LAG ukuleles from France

papplehead

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 26, 2008
Messages
161
Reaction score
0
Location
Hawaii/Tacoma
Does anyone here own a LAG brand ukulele? I recently bought a guitar of the same brand and am very pleased with what I have. I saw they have a solid koa tenor ukulele.
http://www.lagguitars.com.au/2010/products/Ukuleles/u700t.html

I havent really found a place that sells their ukes in the US yet, but im really curious to how they sound and play.

Thanks in advance!
 
I don't own one, but I did a check on a French ukulele forum and mostly what was said is that is was a good ukulele, though the finishing not as good as on their guitars.

They come with Aquila strings which was a problem for some who tried it. Also it was pointed out that the frets were larger than on most ukuleles. They appear to be thinner than most ukuleles. Apparently they are hard to come by.

The person who bought it was really satisfied with it and said it sounded loud.

Here you can see a video of a representant from Lag presenting the "baby u" and here you can check out a video of a French guy playing a Lâg tenor.

Hope this helps a bit.
 
Own a Lag guitar and I love it. Tried a Lag uke and hated it. They're built like guitars, as in tops are too thick and they're stupidly overbraced so don't really make noise.
 
One of our distributor reps stopped by last week with a couple of Lag ukes...a concert and soprano. As I'm the only uke player at work, I was asked to check them out and see if we should carry the line. I was pretty underwhelmed. Thick top, sounded muffled. The rep tried telling me it was due to the strings. They were strung with Aquilas so I'm pretty positive he has no idea what he was talking about. They looked pretty nice though and came in a decent gig bag. I decided to pass on them.
 
This is weird timing...I'm currently staying at my parents' place in Hobart. I was walking through the music stores yesterday and for some reason, the LAG ukes are everywhere....I mean, in EVERY instrument shop. I tried out a number of them and just have to agree with Nixon and Chris. The tops are thick and the tone felt a little strangled to me. All had gloss finishes. Didn't like them at all.
 
Interesting to read everyone's impressions. I have a black concert Lag that sounds pretty darned good. In fact, I was rather impressed with it. Did I just happen to get a good one? I really don't know but I don't plan to get rid of mine anytime soon. There are many other ukes I have that I would sell before this one. Just my thoughts.


Allen
 
Thanks for the impressions. Im curious to know which ones you were sampling. They seem to have a range from $200-$600 and if it was only the lower end models that were like that. I would guess that the bracing and thickness are design things so the same problems would be for all models and it wouldnt make any difference.

Does anyone know any place in the US that sells them? Visually they look pretty stunning so I'd want to check them out in person.
 
I have a lag u77c. Its not bad for a 200 buck Uke. One thing that annoys me is that every store listing claims it has a tribal inlay. It is most certainly not an inlay, it is painted on. I will upload a sound sample if you want
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the impressions. Im curious to know which ones you were sampling. They seem to have a range from $200-$600 and if it was only the lower end models that were like that. I would guess that the bracing and thickness are design things so the same problems would be for all models and it wouldnt make any difference.

Does anyone know any place in the US that sells them? Visually they look pretty stunning so I'd want to check them out in person.

The two models the rep brought in were the U77S and U77C which is their bottom of the line. Maybe the others sound better?
 
I have the LAG 'Baby Soprano' and quite like it. The finish and setup on mine was very good - it played very well as it came.

It is a little 'softer' than I would like but put this down to the fact it is a 'baby' soprano and as such is only half the thickness of a normal soprano (I am assumng this would reduce sound output?).

I have not played any other LAG's to date to compare. I love playing it as it is so small and compact. Everybody who sees it loves the way it is finished in black gloss with clear edges.

Maybe I just got a good one.....or putting its softness down to its size. The tone is quite nice though.

Bart
 
I have a Lag 'Baby' soprano uke and it is an absolutely lovely looking and sounding instrument. Am really pleased with it and had nothing but pos. comments from people who've seen and heard it. :)
 
They certainly are pretty, seen photos of Neil's, very nice
 
I thought they sounded ok when i strummed a couple of them in the local shop. Not great, not terrible, just ok.

One interesting point is that they are not made in France. They are made in China. (According to both shops I went to)
 
My Baby Soprano is extremely well finished off.....every bit comparable to a high end brand. If they are in fact made in China I would suggest that they are being made to very high standards (unless as I said before, mine may be a 'fluke'') and not being thrown out the door in the usual Chinese manner. I think some of the very well known and respected uke brands are now manufacturing in China?

Mine is flawless in finish and definitely not what I would expect (or have seen) from a Chinese ukulele.

Our local store is about to get several back in stock (been unable to get them for months) so I will have a chance to see if the quality is consistent.

Mine is about to have a MiSi fitted - I love the sound of it but it is just too soft when jamming to music with my wife and kids on their ukes as well. I would expect this from a Baby Soprano though....

Bart
 
I have one of these Lag Concert Ukulele - U100CBLK. I dont know much about ukuleles but I've been a guitar player for 30 years. I tried it in the shop against the other ukes in my price range (Under £150) and it was far better than anything else. There were some nice kala's which played and sounded better but they were £220 to £320 price range.
It is very light and looks great and is also quite slim but still plays fairly loud and bright. I need to lower the action slightly to suit my playing so have ordered a bone saddle to experiment with. I am pleased with it so far
 
An update on my LAG Baby Soprano....


I had the MiSi fitted today......It has given this uke a new dimension. Given its small size it starts to sound a little tinny when played even the slightest bit hard (still a lovely uke to play with a lovely tone....just does not like being pushed). The pickup means it can be played in quite a sedate manner with a lovely rich tone that it is capable of delivery with the volume to appreciate it.

I had the chance to view a LAG Concert briefly today....it was a nicely finished instrument but IMO it lacked the the quality of finish of my LAG Baby Soprano. The sound and playability was quite good - whilst I say this I would not choose it over my Mainland Red Cedar Concert uke. The Mainland is much richer in tone with better sustain. The Mainland is a better uke for the $$ IMHO (Not sure of international pricing on the LAG's, but the Mainland is marginally more expensive here but worth the extra $$)

Just my thoughts tho....

Bart
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom