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| Moderated by: Richard Hefner | Page: 1 2   |
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| Kanilea Deluxe T-1 - General Ukulele - Ukulele - ezFolk Forums | |||||||||||||||
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RTL Approved
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Well, as I'd mentioned before, I picked up that Kanilea Deluxe T-1 Koa Tenor less than a month ago. Initial impressions don't always last as you get to play the instrument. I know that many people would like to know what to purchase, and the impressions of others is important when considering what to buy and who to buy it from. So here is a lengthy "review" (for lack of a better word) of the uke I purchased and the service thus far. Keep in mind that everything that follows is my opinion and you need not agree. Also note that I am a very mellow guy and don't get upset over material things. Disappointed, perhaps... upset, naw. The uke, a new set of Worth Premium browns and a couple Herco humidifyers came to $980 USD. (I'm in Ottawa, Canada, btw.) The cost for customs was $130 (putting us over the $1100 mark). Included in that $980, is $175 for a pickup installed at Kanilea. I purchased the uke from musicguymic, which everyone knows here (or damn near everyone). He had the uke, which he then sent back to Kanilea to have the pickup installed. Now, I know that MGM has a great reputation here (as well as everywhere else, no doubt), and he was a damn nice guy on the phone and when I emailed him telling him that he'd forgotten to send me one of the Herco's, he quickly mailed the second one. However, I have to say that I am disappointed. And here's why. (Now, to preface this, understand that this is not a personal attack on anyone's character... this is the opinion of a sale's customer. Prior to working in the federal government, I worked in management in a variety of sales, from movie and game rentals, to high scale clothing, to electronics. I understand sales. I understand the pressures of delivering items on time, and being swamped with work.) Being the point of contact for sales, MGM should have inspected the uke upon receiving it from Kanilea after the pickup was installed. In my opinion, that was his responsibiltiy. I know it was not inspected for two reasons. Firstly, he stated he would install the Worth's Premium brown strings, however they were tapped to the garbage bag that was wrapped around the uke case (no doubt to keep it sealed). The strings were obviously not placed upon the uke, nor even in the case. It was almost like an afterthough, checking the receipt and seeing that strings were included in the purchase. This rushed packaging would also explain the omission of the second Herco humidifyer. The second (and most important) reasons, I know the uke was not inspected is that upon picking it up, I immediately heard a rattle inside of the uke. I've been playing guitar since I was six, and can't tell you how many times I dropped a pick inside a guitar and had to shake it face-down to get it to fall back out. I was hoping that was the case here, however what came out was a locking washer (which would have been installed on the inside at the jack for the amp). I contacted MGM about this and he assured me that due to dual hex nuts, the jack would not come loose. Unfortunately, that is not true. It comes loose every time I plug it in. I have had to tighten it often now (from the outside) and each time, I worry that it may damage the wood. Also, whenever the jack comes loose, the strings (primarily the E) causes a very loud rattle (even when played lightly). I sent another email to MGM and he gave me a contact email for Kanilea as this is not his responsibility. This is where I disagree however. Before that instrument left his shop, it should have been inspected. It should have been plugged in, and tested to make certain it works. In my very honest opinion (and again, this is not an assault on his character), I find this to be very poor customer service. My email to Kanilea from two days ago still has not been answered, and so I've nothing to say about them yet (in terms of their commitment to their clients). I am hoping however that it gets answered soon. Onto the uke itself. Now, just to put this out there right away... I play a lot. I have the privilege of often being able to work remotely from home. I have the office laptop setup in our library, and I keep both of my ukes closeby (the other is a Bushman Jenny tenor). I pick them up all the time to play. Since receiving this Kanilea, it is in my hands constantly. Unfortunately, it is not being plugged in as often anymore, because every time it is plugged in, the jack comes loose. This, to me, is a shame. The reason for having the pickup installed was so that I could plug it in. But I digress. Over the past couple weeks, I have noticed a difference in the sound, however it is not all for good. For the most part, the sound coming out of this Kanilea is fantastic. I absolutely love the Worth strings on it. I did play with the Aquilas that came with it, but in my opinion, they do not compare to the Worth's. The uke sounds rich. The vibrations are incredible and the sound carries so nicely. ... until you strum a little more aggressively. At that point, I'm getting a rattle (buzz). Something which I don't get from my Bushman which cost a quarter of this price. At this point, I don't know if the rattle is from the jack which wasn't installed properly, or if it's just the uke. Suffice it to say, I don't think a thousand dollar uke should have a rattle. We now have four ukes in our house. At one point, we