I want to get married so I can ask Tioni +Wade to play at the reception. But I have been married three times (same person each time…she’s the love of my life). So talented and versatile. Soulful and smooth. Mahalo for the music!
6. Kanileʻa ʻUkulele
Address: 46-056 Kamehameha Hwy Suite #290, Kaneohe, HI 96744 , Maunawili , Hawaii , United States
Wonderful artists and craftsmen. Kanile’a will be the maker of my next custom uke. Impressive design and tone. Aloha spirit of welcome and grace.
Detailed tour with knowledgeable staff and well made ukes
This is a fantastic shop. Arrange a tour, as they are very interesting and thorough.
Are tour was fantastic and the host was over the top with knowledge about there products and playing the ukulele. My reason for four stars is choice of adorable Hawaiian built ukulele.
This one hurts to write because the ukes are wonderful (5 stars), but the customer service leaves so much be to be desired (2 stars).
Kanile’a makes beautiful instruments. Playable works of art. But where the company falls short is in customer service.
I ordered my ukulele and they shipped it to the wrong address. It tool over an hour on the phone to figure this out and then with nothing more than an apology I had to go to the FedEx store 45 minutes away to pick it up. In the grand scheme of things this one incident isn’t that much, but it continues.
After getting my uke I was in love and I was ready to special order a custom uke. I spoke on the phone with the rep and they said they would call me back after speaking with the Master Luthier on the following Monday. I never go the call back.
Most recently, my uke has had some fret problems that should be covered under warranty. I used their online contact form and never heard back.
I called and spoke with the same CS rep that never called me back earlier and they said they would send me a label to ship the uke for service and they never did. Then when I wrote to ask about the status of label they said that my uke was being evaluated in the shop and they would get back to me. Ummm, my uke is in a box 2500 miles from their shop.
I want to love this company but can’t get over the lack of customer service. The main CS rep for Kanile’a says a lot and doesn’t seem to follow through with what they say. The ukes are great but the CS doesn’t match up and needs to be addressed.
UPDATE 21 Nov 2022:
Following this review I received a call from the head CS rep. They apologized for the errors and quickly sent the FedEx return label. I shipped it back and last Friday I got a call that the uke was repaired and covered by the warranty. Since my family was coming to Honolulu the next day I asked that the uke be sent to the Ala Moana retail location and they agreed. I was told and said it would be available for pick up on Sunday.
I went to the Ala Moana store Sunday afternoon and the uke was not there. I was disappointed but not surprised. I booked ukulele lessons while on the island and now I won’t have my uke for them.
UPDATE 21 December 2022
The fret tang “sprout” has returned and this time Kanile’a have told me that I will have to pay for the shipping both ways to get the uke repaired by them. Last time this fret tangs started protruding they covered shipping. Since this is a manufacturer’s defect I am going to follow another route to get this situation resolved.
We had Ben for our wedding ceremony with the ukulele and he was great! Great communication throughout the booking process and very affordable! Thank you Ben!
My husband and I hired Ben to play during our ceremony and cocktail hour at our wedding and we were very pleased! Communication was easy. He is very talented and our guests really enjoyed him.
8. Nicole Saunders CD store
Address: 45-552 Kamehameha Hwy, Kaneohe, HI 96744 , Maunawili , Hawaii , United States
I had the privilege of having Doug Fitch play at my wedding in June on the island of Oahu. He’s a truly talented Hawaiian Slack Key Guitarist, as well as a singer/songwriter who has a wide breadth of styles. Doug is passionate about providing the best quality of service to his clients and at all of his events. He really cared about meeting our requests to make our day as special as possible. He was friendly, professional and above all a terrific addition to the day.
Since then, I’ve seen Doug perform at another shows (he does all kinds of events, not just weddings, and also performs concerts occasionally) where he was equally if not more so impressive. He has a great stage presence and it’s fun hearing his other styles of music (country, rock, etc.).
I highly recommend Doug for anyone in search of a talented guitarist for their event and can say it was one of the best decisions we made when planning our big day. Whether you’re having your wedding on the beach, a luxury hotel, or anywhere in between (even off island!) Doug Fitch is worth your consideration.
10. Islander ʻUkulele
Address: 46-216 Kahuhipa St, Kaneohe, HI 96744 , Maunawili , Hawaii , United States
Claudia’s music classes have been the highlight of our week!! My kid lights up with all the singing and dancing, and TBH, I have a ball too! Claudia is so loving and passionate, she brings so much joy and color to her classes. It was a great space for my kid to learn about things like making friends, taking turns, coordination, counting, and being creative, and for the 2 of us to have some fun bonding time outside of home. Highly recommend!
We have taken music classes for a year now, and my family absolutely loves Keiki Crescendo with Ms. Claudia! We started when my son was 3.5 and my daughter was 1. You can see the passion in everything Ms. Claudia does. She is so good with kids that my son (who has a hard time sitting still) wants to focus and listen to everything she is teaching. Kids not only learn about music but also social skills and manners. It helped my son get ready for preschool and fosters his love for music. My daughter can’t stop singing songs from music class. When we’re at home, it’s awesome to hear both kids say music vocabulary words, such as “glissando” and “glockenspiel.” They have so much fun and look forward to it every week. I highly recommend Keiki Crescendo. Don’t hesitate to sign them up whether they are little babies or older toddlers. Your family will only benefit from it and appreciate it!
Wonderful music program and my daughter loved piano lessons for 5+ years!
14. Music Center of Hawaii Inc
Address: 2347 S Beretania St. #200, Honolulu, HI 96826 , Maunawili , Hawaii , United States
Friendliest and best service, they had everything I needed and fixed my flute very quickly and for a very reasonable price! I wish I could rate higher than five stars
Very helpful and knowledgeable
Awesome place to rent violin
Best place to go very helpful and knowlegeable
Very friendly, very affordable!!
Helpful staff. Great location for woodwind accessories, reeds and such. Also provides a wide range of classical stringed instruments
They don’t buy used instrument
I didnt know you can’t be laughed at cause you didn’t have enough cash on you … How low class can you be ….
