Got what I wanted for Christmas, but should I exchange it?

mrplanters

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I'm 16, and for Christmas, I finally got a ukulele. Its the Lanikai LU- 11. Its good, and Im proud to say that I know how to play 'Come Together' (learned from Ukulele Underground of course! :D) but was wondering if It might be a good idea to just go ahead and upgrade, already, to mabye the LU- 21C (or some other concert uke). I know the basic differences (length, sound, etc.), but wanted some other peoples opinions.

P.S. How long should a ukulele stay in tune? From my standpoint, the LU- 11 doenst seem to hold it that long, even after I tightened the screws on the back. Anything else I could do?
 
Keep playing it to break the strings in they will keep stretching for awhile...
Upgrading is up to you.. One can never have too many ukes though...
 
Hey Mr Planters and welcome to UU! Congrats on the present, this is my 2 pence as im still new to the uke myself but from what i can tell its the soprano/concert size thats different? If it were me, I would keep the LU 11 (unless you dont like playing on the smaller size) - if you like playing the uke, (which it sounds like you do- looking to upgrade already!) i would keep playing yours and save to trade it in/ even better- buy another! (search for UAS on here lol) for a upgrade i.e. a solid wood uke as that seems the best next step from the advice ive seen here on UU from more wise ukers than me! P.s. Clip on tuners are great to help with the stretchy period, plus if you keep it on whilst playing ive found it helps identify what chords ur playing! (acknowledgements to the UU'ers whose advice i have regurgitated :) )
 
Welcome to UU, mrplanters!

Like fitncrafty said, it takes time for strings to break in and stop stretching. That is normal.

You said you got what you wanted, why would you want to return it? Was it a gift from your parents? If it were my kid, I'd be hurt if I'd bought you what you said you wanted and two days after Christmas you said you wanted to return it.

It's supposed to be a pretty decent soprano, have fun with it and learn. Down the line you can look at a concert. Few here just stop at one uke. ;)
 
The "upgrade" from an LU-11 to an LU-21 is not really an upgrade - they are both good entry-level ukes. The LU-21 has bindings so it looks a little nicer, but my LU-21 doesn't play any better than the LU-11 that I bought for my granddaughter.

If you stick with the instrument then someday you will almost certainly want to upgrade, but for now learn your licks and have fun with your present. Save your money, then when you get ready to upgrade you can do a real upgrade to a solid-wood uke where there will really be a difference!

Just my $0.02 (oh, and yeah, like itsme said, if it's a present the only decent thing to do is keep playing it for a decent amount of time - let the giver think their gift led you to grow into the instrument until you outgrew it and moved on, rather than that you just wanted something "better" than what they gave you).

John
 
Thanks for the insight guys! Yea, I'll keep it. Now that I think about it it does make more sense to get better with what I have, and then buy a even better uke. Again, thanks :D
 
That will give you at least a few months to save up, which lets you get a better one than you could right now.
 
Aloha Mr Planters,
You got good advice here....stick with it....the strings will take time to break in as Fitncrafty said...start saving for your next uke, maybe a solid body one....no sense getting another entry level...they probally
will sound alike.. Welcome to the UU and the forums and Have Fune and enjoy!!! Happy strummings!!! google Musicteacher2010 and Keonepax for awesome video tutorials and Dr Uke for songs, chords, and
instruction...Have a happy New Year!! Oh yeah, as uke Joelele said get a Digital Chromatic Clip on tuner for tuning, makes life easier and less fustrating...fast and accurate too....MM Stan
 
Aloha Mr.Planters, play it, enjoy it, learn with it. It's a Christmas gift & your first uke! You will get another uke but you won't ever get that first uke again. As far as tuning, if you don't have a tuner get a kala basic tuner , or which ever they work great & just keep it in tune. Low or high end the strings have to be broke-in, stretch, tune... the more you break it in & play the better it sounds. Thats not a bad starter uke I got my grandson The LU-21. set it up for him & he has it playing really nice at 10 with some background. Anyway for what it's worth, happy strumming & happy holidays!
 
P.S. How long should a ukulele stay in tune? From my standpoint, the LU- 11 doenst seem to hold it that long, even after I tightened the screws on the back. Anything else I could do?
As been mentioned already, the out-of-tune thing is simply the new strings stretching. Be careful with tightening the screws, it won't help with the tuning - it'll only make the machine heads harder to use. On geared tuners (which I believe the LU-11 has) the screws should be just tight enough to not rattle or working themselves loose. Well, the screws fixing the tuners to the headstock should be tight, but there's probably another screw on the gear itself and that's the one I'm talking about - don't tight it too much.
 
I too started on a LU-11 and LOVE that ukulele. I too, like you instantly wanted to upgrade and did. What I discovered is that my little LU-11 was one fine little ukulele with a sweet sound. Personally when you upgrade go to solid wood, or at least a solid wood top. The main difference you will find is the solid wood sustains the sound. It sings. Oh I love those ukuleles. Have fun and enjoy your new ukulele. I bet the strings are broke in by now. It just took my Christmas uke a day or two.

Roxhum
 
Wait on the new uke until you can REALLY upgrade - not just go from one entry level uke to another. Your next move, if you stick with it, should probably be to a solid top or even all-solid uke. You probably won't be able to detect any real difference otherwise.

I think the others said this, too - but the strings will take some stretching before they hold their tune. I didn't catch if anybody said this, but upgraded strings can make a world of difference on an entry level uke - Aquilas frequently really bring out the best in laminate ukes.
 
Also, don't over crank the screws on the tuners.
 
Since a lot of people have been suggesting to save up for a solid top or all-solid ukulele, what are some good ones, that happen to be on the cheaper sides
 
I agree with a lot of other posters. The uke you have is a good place to start, and that is the most important thing.

Spend the time practicing, work on getting clean technique with chord changes and barre chords. Find out what types of music you like to play. Take some time and learn how take lyrics and put chords to them.
 
Since a lot of people have been suggesting to save up for a solid top or all-solid ukulele, what are some good ones, that happen to be on the cheaper sides

I think the best value out there in an all wood soprano uke is:

http://elderly.com/new_instruments/names/ohana-sk-25-soprano-ukulele--SK25.htm

and

http://elderly.com/new_instruments/names/ohana-sk-35-soprano-ukulele--SK35.htm

If you want a concert:

http://elderly.com/new_instruments/names/ohana-ck-25-concert-ukulele--CK25.htm
 
I agree to stick with your starter uke for now. As a newbie,no offense but you really don't know what you want in an instrument yet. Learn to play the very decent uke that you have and in the meantime try to go to uke gatherings, stores, etc, and get a feel for other ukes. Later, when you have the money you will make a better decision as to what to buy.
Even if you do upgrade, consider keeping this uke. You'll want a "beater" that you feel comfortable taking traveling, to the beach etc where you might not want to risk a more delicate/expensive one.
If you stick with the uke, years from now, I'll bet you'll be glad to have the first uke you ever owned. I still have an acoustic guitar that I bought with the funds from my first job back in 1967, and I wouldn't trade it for the best custom guitar on the market.
 
I'm new to Ukulele but I have a small herd of guitars.
I only regret selling some... never keeping them.
My first guitar is now in my daughters dorm room.
My "crappy" laminate is my camping guitar.
I'd keep it.

Stan
 
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