had six, however when two kids got their own places, we dropped to four. I have two, and my wife also has two. I've restrung both of hers (one with Aquilas and the other with Worth's), and none of those other five creates such a buzz when strummed a little more aggressively. And just to be clear, I'm not pounding on this thing. Not at all. I'm talking just a little harder. Unfortunately, at this point, despite it being less than a month in, and despite the fact that this was clearly a problem with Kanilea's installation of the pickup, I will probably have to take the instrument to a local repair shop and have them fix the jack, as this will cost less than me having to ship the uke across the border to Hawaii to have it fixed there. Also, it will mean that the instrument that I paid for will not be gone for weeks. I would not have an issue with having to send it off for repair down the road if something happened... however I only just received it less than a month ago. This is extremely disappointing, and I've not yet decided what I will do. I will wait to hear from Kanilea. I always look at larger purchases like this; would I do it again if given the chance. That determines buyer's remorse. My answer would quite seriously be no at this point. My buyer's remorse is not due to the price. I'd worked a lot of overtime so that I could save up and buy a very good ukuelele, and I've actually begun saving for another. My remorse is due to the service and for the product. It's not the price of said product that bothers me, however the price should have dictated a better product. What it boils down to at this point is that I've sunk $1110 into an instrument that I am disappointed in. My apologies to MGM (whom I know frequents these boards). You have a very good reputation, and I believe in giving credit when someone does something nice. However I also believe that honesty is important in customer service and I believe that if potential clients have the right to read praise on such forums, they should also read constructive criticsm.
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ezmember Approved
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I think your story is well written and written in the right spirit. Generally, MGM's reputation is exceptionally good and well deserved. But as anyone knows who has taken on the public responsibility of selling on Ebay (such as me), sometimes things happen which disappoint the buyer and hold the seller responsible. I think MGM will rise to the occasion, which he's obviously done before or he wouldn't have 100% feedback. Your problem isn't one that can't be fixed, rather it's having to put out even more expense for a burden that shouldn't be yours to bear. Trying to be fair-minded, my solution would be for the Uke company and Mike to share the responsibility, as one didn't do the work right and the other didn't notice. Maybe Mike can work out something with the Kanilea company that would bring peace and happiness to all. I know what disappointment feels like in these matters. You sort of just want to sit down and cry. At least that's a humble response. You sure didn't do violence to anyone involved. You simply held pubicly accountable those who do a public service. MGM is not so perfect that he can't learn something profitable from this, and make him even better than he already is. How this gets resolved will speak volumes about the goodwill of those responsible. I think it's probably going to work out well because of the people you're involved with in seeking a solution.
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artcrocker Approved
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Very unfortunate for the initial disappointment on your Kanilea. I had just the opposite experience on a Kanilea Concert from MGM, it is truly a wonderful ukulele and a beautiful thing to look at. My 2 cents worth would be to try put aside the frustration of the disappointment. You do however have to work thru the Buzz, would think Kanilea can offer help there. Then the loose jack, maybe a lock nut? Sure hope you can move on to enjoying the instrument soon. Best of Luck,
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UkeForever Approved 
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About the buzz, you are abolutely right, RTL. It shouldn't be there. I have confidence that Kanile'a will make it right. As for the loosening of the 1/4 inch jack, I have that issue on both of my acoustic guitars. I just get used to hand-tightening the nut. If it's the kind where the strap goes around the outside of the jack, loosening is going to happen.
____________________ Don't let the door hit 'ya where the good Lord split 'ya. John Rockwell's Crazy Songs 
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ichadwick Approved 
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When I got my Kala from MGM, it had a bit of a string buzz too. I contacted MGM and he suggested I give it a couple of days with a homemade humdifier in the case. I did that and the buzzing soon went away. The neck, it seems, moved a bit during transit - changes in temperature and humidity. It soon reverted to its original state within the case and with more humidity. The pickup jack was also a trifle loose and when I tightened it a bit more buzzing went away. I don't know MGM personally, but he's been good to deal with for three of the four ukes I purchased in the past few months. I have no complaints. But I understand the frustrations and anxieties of being a purchaser/consumer. We expect good customer service. I agree: a $1,000 ukulele should be perfect. Heck, I expect it of a $200 uke.
