Lanikai LU-21 Intonation TERRIBLE!

Hi guys. I'm primarily a guitar player, but I also play bass and uke. I (not bragging) have a pretty good musical ear and have faith in my ability to tune a guitar, bass, uke, etc. I got my Lanikai LU-21 a while ago and it's been at my friends house for a while. I really don't like it because it's intonation is absolutely horrible. I tune the guitar with a tuner on all open strings and then I play a chord, and it's off. Each fret isn't exactly a half-step, which really screws with the tuning, obviously. It's really depressing... Is this what I get for buying a $50 uke, or should I contact Lanikai and ask them what I should do?

Thanks for the help!

and One last thing I really want another uke. I think i'm going to spend $200-$250 on one, what do you guys suggest. I want it to look pretty and play really nice. Obviously instrumental quality > looks. But looks are important too.

That's all.

Thanks alot

mmorris1333 said:

Hi guys. I'm primarily a guitar player, but I also play bass and uke. I (not bragging) have a pretty good musical ear and have faith in my ability to tune a guitar, bass, uke, etc. I got my Lanikai LU-21 a while ago and it's been at my friends house for a while. I really don't like it because it's intonation is absolutely horrible. I tune the guitar with a tuner on all open strings and then I play a chord, and it's off. Each fret isn't exactly a half-step, which really screws with the tuning, obviously. It's really depressing... Is this what I get for buying a $50 uke, or should I contact Lanikai and ask them what I should do?

Thanks for the help!

and One last thing I really want another uke. I think i'm going to spend $200-$250 on one, what do you guys suggest. I want it to look pretty and play really nice. Obviously instrumental quality > looks. But looks are important too.

That's all.

Thanks alot

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Yeah, that was exactly my experience with this instrument, and I bought off the shelf from the factory. After a year of NOT PLAYING I cut my losses and my next uke was from MGM, which cured my depression but infected me with UAS! Buy a new uke properly set up and ENJOY!

As far as what uke, for your budget you could get a Kiwaya KS1. You will not regret it.

In my experience, this generally has little to do with how much you paid for the uke (keeping in mind that if you pay enough for one, its probably set up properly). This kind of thing is usually a set-up issue, and is hit or miss on inexpensive ukes, unless you buy from someone that sets them up like UkeRepublic, Mainland, or MGM.

On the few I have gotten with bad intonation off the used market or guitar center, sam ash, etc, I usually had to lower the action at the nut (filing the slots deeper), or even sand down the bottom of the saddle to fix it. There are a gazillion threads on how to do this, or you can pay someone to do it. Its not hard to do. Unfortunately, with an inexpensive uke, to pay someone to set it up costs about as much as the uke did.

Here is one thread to get you started, but as I say there are numerous ones.

http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?38038-Fixing-the-action-on-a-relatively-cheap-uke&highlight=adjusting+action

Basic setup diagnosis is really something that any player should know how to do IMO. Whether they decide to correct it themselves is another issue.

I had the same problem (though not quite as bad) with a Lanikai ck-c. I donated it. I know others, including my teacher, play Lanikais, but I won't buy another.

My LU-21 has quite good intonation actually... I think its an instrument by instrument thing, I absolutely love mine. It does its job until I can afford a solid.

My LU-21C was about average for an inexpensive, laminated uke or guitar - meaning fairly bad. Easy for me to fix since I have nut files because with a couple of exceptions every guitar I've purchased (including many mid-range electrics) have had a high nut. After a little work with the files it is almost perfect, now. I say almost because it's within 5 cents at the first fret and to get better I'd have to level and crown the frets before I can take the nut any lower.

Curiously, my Lanikai 8-string electric came from the factory with the best setup I've seen on an untweaked factory instrument (uke or guitar) in the sub-$1k price range.

