Premium music shops of Hanamā‘ulu: Our Top-12 selection

Scotty’s Music saved my son’s butt, after my son arrived in Kauai, Hawaii, with his trombone but no mouth piece! They had exactly the mouth piece he needed to play his Trombone here in Hawaii. They were not only sweet and friendly, but also had a wide selection of gorgeous guitars, Ukuleles, Key boards, and many other instruments! They allowed my musical group to descent upon the store and try out different instruments, as well as providing Halloween Pretzels and lollipops to the salt and sugar hungry youth!

Amazing shop! Highly recommended.

Very knowledgeable and friendly, got exactly what we wanted. Thanks so much for making our experience of buying a ukulele a good one!

Great ukulele store! Lots to choose from and knowledgable staff.

Great selection and service

Great service. Friendly and helpful staff. Large selection of ukuleles and gig bags.

First thing the manager said to us when we walked in was “don’t touch anything this isn’t a guitar center”. First impression? Poor customer service.

31 year old Male Staff employee took advantage of me(16 year old). Told me a guitar was 600 dollars retail was 400. Made the mistake of buying it, looked it up later and it was 300 dollars. I knew it was my mistake too. Definitely a store you cannot trust

Perfectly laid out venue. Everything was organized and easy to find. I have an excellent selection of any and everything you could wish to take home. The staff was wonderful, welcoming, and helpful. This is an excellent place for anyone to go.

They were great! They are out of their garage now, but wonderful. I bought a fancy ukulele.

On our last day on the island we found this quaint store and left with a gorgeous hand carved tiki. I had searched all over the island and was not able to track any down at a reasonable price until we found this place! The owners were very nice and explained what some of their items meant and were very clear on what items were locally made or shipped. We will be back when we come back to Kauai!

So weird. You end up in their garage mixed up with trinkets souvenirs. I was not a fan. It was hard to decide if the ‘ukulele or other high valued things were authentic. On a positive the family is all very sweet.

Friendly staff. Interesting store. Worth a visit.

Ukulele picks sold here

saying the usual “good selection”, “friendly staff”, etc. is inadequate!

Sam always made the effort to find the specific instrument that sang to you! He and his family provided exceptional service and never shied away from sharing their knowledge of the history, manufacture, & playing of ukuleles. I cannot recommend the Kamoa store in Kapa’a enough!

Great selection of ukes and even better customer service. They answered my rookie questions for over an hour and really helped me pick the right instrument. Great buying experience.

Amazing! Sam and his family really know their business. You can really tell their passion for music and good instruments! Sam took so much time for me and gave me good advice. I left really happy with a wonderful ukulele Thank you so much!

Was excited to stop by and had purchased a ukulele for the 1st time at Kamaka in Honolulu 2 yrs prior. I let the owner know I was an amateur, and as I played, he assumed I’d learned my strumming pattern on YouTube…but I listen to the music I like and interpret as an artist. He told me about the free lessons he offers. I said, “Let me try playing this song and you can tell me what to improve.” He says, “I don’t need to hear it; I can tell you right now.” I was enjoying playing and felt a bit disappointed. But I listened as he told me I was playing much too harshly, audiences do not like that, compared it to fingernails on a chalkboard, and told me as my audience it was basically terrible for him to listen to. I replied that he is like 2 feet away. I also agreed I could try softening my strumming, but his ex.of very soft, slow strumming did not fit the style of the song I was going for. I explained that, and he then told me that his dad had to leave the room b/c of my harsh playing. I said, “If he needs to leave that is his opinion and doesn’t offend me”(although it did make me feel bad!) I teach piano students and can’t imagine saying my husband had to leave the room b/c of the way they were playing the piano!! I guess there’s a reason the lessons are free! He could’ve said something positive and nicely asked, “What if you tried softening your strumming a bit?” I would’ve felt and responded totally differently. I was happy to take feedback but was there also for the enjoyment of trying out the instruments. This quickly dissipated through the interaction. He needs to work on his approach with a potential customer! I would never want to take lessons here, let alone purchase an instrument. Side note:, instead of starting out by explaining all the info about the instruments and knowledge, maybe could try asking what I’m looking for in an instrument. I highly recommend Kamaka Hawai’i, Inc. in Honolulu, because they treated me very kindly and respectfully.
*Response: His answer is unnecessarily scathing and of course refuses to take any responsibility or acknowledge my honest experience.
A. Don’t talk about my daughter; barely worth replying to; she was not crying because she wanted to try a ukulele. Has cried on and off during our trip when tired, and we both try to console her. Sad he’s even trying to bring up parenting to throw in our faces! Wow…no we were not looking for ukulele lessons for her but thanks for the offer. I told her about egg rolls…
B. There was 1 lady worker in the room who was quiet, and she was actually grooving a little after he walked out for a bit ;), & maybe 1-2 other people milling around, so I’d hardly say I was “entertaining” the store. As any musician can understand, we enjoy going in to a music store and trying out instruments for learning and enjoyment..
C. He has no understanding or care about the frustration that I’m expressing here. I feel like he’s not used to sharing knowledge then listening to a slightly different response. He drives his point home at the expense of a person’s feelings. He wants to paint me as an obnoxious person who was there to brag on my talents and annoy everyone, though I berated my skills sev. times, then he says all these ppl walked out who weren’t even there. Keep in mind this was a short episode: I was talking with him, trying to figure out some chords, playing a couple short songs in a virtually empty store, until my terrible playing completely emptied it?
D. This was not an official “lesson” to my knowledge. I was there to try out instruments and be free to do so /ask for input
E. I took his advice by playing a song again more quietly, to which he said it was much better, so again his story is not adding up. Also, at that point, I was the one who showed myself to the door!
F. I was told this is common behavior for store owners/employees on the island, but we did have some nice experiences! I’m sure others have enjoyed this store, but I did not, and feel it is worthwhile to share my experience, even if it means I’m berated vs. validated once again in return.

