I have always wanted to learn how to play the ukulele. When i was a kid, Roy Sakuma was the gold…read morestandard for ukulele lessons, and a few of my friends actually took lessons from Mr. Sakuma. While my parents supported my music aspirations by signing me up for piano, chorus, dance, and clarinet (total geek I know) lessons, adding one more instrument was too much. For the past few years, every time I'd return home I'd go to different ukulele stores, try a few and give up. Too many options, not the right time, or too much to carry back was always my excuse for not buying a ukulele. Visiting Kanile'a Ukulele in Windward Mall, felt different. The huge store was empty and one sales person was at the register. He was a no pressure sales and just so nice. He played the ukulele so effortlessly, natural, and I was SOLD! Since I had never owned or played the ukulele I was thinking of getting just a starter uke ($150-$200/ea). But the wood and manufacturing was in China. That did not feel too authentic. On the other end of the spectrum is all Hawaii made with local wood (koa) at $3000 and up. That seemed too expensive for a beginner ukulele. I ended up with koa wood locally sourced, and the ukulele made in China but verified for quality standards in Hawaii. ($800-$1000). The ukulele comes with a standard case. I ended up liking the custom Kanile'a case because it's waterproof, sturdier, and had a K logo. I also got the moisture control packs that sit in the case to maintain proper moisture levels (not too humid/ dry). And finally I got a tuner. I cant wait to bring this piece of home back with me to the mainland. I have already taken an online class and loved it! I'm so glad I visited Kanile'a! Start to finish the experience was superb! Highly recommended! LOCATION: 4/5 SERVICE: 5/5 VALUE: 4/5 AMBIANCE: 4/5 PET FRIENDLY: yes CLEANLINESS: 4/5 PARKING: 5/5

This store was great and the staff was particularly amazing! I visited last month with 2 young kids…read morewith em, just trying to find my dream Ukulele. Originally just window shopping, but after meeting the helpful staff and getting to see how amazing the Ukulele's they make are, I am now saving up for one of the Ukes from this store. They were so patient with me and never made me feel bad when I was not able to buy the uke that day, or because my kids were running around. Mahalo!

If you want to buy a great ukulele of high quality and value, this is the place to go to in…read moreHonolulu. It's not easy to find as you have to walk into a main building and look at the floor number on the wall to find the location upstairs but the number of the building is clearly marked outside on the street. As a collector, I was looking for an older Kamaka and got very lucky to find a beautiful 2005 Kamaka HF-1D with beautiful curly Koa, rope inlaid rosette, binding and a book matched back. This was an incredibly minty condition Kamaka that Issac had restored and it looked brand new. Isaac, the owner and I chatted for quite a while, sharing stories of people, we know in the uke world and we made a deal on the ukulele. I was very grateful for his hospitality, letting me play many of the ukuleles on the wall, and finally settling on the Kamaka, which completes my "K" collection of the three big K brands that are made in Hawaii. 5

Owner is a very friendly guy who listens to what you are looking for and delivers as promised!…read moreIf you don't see what you are looking for, ask. He can definitely help you with a customized product. Wife and I both got custom phone covers made (yes, at a Uke shop).

Very sincere and transparent about the product and service he offers. I enjoyed learning from his…read moreknowledge and recommendations. The store is clean and beautiful! His wife was very sweet and came out to the street to look for us since it was our first time and we had a little hard time finding the store. We had a very pleasant visit and my daughter's broken viola was nicely fixed up in a short amount of time.

A friend introduced me to Michael at Cremona Violin in Honolulu. He helped my daughter choose her…read morefirst violin so she can start lessons as well as fit my other daughter with a new cello that will hopefully last a couple of years (since she's only 8 and has lots of room to grow still). Michael was kind and patient and knowledgeable. I look forward to working with him in the future.

Had a great experience here. Kathy was wonderful and I absolutely love my new violin…read more Buying here goes by appointment, since they don't operate a store to save you cost on your instrument, which is a great idea. If you're on the lookout for a new instrument, definitely check them out. They do rent to own, interest free, as well. Amazing service, can only recommend.

Spectacular service and speedy communication. A++ for service and quality…read more I stumbled over their site while searching for violins on Oahu for a few months. What caught my eye was, "we will donate a free instrument to a school in need for every three we sell." I believe in the importance of music in school, and love that they are helping to strengthen that! A lot of schools cut into music programs when making budget sacrifices. Twenty minutes after filling out the online form, I received an email from one of the founders! The next morning I was planning my appointment with the other. I requested to view/test intermediate level violins. I met up with Joanna, where she laid out 6 very fine instruments!!! Prices ranged from $680-1500+. As soon as I walked in, one instrument caught my eye. It turned out to be the student model($680). Later that week I was on the road to owning my own instrument. They have a rent-to-own program for some of their instruments. It's for people who can't afford an instrument immediately. No hidden fees, and all rental fees go towards the final price of the instrument. After 1 year of renting, the balance is due. All in all, WONDERFUL service, and I'm extremely happy with my new violin. It sounds 10x better than my student rental from Music Center Of Hawaii.

We bought a Pahulele after seeing Reid's booth at Art&Flea. We were amazed by the design (the whole…read morething packs up into itself - the neck, the strings all can fold up into the body) because we like things light and portable. Couple weeks later we picked up a soprano one from Reid at Oahu Makerspace. At first we were surprised how quiet it was compared to a regular uke (his ukes which we also check out are siiiiiiiiick!) but we wanted to support Reid, his innovative design, and local (plus his prices are super reasonable - $125 for a handmade instrument!) so we scooped one up. So glad we did. This is the sweetest little instrument with such a special sound - which we are appreciating more each day (and night - perfect for playing at night and respecting keiki sleeping next door). Mahalo Reid.