____________________ Ian ------------------------------------------- I can stand brute force, but brute reason is quite unbearable. Oscar Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray http://www.ianchadwick.com |
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GX9901 Approved 
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Thanks RTL for the detailed account of your experiences. I think at the very least it will give others something to think about when going forward with a higher dollar purchase and getting a pickup installed by the factory. I've purchased 7 ukes now from MGM and while overall the service has been very good, there were a couple of instances where I felt the uke probably should have been inspected more closely before being shipped to me. Fortunately for me those instances were for lower priced ukes so I let it slide. I agree that MGM should have inspected the pickup before it was shipped out, because he was the last line of defense for you before you actually receive the uke. That problem would have been taken care of much easier had that been the case. I do seem to remember reading from somewhere that it is not advisable to have Kanile'a install a pickup as others have had problems with it. From your story and others, it does looks like you're really taking a chance to have a factory installed pickup from Kanile'a. By the way, what pickup did you have them install? I had installed a Dean Markley undersaddle pickup in a Pono before and it was a pretty simple job and the endpin jack is very secure. I believe it also had a double hex nut inside. If you pickup is installed the same way, it could be pretty simple to re-install it securely. Sorry to hear about the issues with your Kanile'a. Stuff like this on a higher end factory made uke would bother the crap out of me, so I can definitely sympathize. Hopefully it gets worked out the right way.
____________________ Check out my uke blog: http://gx9901ukes.blogspot.com |
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D9sus4 Approved
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ichadwick wrote: When I got my Kala from MGM, it had a bit of a string buzz too. I contacted MGM and he suggested I give it a couple of days with a homemade humdifier in the case. I did that and the buzzing soon went away. The neck, it seems, moved a bit during transit - changes in temperature and humidity. It soon reverted to its original state within the case and with more humidity. The pickup jack was also a trifle loose and when I tightened it a bit more buzzing went away. I had the same experience with my Concert Kanilea that I purchased from MGM. I took it to my luthier (who is also a guitar maker and very good) and he suggested the same thing, to wait and see if it goes away. Six months later (in a humidity controlled enviornment), it's still there, so it's going back to my luthier. I suspect it may be a problem with their "Sound Monster" truss system, but I won't know until he looks at it. It does have a great tone, but the buzzing is annoying. I'll post again after I get it back and find out what it was.
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RTL Approved
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It's disheartening to hear these negative comments about Kanile'a now... after I've made such a large purchase. Had I known beforehand, I'd have not purchased this uke. Oh well, such is life I guess. It will prove to be extremely disappointing if nothing can be done about this buzz. It doesn't happen all the time, but enough to be noticeable at some point during songs. My eldest son was over on mother's day and asked if he could try out the new uke. His comments? "Sweet songing uke... despite the buzz. Be perfect if it didn't have that." Just to give everyone an update on this, Mike has contacted me via email and is working hard to fix this issue (as well as the jack issue). I still have not heard back from Kanilea, though Mike is in contact with them as well. I will keep y'all updated as to how this turns out.
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musicguymic Approved
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As for string buzzes they all can be solved but Kanilea has recently pointed out a problem with the strings. As many kanileas are set for low action it is not the fret work nor levelness of the fretboard that causes the buzz t but the string itself. After puzzling and tons of trial and error it was found that the strings on certain brands were hitting the frets at the 12 to 15 fret mark causing the buzz and not the frets themselves. Although simple raising of the action would solve the problem strings should be able to be played with some aggressiveness and yet still have low action without the swing diameter of the actual string vibrations causing them to touch the frets and causing buzzing. This can be seen but rubbing graphite on the higher frets and playing (A pencil rubbed on the top of the frets will do) and checking to see if the graphite or black marks show up on the strings... A higher tension brand string would solve this. Remind you that this problem i am describing may not be applicable to your ukulele but is a problem being caused by the strings limitations and not the builders... Last edited on Tue May 13th, 2008 12:12 am by musicguymic ____________________ WOW I got another Uke!!!! |
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D9sus4 Approved
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Thanks for the update musicguymic, but what would be really helpful is the brand of strings that Kanilea is now recommending for their ukes. Since I have already tried three brands of uke strings, all very high quality, and none of them helped with the buzzing issue, I would be very grateful to Kanilea if they would supply a brand name. RTL, as we share the same problem with the same brand of uke, I'd like to state for others that might read this: I love the tone and playability of the Kanilea. I think the uke has great intonation and other than the buzzing, which I believe to be a fixable issue, I have no regrets about buying this uke and would recommend it to others. As someone who has purchased a lot of good instruments over many years, I can say from experience that I have seldom purchased an instrument that has not required some sort of adjustment. That said, I think Kanilea owes us both an apology and a new set of strings...
