Master Grade Curly Hawaiian Koa Body
Kanileʻa has been building solid Koa instruments for over 25 years, and with that experience comes an intimate knowledge of how this beautiful tonewood can be milled, worked and braced to create an instrument which is resonant, lightweight and full of sustain and presence.
Each KG-5 body is made from six solid pieces of dramatically figured Master Grade Koa from Hawaiʻi Island, which is processed from raw logs in our Kaneʻohe factory to ensure the quality, longevity, and beauty of each board used in the instrument.
As a guitar tonewood, Koa has a midrange warmth common to hardwoods with added brightness and clarity, producing a sweet tone with a sparkling high end which opens and warms up over time as the instrument is played.
All-New TRG System
Kanileʻa has always been exploring new bracing techniques with a focus on allowing the soundboard the freedom and flexibility to resonate while retaining durability and stability that traditional bracing patterns offer.
The result of that focus, the TRU bracing system (for “Total Resonating ʻUkulele”), debuted in 2006 and utilized a traditional fan pattern with weight-reduced spruce braces that were attached strategically to allow for more soundboard movement. We revised the design with the aid of laser technology in 2017 with TRU-R bracing, reducing the weight of the bracing by 30% without sacrificing durability. 2021 saw the introduction of TRU-Relief, TRU-Reduction, and TRU-Support, allowing for a radical new contoured soundboard for unparalleled player comfort.
All of these TRU innovations form the backbone of our new “Total Resonating Guitar”, or TRG System, seen here for the first time in the KG-5. Developed alongside TRU-Relief, the TRG System is designed to take advantage of our TRU innovations for the ʻukulele, engineered to be durable enough to handle the force of steel strings.
The result is a full-size, 25″ scale, 19-fret guitar in the OOO/OM-14 layout which ends up feeling deceptively small to the player while retaining a full, sweet tone with clarity and balance.
Designed For Players
The KG-5 integrates other key innovations for player comfort, all of which have been derived from our ʻukulele designs. The bevel cutaway allows comfort and ease without sacrificing tone, as the bevel gives clear fret access all the way up the fretboard without reducing the soundbox as much as traditional cutaways.
The beautiful Komo ʻEkolu (Three Rings) side sound port allows the player to hear their true tone more clearly, another key player feature which also gives a unique look into the soundbox.
The soundhole is designed to integrate into the upper bout in order to maximize the amount of soundboard material resting directly underneath the strings, allowing for more resonance and presence with the full volume of a OOO-size guitar.
Materials
Soundboard, Back + Sides
– SOLID MASTER GRADE HAWAIIAN KOA
Neck
– SOLID HONDURAN MAHOGANY
Fretboard, Bridge + Headplate
– SOLID WEST AFRICAN EBONY
Bracing
– SOLID SITKA SPRUCE
Body Purfling + Fretboard Inlay
– PĀUA ABALONE
Fretboard + Headstock Purfling
– FLAMED MAPLE
Bevel Cutaway
– SOLID WEST AFRICAN EBONY
Dimensions
Scale Length
– 25”
Fretboard Radius
– 16″
Frets To Body
– 14
Frets
– 19
Nut Width
– 1 3/4″
Body Size
– OOO / OM
Construction
Tuners
– GOTOH LOCKING – COSMO BLACK
Bridge Pins
– EBONY
Nut + Saddle Material
– BLACK TUSQ
Neck Joint
– BOLT-ON
Neck Profile
– C-SHAPED
Bracing Pattern
– KANILEʻA TRG PATTERN
Finish
– KANILEʻA UV GLOSS BODY W/ SILK NECK