My daughter had decided that she wanted her guitar fixed up for Christmas (instead of getting a…read morenew one). Fine and well, the only problem was that before it was her guitar it was my guitar, and before it was my guitar it was my father-in-law's guitar, and before it was my father-in-law's guitar it was his mother's guitar, and before that we have no idea who owned it. The point is that it is a rather old and funky guitar, and that it is highly prized family heirloom. Unfortunately it had developed a fairly respectable buzz which lead me to believe that this guitar was due for some major fretwork. Given the age and the condition of the instrument I really didn't think it made much sense to get it fixed. I had hoped that I could convince the little one that now would be a good time to look for something else to play; and to let this instrument spend it's retirement decorating a wall somewhere. The bad news was that she wasn't prepared to let go of the things she loved (and the good news is that when this kid grows up, she'll get to decide when they pull my plug too). Long story short, I yelped "instrument repair" and called Cedric. The next day I brought the instrument to his apartment and in under ten minutes he diagnosed the problem, fixed it, told me why he thought it had happened, and what I could do to prevent it from happening again. He also refused to accept payment for his services. So basically Christmas came early and my daughter couldn't be happier. It is a one-man operation with no store front; but Cedric is competent, honest, and basically a nice guy. I would not hesitate to bring my future business to him, and I would encourage you to do the same.

Just what the doctor ordered! An experienced instrument repair dude, conveniently located near the…read moreUniversity area, and at prices about 1/2 of the other repair shops. I was in trouble, my favorite guitar's electronics started acting up 1 day before a gig. I had to either fix this axe fast, or play my backup, which I didn't want to b/c it didn't sound or play as nice. A friend recommended Cedric. I gave him a call and took my guits in the next day. To my surprise, it was ready for pickup the very same day and he charged me a whopping $16. I was expecting at least double that based on a similar repair I had at another shop. This guy used to work at Dan's and Easy Music, but now runs his repair shop out of his apartment. Guess this is why he's so cheap -- no overhead. Very trustworthy, knowledgeable, FAST and cheap. What more can you ask for. Cedrick - I'm a fan.

Came for the ukulele and stayed for the free lessons!…read more LOCATION & DECOR:  This shop is one of the first shops on your way from the parking lot/valet area. Then lessons were held up in the front lobby area right next to the valet. Full of ukuleles lining the wall and front window. Not really much other decor to be seen. Just shelves of ukuleles PRICE: $$-$$$ Prices for ukulele's depended on the size of the ukulele. The larger ones obviously more expensive. You could pay a little under $100 or you could pay $600. Depends on what you're looking for. They have cases as well. STAFF & EXPERIENCE:  Walked in here to check out the ukulele's We saw in the window and were greeted upon entry by the guy working. He knew everything about ukuleles. He was telling us about how different one sounded and telling us about the cases and the prices and he was especially excited about the daily free lessons. He told us that we didn't need to buy an ukulele for the lesson so that was cool. Then the lesson came and wow! This guy was really informative. Taught us about strings and frets and showed us how to tune the ukulele's, how to pronounce the name properly. He taught us some songs and we were able to take photos of the cords for the song so we could play at home. I don't think I've ever had that much fun learning to play an instrument in an official class. It rained a bit, but we were under the overhang so it wasn't too bad. Great time to take a lesson considering the inability to be outside while it was raining and cloudy. Think I'll come back for a lesson just because it's a good time. Highly recommend it.

The woman who helped me pick out my ukulele was very nice, and accommodating! She let me play…read moreseveral ukuleles, until I picked the one that was right for me. She even helped me compare two, by strumming chords on one uke after I strummed a chord on another uke, and my wife and I were able to hear the different tones immediately. They have very nice, high end ukuleles, but they also had more affordable ones, if someone is looking for a nice "starter" uke.

If you're looking for a Kailua music store, look no further than Coconut Grove Music!…read more Located right across the street from Bob's Sports Bar, above Lanikai Brewing Company, Coconut Grove Music is the go-to place for your stringed instrument needs. Whether you need a tuner, new strings, or guitar picks or are looking for a new or used instrument and don't want to travel into town, this is the place to stop by. Street parking is available, or you can park in any of their free, assigned stalls in the small parking lot next to the building. The entrance to the parking lot is a little narrow and can be easily missed, but there is a mini food truck close to the entrance, which might help you find out how to get in. To get upstairs, take the stairs facing the street to the second floor and walk straight towards the end through the brown door. Their old location used to be through the brown door on the bottom floor that took you upstairs, but they are now in the last brown door on the second floor. I will say that some of their items are priced a little more than a big box store like Guitar Center. Then again, if you think about it, if you're already in Kailua, you probably wouldn't want to drive to Pearl Highland or even to town at Easy Music Center to pick up some new strings. Shout out to them for having the Elixir Phosphor Bronze 11|52 acoustic guitar strings and a couple of the Herco guitar picks!

I (and my 9 year old daughter) have been getting guitar and ukulele lessons from Harry Koizumi…read morehere. Great location and Harry is very knowledgeable and great with kids. Also purchased gear here and Rick has been super helpful with my questions.