Coast Ukuleles - Master Grade Hawaiian Koa Tenor Ukulele w/Floral Wood Inlays & Live Edge Sound hole #72

First of all, let me start by saying that this Coast tenor ukulele is in the top 1% of Luthier built instruments I have played in my 16 years of working with ukuleles here at Southern Ukulele Store.

Having followed Kawai and the Coast ukulele brand from its inception in 2020; I had eagerly awaited holding one for the first time and seeing if the aloha spirit that Kawai radiates in his social media posts could really be carried over into his ukuleles.

The overall vibe and presentation of these instruments have been outstanding, a joy to behold and a joy to play. They have an understated almost traditional beauty to them despite the elaborate look of the live edge soundhole. Kawaii's progression from an enthusiastic hobby builder to one of the world's best instrument makers is beautiful to behold. As a man who has spent nearly half of my life selling or playing ukuleles, I feel blessed to have anything Kawai wants to build for us.

Kawai likes to say that the whole family is involved in the building of these ukuleles and although I don't enjoy alluding to the heartbreaking journey they have been on, I have paraphrased the information Kawai has made public at the bottom. As a team of young fathers here at SUS ourselves, we feel personally invested in this lovely human's journey to become a ukulele master. We can't sing their praises enough based on the warmth they brings to our business and the quality of the instruments themselves!

This is the fourth live edge ukulele we have had at SUS, with the previous Coast, live edge instruments both selling within one hour of being listed on the website. I know that many of you have been eagerly awaiting this ukulele having followed Kawai's building journey of live edge ukuleles.

This uke is a return to the popular Hawaiian koa live edge tops ukulele. It made a brief appearance in our post NAMM 2024 roundup as Romeo and I made a special trip to Petaluma in Northern California to meet Kawaii and learn about the process behind Coast Ukuleles. We love contributing to the Coast story, if you want to see that video you can watch it below.

The live edge soundhole is breathtaking, we have noticed on the whole; the more streamlined front soundhole makes for a mellower sounding ukulele. Thankfully, the twin side sound ports do a fantastic job in retaining the harp like tones you are hoping to get when you pick up something made of such sexy wood. 

The fingerboard is possibly Kawaii's best inlay work yet with a full floral motif made out of Hawaiian koa and mango wood. This would have taken hundreds of hours to complete... I don't even know what to say about it, you just need to look at it and I guarantee you won't ever stop admiring the look and artistry of this inlay across the fingerboard and headplate.

Speaking of the wood, it is just stunning. The different hues and the drama in this Hawaiian koa is a real thing to behold including the sapwood which has a natural progression diagonally across the top. The feel of the unusual body resonating against you is wonderful and it feels perfectly balanced with a traditional ukulele headstock, lightweight Gotoh planetary tuners and the introduction of a 38mm nut width and zero fret for better precision and intonation.

2024 is the first year Coast have offered a high gloss finish. I have to say objectively that this has been an important step forward for Kawaii, bringing the tone of his ukuleles a little bit further forward and making for something that has some bite and some attack to it rather than being completely mellow or on the dark side.

It's a 'tone machine' - we love it and can't wait for him to make us more in the future!

This ukulele is made in Petaluma, California. Coast ukuleles may be a new name to many of you reading this, but it certainly won't be the last time you find yourself inspired by one.

Specification:
Solid master grade Hawaiian koa top, back and sides
Live edge soundhole and twin side ports
Koa binding and accents
Royal blackwood fingerboard and bridge with
Koa and mango wood floral inlays
12'' fingerboard radius
37mm nut width
Zero fret
Carbonfibre truss rod
Curly Hawaiian koa neck
Bone nut and saddle
Gotoh Planetary tuners
Waterbased gloss finish
Crossrock hard case included with Coast tag