build the ʻukulele of your dreams from the ground up. There’s a great list of options to consider here at our website, and if you don’t see the options you’re looking for there, give us a call! We would love to work with you on fulfilling your wildest ukulele dreams!
That’s what we mean when we say it’s all up to you! If you are looking for the most affordable, Kanile’a-designed ukuleles, our Islander Ukulele line has models starting at USD $95. If your preference is to push toward maximum customizability and the pinnacle of cutting-edge innovation, including one-of-a-kind custom instruments built to your specifications, Kanile’a’s Hawaiian-built ukuleles are for you!
And if you’re looking for Kanile’a-designed, luthier-built ʻukuleles constructed from Hawaiian Koa that has been hand-selected and cut by Kanile’a in Hawaiʻi, all with the classic Kanile’a sound and TRU bracing, at a breakthrough price starting at USD$835, then allow us to welcome you to the Kanile’a ʻohana, with the new Kanile’a Oha Series!