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musicguymic Approved
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You have to realize that custom makers set their actions usually on the low side If you lve in a very dry climate Humdifiers in case or not some slight movement of the ukulele occurs. Now they could all set the action at a much higher level but that would then lead to "My action is too high" its a delicate balance situaton but when strings are not performing where they can not hit the upper frets ata 2mm or 2.25mm action the strings also need to be looked at michael
____________________ WOW I got another Uke!!!! |
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RTL Approved
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I got a reply back from Kanilea explaining this as well, saying that's why they use Aquila strings. But that is something that should be very blatantly stated before buying the ukulele. I should be able to put on any strings I want, so long as they are quality strings. And I don't believe Worth's Premiums to be sub-quality. I personally don't like the sound of Aquila strings, so to be told those are the strings that should be on my thousand dollar uke is disappointing, to say the least.
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D9sus4 Approved
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musicguymic wrote: You have to realize that custom makers set their actions usually on the low side If you lve in a very dry climate Humdifiers in case or not some slight movement of the ukulele occurs. Now they could all set the action at a much higher level but that would then lead to "My action is too high" its a delicate balance situaton but when strings are not performing where they can not hit the upper frets ata 2mm or 2.25mm action the strings also need to be looked at michael Michael, so does this mean you're not going to tell us which brand of string Kanilea is now recommending for their ukes? And for the record, I've tried Aquilas, D'Addarios and whatever came on it from Kanilea. As for humidity, I live in the Midwest where the ambient humidity ranges from 25% in the winter to 100% in the summer, but I keep my music studio where my instruments live at 50% +/- 8% relative humidity year round. Since this is roughly equal to the humidity levels I remember from my trip to the Big Island last year, my Kanilea should feel right at home... and not buzz. Last edited on Tue May 13th, 2008 03:33 am by D9sus4 |
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musicguymic Approved
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I hate to be saying this but realize this First off no manufacturer is trying to make a ukulele that has any problems. Two as I stated there is a balance between great feel and action and playability when it comes to string height. Yes..When they leave here and are shipped they do not buzz....Wood is wood and things sometimes can happen..Its a God given natural item and affected by many things. Moisture, Temperature. sweat. body oils.... As for string brands Kanilea uses OEM aquila strings on their ukes..thats never been a secret. Yes any string brand should be able to be used on most ukes...however realize that each brand has different sizing for strings and each moves laterally id varying degrees. The uke arer set up for the factory oem strings at all manufacturers. I know of no ne who sets their ukes with say hilos...then changes to aquilas and then golds and then worths and then hiogh tension to see if they are performing the same with each brand. Sticking a different one with vastly different size and hardness characteristics can cause reason for a slight setup adjustment. Stick a 0.74m string in a slot for 0.81m it will sit differently. Realize they trying to make their instrument play its best. Sound and tone are perceived by individual taste so no one can say this is the ultimate string brand that should be used. I can attest that I have had buzzing issues with EVERY BRAND AND MAKERS Instruments..Including all the well known top sought after luthier with years waiting list. All it took was a little adjustment to solve most problems. I can also say I have had intonation issues with EVERY BRAND AND MAKERS instruments that also had to be resolved. I have had cracking, caving in ,warping and bulging with EVERY MAKERS instruments. To try and point out a single entity and say this is a great problem is nonsense to me. It happens with Martins Kiwayas, Kamakas, Koalohas G strings. Koolaus, Kalas, Lanikais Ohanas and every name under the sun. Yes we are focusing on an individuals case at this time. I would simply say about a buzz...If you have had the instrument for some time Contact the manufacturer. Check what your action from 12th fret top to bottom of string is at in height Maybe some movement caused it to become to low where I slight raise in the saddle will cure all ails. What I was mentioning in the last cooment on string performance was that certain brands we have been noticeing inconsistancies between strings where a simple change of the certain string removed the buzz....as to why...thats still being looked at. Why does one aquila plain wound c buzz like crazy but when i put on another one it doesn't. Consistancy in diameter? consistancy of formula..who knows. There will always be problems tha come up from time to time....Instead of griping it must be someones fault we should try to find a solution.... okay i have mouthed off too much
____________________ WOW I got another Uke!!!! |
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GX9901 Approved