We three malihinis stopped in hoping to see some local craftsmanship and buy some ukes.

The owner quickly guided my friends to a solid, durable and affordable uke in a fun, red color for their young son. He played it simply and then with flair to show the range. He was great at explaining and guiding beginners to a choice they could feel confident about.

The store had a nice array of ukes, soprano, tenor and baritones…including some real lookers with gorgeous butterfly grain tops and delicate inlays made here on the island.

I asked to see a couple tenors. I played a little. He immediately asked if I play banjo (I do) based on my picking style and I mentioned I prefer a less bright sounds and he brought out a tenor tuned to low G. (I hadn’t mentioned it, but was in fact what I was hoping to find.) It was more expensive than I was planning, but I fell in love with the tone and splurged for my holiday gift to myself.

A week later, I am obsessed. It’s my favorite instrument. Such quality sound in such a portable and fun form factor.

I googled the model online and found that tho it was more than I budgeted for, he sold it to me for way under list (and out of stock everywhere), it’s a great value for a fine uke. (I got a Kala Honduran Mahogany Doghair tenor).

I couldn’t be more happy and would definitely return to Kalaheo Music next time I’m in the market for a uke!

Bought a beautiful ukulele for my daughter. Owners were friendly, knowledgeable, and super helpful!

Had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Ron a couple of weeks back. Very knowledgeable, very helpful, and genuinely wanted me to get the perfect guitar for my playing style and price range. Informed me of Music & Strings’ layaway program – where you can put a down payment on an instrument, and then make monthly payments on it until you’ve paid for it in full. (You don’t get to take it home until it’s fully paid for, but Ron will let you come in the shop and play with it in the meantime!) If you’re wanting to buy, repair, or tune up a ‘uke or guitar, I highly recommend you check out this local place before going anywhere else.

I found this place to be hard to shop at. Due to Covid there are plastic screens up almost all along the counter. The workers while trying to helpful left me feeling very defeated. They do give good guidance. Make sure it is your first stop in your ‘ukulele shopping or you may find what they say contradicting what others say.

The clerk was not very friendly. We did end up getting a UKE but from another place. Nice selection of instruments.

Lots of ukelele stuff (naturally) but a lot of accessories that I have never seen before like jelly caps for your fingers so if you’re a beginner you’re fingers won’t hurt as much. A very vast selection of ukeleles and you’re even able to take lessons!

Was looking for a ukulele while in Hawaii, and thought this was a good place to try. Sadly, the staff was rude and literally all of the products are behind the counters so when the staff isn’t being helpful… good luck seeing if the ones you like feel or play nicely. On top of that, the store is tiny. Many better I Keller and music stores on Kauai that I’ve found after stopping here. Nicer people, better prices, and you can actually try a few chords without being hassled. Save your time, these people don’t want your money.

