I’m new to the ukulele, but I wanted to invest in a quality instrument rather than something that felt like a toy. After doing plenty of research, I found this beautiful gem—and I couldn’t be happier with my choice.
The craftsmanship is outstanding, and the sound is absolutely beautiful. Every time I play it, I’m amazed by its rich, warm tone and the joy it brings me. It truly feels like a well-made instrument that I’ll be able to enjoy for years to come.
I highly recommend this store to anyone looking for their next ukulele. The quality, beauty, and sound of this instrument exceeded my expectations
I am a beginner ukelele player and started out with a cheap soprano ukelele. I enjoy playing and decided to buy a Kohala deluxe solid top concert acoustic electric ukelele. I wanted something that I could grow into but which was affordable and of good quality. This ukelele not only looks beautiful but more importantly sounds beautiful. It has a very bright, warm, balanced, rich resonant quality. The quality of the instrument is outstanding. Their customer service is fantastic. Quick communication and shipping. And a Canadian family run business!! Very pleased with my purchase and highly recommend this business.
I decided that I loved playing my soprano ukulele and wanted it up the size to tenor. Got the “Mano Solid Top.” Then got introduced to the baritone and had to get one. Honolua “Kohala Deluxe Solid Top Baritone was my choice. Have been playing mostly the baritone lately and love camping but didn’t want to take the Kohala with me so now I have a Honu Baritone to take along on my camping trips which even has a rv trailer strap attached to it. Dave the owner is wonderful to work with, he is quick to respond to any questions or concerns that you have. The ukulele’s arrive quickly and are well packed. Easy to tune and they sound great. So happy to support a small Canadian company too!
This uke is exactly as advertised. You get a lot of instrument for the money. As soon as I struck my first chord on this uke, I knew I bought something special. It has sustain like crazy, and it is not even broken in yet. It is a pleasure to play with a great out of the box setup. I love the fact it has pegs to make string changes easier. Bone nut and saddle as well as scalloped bracing like a decent guitar. Beautiful abalone embellishments and maple binding makes it look as good as it sounds. Nicely grained Acacia. Can not say enough good things about it, other than if you buy one you will not be disappointed.
After much research, I was impressed by Honolua's plant a tree commitment and the beauty of their ukuleles. I was beyond excited to receive my baritone uke and also a little unsure because I'd never played a stringed instrument before. As soon as it arrived, it was in my hands and, from the first moment, I was playing the loveliest sounding chords! Now, two weeks later, I'm playing dozens of chords and songs, and have even started some finger picking. This uke is beautiful in all ways and I couldn't be happier. I've taken it to the hospital when I visit my mom and it came on a road trip. It's so quick and easy to pick up, tune and play. I had years of formal piano lessons as a kid and came away from that experience with little desire to ever play again. This has made music fun again!
As I was taking my new ukulele out of the packaging I accidentally plucked a string. Even with the wrapping still on it sounded so amazing, I was in love before I even got it out of the case❣️❣️❣️ Then one strum, I heard the reverb on this beautiful piece of mastercaft treasure and my heart melted. This thing sounds like it should cost $2000-5000. I am so impressed. I bought a Kala for the similar price and this Honolua blew it out of the water!!! I have already bought a second one in a tenor and it is so beautiful too. But this is by far my favorite. Everyone who hears it leaves my house saying they are going home to order one. It is a masterpiece 🤗👍👍👍👍👍
This ukulele is a winner. It's not only a beautiful well made instrument with its colourful inlay but has a very pleasing tone. The resonance is impressive and ranks with the best competition. The acacia wood gives this ukulele a bright and lively sound. I've always had mahogany ukuleles and like them very much because of their mellow sound, but the acacia wood is pleasantly different with a lighter mellow sound. A professional musician tried both my high end mahogany baritone ukulele and my Honolau one. She preferred the sound of the Honolau. I had been thinking about a Martin instrument, but the Honolau is first rate in every respect and an excellent value for the price.
My Kohala Deluxe uke from Honoluau is amazing! I previously used a different brand before this one, and could immediately tell the difference in quality between the two. As a Canadian, I love that Honolua is also Canadian! And being left handed, I greatly appreciated that they had the option of getting any model as left handed, which solidified my decision to try out their ukes. My wife loved my new ukulele, and a couple days after receiving my Kohala concert uke, she decided on getting a Honolua limited edition ebony soprano as her first ukulele ever! Both of our ukuleles look and sound beautiful, and I think we made awesome choices.
(My Kohala concert ukulele is on the right)
Honolua have managed to set the bar incredibly high with their Honu line. I went with the baritone model as I was looking for an alternative to a travel guitar.