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I'm thinking that those of you who has buzzing problems with yoru Kanile'as are probably focusing too much on the type of strings used or recommended by Kanile'a. In my experience, Worth strings are more likely to buzz than Aquilas because they seem to have lower tension. Like MGM noted, I have pretty much experienced some kind of buzzing (slight or very noticable) on almost all my ukes. That includes Pineapple Sunday, Pono, Koa Works, etc. Interestingly, my Kanile'a super soprano is one uke that has never had a hint of buzzing. And I've tried Worth BM, CD, and Aquilas (stock) on it. It does sound like, to me, that RTL's buzzing problem could possibly be related to that pickup. If that's the case it's an entirely different issue. RTL, are you able to isolate where the buzz is coming from? Of the more serious buzzing I observed from my own ukes, it's more common that the nut slots are too deep. These are on less expensive Chinese made ukes though, and I remedied them by filling out the slots a little bit with epoxy putty. If you can't isolate the buzz anywhere on the fretboard, maybe it is the pickup installation. This thread just made me realize how utterly buzz-free my Kanile'a SS has been in the 7-8 months I've owned it. I'm kind of impressed now that I think about it. I mean, I've had a lot of ukes and maybe only 3 or 4 can make this claim. It also goes to show how much variance ukes coming out of one factory can have. I guess it's just the nature of wooden instruments.
____________________ Check out my uke blog: http://gx9901ukes.blogspot.com |
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RTL Approved
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While I appreciate you're getting frustrated, Mike, I know that I would appreciate not being capslock shouted at. I know you're just trying to make a point, however understand that this thread was never about "griping". It is about explaining the process that I have gone through with this ukulele. That being said, unless you bring problems up to the attention of those who can do something about it, nothing will be done. It's not griping to bring it up to Kanilea (if they read this thread) that there are others experiencing the same problems, and that they too are frustrated. It's not griping to state that string issues should be made known to the buyer. Like many people on these forums, I have been playing stringed instruments for many years and am not a fool. When you state "instead of griping it must be someone's fault", let us be very clear here. It is someone's fault. The rep from Kanilea whom I have been speaking with has been very, very nice, however she has stated the buzzing is due to the bracing and the fact that it requires high tension strings. That information is nowhere to be found. Enough so, that obviously you did not know either as you sold me the Worth strings to install on this ukulele. Furthermore, I understand how wood changes, however we have to come back to the fact that this instrument has been in my possession less than a month. And as for your statement that you've seen issues with all brands, that is not surprising... however it is the consistency with which certain brands have problems which determines their worth. Please note, this post was calmly typed out while sipping my morning cup of coffee. I do not want this thread to turn into an argument. (GX, the buzzing comes from inside.)
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D9sus4 Approved
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GX9901, you and MGM both bring up a good point that perhaps Kanilea and other uke manufacturerers are missing, namely that they are shipping their ukes with the action set too low. I understand MGM's argument that if they don't, then buyers will be complaining that the action is too high. But perhaps that would be the lesser of two evils. For example, over the past twenty years I have purchased high-end factory new Martin, Larrivee, Ramirez and several other guitars, and every one of them needed to have their action lowered. Even my Ramirez FL-2 flamenco had to have it's action lowered a lot, and flamenco guitars are normally set up to buzz a little. Perhaps the guitar makers figured out what some uke makers have not, that they will receive fewer complaints if their instruments don't buzz when they receive them initially. As to strings, perhaps a seperate thread would be in order to discuss strings based on their relative diameters vs tone, longevity, susceptability to buzz, etc.? RTL, thanks for the info regarding the feedback from the Kanilea rep about the bracing and high tension strings. I suspected the bracing might be part of the problem as I can't find any string contact issues. Did they suggest any brands or specific strings to try? Last edited on Tue May 13th, 2008 01:08 pm by D9sus4 |
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RTL Approved
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They suggest Aquilas. That being said, we have been emailing back and forth today, and though they stated earlier that the problem is with the bracing, today they have been stating it could also be with the nut. I will be sending them the uke to have the jack repaired, and to have them adjust the nut to fit the Worth strings. They are being very pleasant in their emails and I appreciate that. I will post back once I get the instrument back and let you know what the outcome is.
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jerrypro Approved 
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RTL wrote: | ||||||||||||||