The woman I spoke with was very kind and helpful, however the gentleman there was rude and dismissive. After making a purchase I was told to leave the store. I won’t be doing any more business here.

I’ve used Dubb City Productions for numerous music recording projects. Ariki has always blown me away with his creativity and talent in the recording studio. I’ve searched high and low for people with his talent on Kauai. And he’s just fun to work with. Definitely recommend Dubb City productions for all your recording needs!

Fantastic production, affordable pricing, and an atmosphere highly conducive to creating quality music. I highly recommend!

I loved working with Ariki at Dubb City Productions! The studio was very comfortable and it felt easy to get into the music. Ariki was friendly and easy-going and took the nervousness out of recording. I’ll definitely book sessions there again.

A massive collection of vintage Lionel trains is just the start of this remarkable store. Lots of vintage plastic and balsa model kits. Model railroads and scenery in all scales. Games, toys and collectables.

Jigsaw puzzles!

Wonderful shop with many train scale items.

The toy store practically every boy dreamed about. Wonderful place.

Rude. Only toy store that is not kid friendly.

So epic and non-profit!!!

Great place for keiki

An awesome chance for kids of all ages to learn how to make music. The staff is wonderful and the kids get to make new friends. A total 5 stars!!!!!!!

This place is filthy, the bathrooms has smelled like urine for both the old and new buildings they have moved in. The new building they have moved in, in Kukui Grove shopping center smells like urine, that has been attempted to be covered up by a freshener.
The manager of this program, Jeremy Hartshorn, can be nice at first but is an ironic person. He does not have things together and isn’t always ready. In one of the performancees, he tries to teach a kid to do a song while they are already performing. He would blame everyone including his daughter except himself, as if young kids would know what they’re supposed to do. His daughter as well can be disrespectful and makes my child uncomfortable. My child has been quiet, but whenever he is asked to come for band rehearsals, they do not rehearse and is a waste of time and money. They will help you at first until you are only decent.This place is okay for learning if you are a complete beginner but if you are experienced, this is useless. I have paid for the whole year but my child is quitting Bandwagon once the payment is done.
I highly recommend to NOT go to this program. It is a waste of everything. Like I said they might help a bit, but once you are decent and trying to quit due to the poor music education, they give you ultimatums.

You can find nearly anything here.

Walmart had all the water fun toys we needed.

It has every thing you need. At a good price

Not a lot of fresh meat options and whenever I go to the sports and goods department and press the bottom for assistance it’s takes a long time or they never show up but besides that the prices are good for someone who is living on there own.

Very picked over Walmart. I expect the tourists leave this in shambles daily

It doesn’t cater much to the locals

We left without buying a thing! Unheard of for me and walmart! The fresh produce was pretty empty and i don’t know if they are having problems with their freezers or with delivery, but most of those were empty.

Never a pleasure

They almost always need more checkers working. 8 people in line and one checker.

Good service. Knowledgeable. Friendly. Nice looking ukuleles.

Beautiful little shop packed full of all sorts of stringed instruments as well as yarn and a few other textile things.

Great little ukelele shop. Live music tonight and ukelele lessons!

What a cool place. Fantastic people

The store owner was really nice, knowledgeable, warm and friendly. He made time to teach me basic notes beautifully and I can tell that he is a talented musician. I enjoyed my time at the store, I was happy to buy a ukelele, but I was sad he didn’t tune the ukelele I purchased and charged me $30 for the case without telling me there would be an extra charge for it. Honestly I would have given 5 stars if that weren’t the case. The little things add up to make a big difference; I appreciated everything else though. Hope these little things can be addressed!

Friendly staff

The store hours listed on Google are not accurate – they do NOT open at 11AM. I was there today a few minutes after 11, and the lights were still off and doors locked. I hung out for a bit, but at 11:15 the doors were still locked. No clue what time they actually open

I wanted to return the ukelele that I purchased there but they said no returns – I was not told when I purchased the instrument that all purchases were final. There is a sign but the sales person did not point it out to me or mention it – it was not written on the receipt either. I guess I made a bad purchase but it did not make me feel good that they didn’t mention about their return policy before I made the purchase. This store is also WAY overpriced. I checked the price I paid for my ukulele and it was like 70 dollars more than what it was sold on amazon – which I don’t really care because I wanted to support local business…but I just can’t support their business model. So here it is!

Don’t waste your time. Picked up a guitar, played for 2 mins before asked to “play quietly.” So that she could make a call. No one else was in the store.