Also, the setup "crapshoot" isn't restricted to Lanikai. Basically, any of the lower-end to midrange instruments from any of the manufacturers is very likely to have a high nut unless it has been setup by a pro like MGM, Mim, or a handful of other retailers with good reputations. The nut on my $280 Kala solid acacia pocket uke was terrible. The reason is simple - these instruments are built on an assembly line, the nuts are usually molded plastic. The manufacturers intentionally leave them high because if the slots are too low you'll get fret buzz. The reason they can sell them so cheaply is because they don't have anyone doing the delicate, skilled, fine tweaking to ensure that frets are level, nut slots are as low as possible without buzzing, bridge saddles are low, etc.

bbqribs said:

I had the same problem (though not quite as bad) with a Lanikai ck-c. I donated it. I know others, including my teacher, play Lanikais, but I won't buy another.

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I'm with you. Nor can I recommend this uke.

Another problem may be the strings, some of the strings these cheaper uke come with are pretty poor. Get a set of Aquila Nylgut strings and try them, I've had them make a vast improvement. As for Lankai's in general I've got two and have played several others and they are all quite good for the price, but as has been said any cheap factory made uke will have a rather hit or miss set up.

Aloha Mmorris1333,
I'd take it back and exchange it....inconsistancy in intonation and sound can happen in any uke but more ofter in entry level ones....I'd play and test them just as guitars before you buy them
Even the same brand and model and the same maker can sound completely different....play them side to side and choose....there are so many varibles in making them...Good Luck and Let
us know how it works out for you.....Premimum strings will improve the sound of your uke but will not cure bad intonation....MM Stan

I bought a Lanikai LU-21 and spent about 4 hours fixing the set up - I had never set up a uke before but my friends on the internet helped me. It sounds great now and it is my travel uke.

I lowered the action and modified the bridge to move the saddle back a bit (away from the nut). I also pried the nut off and reinstalled it because it was a few thousanths of an inch away from the end of the fingerboard, making the nut-1st fret distance too far.

I considered it all in good fun. Others are outraged and offended that this was necessary. So decide if you are a tinkerer and then either give it away or fix it.

philpot said:

My LU-21 has quite good intonation actually... I think its an instrument by instrument thing, I absolutely love mine. It does its job until I can afford a solid.

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i'll go with that. i find it hard to believe that a Lanikai ukulele has bad tone to begin with.

i went to the local guitar/ukulele store here and strummed a flea and a nice Kiwaya, they both sounded so nice. :drool:

veejayblox said:

i went to the local guitar/ukulele store here and strummed a flea and a nice Kiwaya, they both sounded so nice. :drool:

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Yes, you won't have ANY set up issues with either.

pdxuke said:

Yes, you won't have ANY set up issues with either.

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yes the flea is fun to play as was the Kiwaya, which sounded oh so very sweet.
definitely :iwant:

I once owned that uke - out of the box, the intonation and action was frightful, but I liked the sound. I had to work on both the nut and saddle but got it how i liked it.

I have some guides on intonation etc on my blog (link below) and go to the beginners guides.

Good luck, because they are great beginner instruments, and worth a set up. If unsure - take to a guitar tech who knows ukes, or at the very least, acoustic guitars.

veejayblox said:

yes the flea is fun to play as was the Kiwaya, which sounded oh so very sweet.
definitely :iwant:

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btw that baby was a Kiwaya KTS-4. total awesome.

man thats a pretty little uke.

(on my wish list)

I've got a pineapple LU-21 and while the intonation is off, it's only by a couple of cents at the most. It doesn't really bother me and I've just thought it as something of a beater anyway (a very well treated beater, but still a beater). I'd love to get my hands on some mid range model though, just to see what I'm missing.

(On a side note, I'm also a guitar player and it's really strange to hold this uke to my Martin. Everything feels different and off.)

wigblender said:

(On a side note, I'm also a guitar player and it's really strange to hold this uke to my Martin. Everything feels different and off.)

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Just you wait - if you are like me, you get hooked on the uke, play it more and more, then when you pick up a guitar, its the guitar that feels off!

yea, the neck on my Gibson guitar feels so fat it is ridiculous