I’m impressed by the quality of the instrument, and when compared to other affordable or entry level baritone Ukes the fit and finish really sets the Honolua above the rest. The mahogany’s beautiful grain, the bridge, sound hole art, open gear tuners and the arched back are all small details that when combined together make this instrument feel like one double the price.
Before purchasing the Honolua I checked out the competition at my local music chain store and all of their entry level baritone offerings were lacking in many, if not all of the small details mentioned above.
This instrument will blow you away for the money.
My acacia electric tenor arrived today and I am entirely impressed.
First remarks: out of the box it is very pretty. Wood grain is nicely figured front & back, the ‘abalone’ trim pops and the maple binding all contribute to a fine looking instrument.
Tuned it up and started strumming… tone & sustain are spectacular. Intonation is PERFECT - the length of the fretboard.
Great value too. I did a fair bit of homework, and at that price point, I couldn’t find anything close to the Honolua’s quality.
All in all, this is an excellent little instrument that exceeded my expectations.
Five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks & kudos to Dave Simpson and his crew in Calgary.
PS: - I’ve never bought a stringed instrument on-line, so I was slightly leery - turns out there was no reason to be.
I did a lot of research on ukes and kept coming back to the Honolua Solid Mahogany Tenor. I wanted a beginner uke under 200$ CAD that was solid wood construction. Along with the excellent reviews , Honolua is a Canadian company which was important to me. Plus, almost every previous buyer commented on the amazing customer service (True!) I love the sound and quality construction of my ukulele. The delivery was speedy, free and as advertised. I also purchased the tuner which works great. They also included a travel bag for the instrument. I highly recommend both the product and Honolua ukuleles .
I purchased the Kohala Deluxe Solid Top Tenor Acoustic Electric Ukulele with D'Addario Pro Arte Tenor Low G Ukulele Strings and am thoroughly impressed with the fit and finish of the instrument. The acacia wood, abalone style rosette and purfling, maple body binding, and satin finish are quite attractive, and the construction materials (bone nut and saddle, tuning heads, solid acacia top, pickup system with tuner) are of high quality. The instrument sounds wonderful with excellent tone and a resonance that sings. The attention to detail and overall quality of the instrument rivals others in my collection that come from manufacturers such as Cordoba, Oscar Schmidt, Lanikai, Alvarez, and Kala. The value for the dollar that this ukulele represents is exceptional.
Four series. Each one gives back more of what you put in.
A few questions about what you play, and it lands on the right size and model for you.
Here’s what’s doing it.
| What you get | Honu | Mano | Kohola Deluxe | Nalu |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arched backMoves more air, so it sounds fuller and louder. | Included | Included | Included | Not on this series |
| Solid woodThe tone keeps opening up the more you play. | Not on this series | Solid top mahogany | Solid top acacia | All solid acacia |
| Bone nut and saddleMore of each string’s vibration reaches the body, so more sound gets out. | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Quality tunersTuning isn’t a fight, and it stays where you put it. | Included | Included | Included | Included |
We inspect it, play it, and adjust it in Calgary first. If anything’s off, it doesn’t ship.
Give it a quick tune when it lands and it holds.
If your ears disagree, send it back. Anything wrong on arrival, we fix or replace it, on us.
Behind the counter of a music store, I watched people buy the cheap one, fight it for a few weeks, and give up. The next step up cost more than a new hobby seemed worth, and nothing sat in between. Twenty years in music, including time inside some of the most respected instrument factories in the world, taught me that spending a little more than the bare minimum gets you a lot more instrument, if the money goes to the right places. I design every Honolua around exactly that.
Read our story →
Let It Be. Country Roads. Don’t Stop Believin’. Three sessions of about an hour each, with Dave playing along on every song. No theory, no notation.
What people ask before they order.
Every model page has demo videos of the actual instrument, and most have several. You’re listening to the ukulele, not taking our word for it.
You get 30 days with it in your hands. If your ears disagree, send it back.
All ukuleles ship free anywhere within Canada or to the U.S., with no customs duty or tariffs, and nothing due on delivery.
The Meet Your Match quiz asks a few questions and lands on both, with 10% off your first order. The buyer’s guide explains the choice if you’d rather read first. And Dave answers his own email, usually the same day.
Designed in Calgary, built to our spec by our partner factory overseas, and every one comes back through Calgary to be inspected, played, and adjusted before it ships.
The Honolua Starter Course. Its Fast Track has you playing sixteen popular songs in your first three days, with play-along videos of Dave playing every one with you. Already play? That’s sixteen new songs for the next group night. It won’t fit the ukulele bass or the guitalele, which are tuned differently.
