This Kanile’a branded ukulele, the SMS-4, is a soprano from the Hawaiian parent company’s far-east made brand, Islander. Kanile’a have lent their expertise to the factory to oversee a good quality, affordable range of ukes, including this SMS-4, a wider neck soprano instrument.

I have to confess, what brought me to Islander in the first place was that 38mm nut width, which people often ask for, without always being the choice available to match their other requirements. Here, this laminate spruce and mahogany soprano ukulele meets a need for an affordable, wide neck soprano, with some good provenance and some visual sparkle too, with the body binding and abalone soundhole rosette.

The geared tuners are decent, as are the fitted Aquila strings, and the tone matches up well against other similarly priced instruments. It’s ideal for those with larger hands, or who are used to larger instruments, but want a reasonably priced, but nice looking and reliable soprano, for experimentation or travel.

For common accessories and customisations (like strap buttons / low G fitting) scroll down to the bottom of the page where you'll be able to add these common items to your basket.