Tigeralum2001
Well-known member
Now that I have played for about 2 months and I have had time to play other ukes, I thought I would offer my first review.
Features: 9/10
Sound: 9.5/10
Action, Fit & Finish: 8/10
Reliability/Durability: 10/10
Customer Support: 5/10
Overall Rating 8/10
Features: 9/10
- What year was it made? Where was is made? 2009 in Indonesia
- How many frets? 19
- Solid-Top? Laminated top? Solid Koa top
- Any pickups or electronics? No
- Body and neck woods? Back and sides are "select" Koa, a laminate. Neck is flame mahogony
- Finish? Glossy
- Body style? Concert
- Bridge style? Not sure- straight?
- Tuners? Gold Grover 18:1 with ebony buttons.
- Neck/Scale? Neck is skinny (1 1/4" or so at the nut) scale is 15 1/4". Ebony fretboard with abalone fret dots.
- Any included accessories? No- all sold separately.
Sound: 9.5/10
- How does it suit your music style (and what is that style)? Fine, I have no style I am new to the uke.
- What amps and effects are you using it with? N/A
- Is it noisy? On what settings? N/A
- Rich/Full sound? Bright sound? The sound is really good but mellow.
- What kind of sounds can the guitar make? How much variety? Guitar! This is a uke!
- Likes and dislikes? The tone is awesome; it really is! It has a mellow tone and it really sings. My biggest dislike is the volume. It is way too soft. This uke could really use a pick-up.
Action, Fit & Finish: 8/10
- How well was the ukulele set-up at the factory? Action was set low, but not too low (approx 2.5 mm at the 12th fret)
- Properly bookmatched top? It's about 95% there. There is a knot-like mark toward the base of the top. It is ever so slightly of center. Just enough to be noticeable.
- Properly routed bridge? As far as I know.
- Did the ukulele contain any flaws? No.
Reliability/Durability: 10/10
- Will this ukulele withstand live playing? Yes, but it must be amplified.
- Does the hardware seem like it will last? Yes.
- Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off with lots of playing? Seems fine.
- Can you depend on it? Yes.
- Would you use it on a gig without a backup? If I were worthy of a gig, yes.
Customer Support: 5/10
- If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they? I emailed Lanikai twice during my uke search phase. They responded to the first email. The second email had questions that were left unanswered.
- Ever try and get it repaired? No
- Was it under warranty? N/A
- How long is the warranty? Lifetime, with certain exclusions.
Overall Rating 8/10
- How long have you been playing? 2 months
- What other gear do you own? KoAloha Pineapple Sunday and 1950s Martin 1-T
- Is there something you wish you had asked before buying this ukulele? No, but plenty I wished I had known or thought harder about.
- If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else? Get something else. No slight to the uke, but I want something with more volume and/or a pick-up.
- What do you love about it? It sounds like a dream and it looks great.
- What do you hate? Low volume. If playing in a quiet room with an acoustic guitar, you will not hear the uke.
- What is your favorite feature? It's a uke! I don't know... it is my only uke with inlays, so I like that.
- Did you compare it to other ukuleles? Which ones? Almost a Martin S-O, but prettier & without the extra cost.
- Why did you choose this one? I wanted a solid Koa top (at least) uke that was affordable. This was the prettiest one I saw.
- Anything you wish it had? A pick-up.
- Anything else you'd like to share? The abalone inlays around the sound hole, binding, and especially the Lanikai name on the headstock is done very well.
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