Looking to get my first uke.. Lanikai LU-21C vs Lanikai LU22CGC

michael17

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Hi guys I went to my local Guitar Center recently and I had already decided that I would be getting the Lanikai LU-21C but they didn't have it and the guy at the store said they only had the LU22CGC. He said that they were virtually the same Uke but I wanted some clarification if anyone had any info on the LU22CGC because it costs about the same price as the LU-21C. Thanks!

LU-21C: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Lanikai-LU-21C-Concert-Ukulele-107220204-i1147814.gc

LU22CGC: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Lanikai-LU22CGC-Concert-Ukulele-105459960-i1480990.gc
 
I have the LU-21C, my first uke as well. Reading the description on the LU22CGC, they appear to be identical. The only difference I see is cosmetic. On the LU22CGC, there is a design around the sound hole, the bridge has some embellishments on it and there is white edging on the neck.

I'm guessing these Lanikais come out of the factory with relatively same action. If you go ahead with either model, do yourself a favor and have the action lowered on it. I had to have the action lowered on my LU-21C because it was so high and made it hard to play on the first fret. Afterwards, it was like a different uke. (In a much better way.)
 
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Thanks for your reply! Sorry about asking this, as I am new to this, but what exactly do you mean by having the action lowered? Can I ask the guys at the store to do this for me?
 
I purchased a nearly new LU21C about 2 months ago and agree that it may need setting up. A good music shop should do it for you. I notice that guitar centre offer setup
http://gc.guitarcenter.com/gc-garage/?esid=guitar set up
A basic setup should adjust the action by checking the height of the strings above the 1st and 12th frets. It should also check the frets are all level and give them a polish. There are several threads on this Forum on set up and intonation.

Also check what strings the LU22CGC is fitted with, the LU21C comes with Aquila Nylgut but the strings are not mentioned in the LU22CGC sales info.

Good luck on your purchase and hope you have many happy hours playing.
 
Thanks for your reply! Sorry about asking this, as I am new to this, but what exactly do you mean by having the action lowered? Can I ask the guys at the store to do this for me?

What krc says above, the action is the distance between the bottom of the string and the fret, usually measured at the 1st and 12th fret. The action was pretty high at the 1st fret (nut/headstock end) making it hard to fret the strings. Pressing the strings there felt "stiff" and required a lot of force which leads to more hand/wrist/fingertip pain/fatigue. Any kind of barre chords there were very difficult. Before I had the action lowered, I could place a credit card (I used a gift card with no raised numbers/letters) between the strings and the first fret and there was still space between the card and the string. If I held the uke upright, the card would easily fall out. After I had the action lowered, the card fits snugly between the fret and string and wouldn't fall out even if I held the uke upright and shook it. Now that the action was lowered, it's a breeze to play it compared to before.

I don't know if Guitar Center has a guitar tech or luthier who does that kind of work. If they don't have one on site, maybe they have someone who does their work. From the looks of the link above in krc's post, it looks like you could get it done. I'd certainly ask. If not, look for someone who builds or repairs guitars and they should be able to do it for you. I found a guitar store who quoted me $20 for the job but only ended up charging me $8 because I had to go back twice. The first time they only lowered the action at the bridge end when I needed it most at the nut end.
 
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You might want to ask the store to show you a few different ukes (all the same model that you are considering) - if they have more than one on stock.

I recently went shopping for a tenor lanakai and I noticed huge differences in the quality, fit, finish - and some difference in the intonation when comparing different instruments (all same make and model). I decided against the lanakai after that.
 
Hey - great info on Guitar Center doing setup. I have a new Lanikai LU-21T that any multi-finger chords using the first fret are tough to play right. It could be the fact that I am a beginner still getting used to playing, but if I don't see improvement in my play, I may take it to the local Guitar center and have them adjust the action.
 
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Hey - great info on Guitar Center doing setup. I have a new Lanikai LU-21T that any multi-finger chords using the first fret are tough to play right. It could be the fact that I am a beginner still getting used to playing, but if I don't see improvement in my play, I may take it to the local Guitar center and have them adjust the action.

This sounds exactly like my situation. (Try the credit card test I described in post #5 to see if your situation is similar.) I'd highly recommend getting the action lowered. You won't believe how much easier and how much more a pleasure it will be to play it afterwards.
 
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