Kanilea Ukulele Comparison between ISL, HNS and KPA Models

Aloha Kaimana Souza here in the KANILE'A sound studio. one of the first steps in training as a new employee here at KANILE'A is to understand our core models we have 14 models nine sizes four string options four wood variations and three finish options now you can do the math and figure out all the different possible combinations that we have and trust me i know it's a lot. but today we're gonna deep dive on something special our pawa abalone models the HNS the ISL and the KPA right here on the breakdown before we dive in we have a size video a string video a finished video and a wood grade video for you to watch that's all linked in the description okay so let's dive into these three models that we have here first up I'm holding the ISL model or the Hawaiian islands model this here is our h s or Honu's model and this model is our KPA model which stands for koa powa abalone these three models are all adorned with abalone which is found all around the world but more specifically the powa genus which is the abalone that is found in the waters off new zealand as a Hawaiian company we want to support our other  Polynesian cultures and really show that connection between Hawaiian and the maori culture in which pawa abalone is extremely important to the maori culture as it is to the Hawaiian culture so specifically pawa abalone is reserved for these three models and that's why we use it and just to share with you how much it really means to us to stay true to our roots as a polynesian society there are quite a few similarities between these three models and we'll look at the similarities first before we dive into the  differences similarities would be all three have a ebony fretboard bridge as well as plate all three have power abalone front position markers side position markers and logo inlays on the headstock all three models also have gold open geared tuners and all three models have a tortoise shell abs plastic binding all three models are available in all sizes all string amounts and all three finish options but they are only available in deluxe cola grade and higher so deluxe premium and master grade you cannot get these three models in the select co grade diving specifically into the isl model that i'm holding which is an example of an ISL concert master grade gloss body and we have here inlaid into the soundboard out of pawa abalone our hawaiian islands representative of who we are and where we are which can be meaningful for a lot of people as a trip to the islands for the first time honeymoon maybe and commemorating that or say someone who's left the islands left their home here in the islands and wants something to remember their home by in the form of the hawaiian islands model and something very key to us was when held in the player position that is an accurate geographical representation of the islands as if you would look at it on a map and staying true to our roots again is extremely important to us and that is why we've created the Hawaiian islands model the way that we did. now we can look at our h s model or h s standing for HONUS or turtles in hawaiian and this model means a lot to us as a company who is actively reforesting the native hawaiian forest up in the mountains ocean conservation and our connection here as a voyaging society our connection to the ocean is vital to who we are and we wanted to represent that here in the HONUS model and the reason that there are three honu and i can share this as being the biggest honu joe and kristen my parents designed this model with three honu representative of their three sons myself being the oldest iocapa and kahiao all three of us now working full-time here at KANILE'A but when they designed this model early on they honestly had no idea so very cool to be presenting it like this here today our last model up is the KPA standing for koa powa abalone we have our models we try to make it easy to remember and they do have little underlying meanings and now not to be biased i will say the KPA is pretty up there amongst my favorite KANILE'A models now we have a beautiful power abalone rosette adorning the sound hall and again specifically new zealand maori power abalone and the example we have here today is a tenor KPA premium grade koa in a five string gloss body now you could get this a premium cold body silk five string or natural finish five string six string even eight string possibilities really are endless when it comes to these three models because all sizes all finishes all string options but three of four wood grades sky's the limit when you want to design islands or HONUS or a KPA model i hope you've gained a lot of insight into these three models specifically and really trying to understand who we are as KANILE’A what we do and we love putting out these videos for you and if you like this one click the like button if you want to continue staying up to date with who we are and what we're doing subscribe to our Youtube channel and keep strumming aloha.

Glad you enjoyed learning about the The Differences Between Kanilea Ukuleles ISL, HNS and KPA Models. 

Let us know in the comments! - Which of these three Pāua Abalone designs catches your eye the most?