First proper Uke:Ohana SK-10s or a Lanikai LU-11?!

VintageBassett

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Okay, so I started playing a toy Uke I got as a joke present and I actually love it. I want to upgrade to a proper Uke and I've done some research and I've decided that its between a Ohana SK-10s or a Hohner Lanikai LU-11 (soprano uke).

I have no idea which one is better...I prefer the look of the LU-11 but apparently the SK-10s is better sounding or has longer sustaining on the notes? Yeah haha looks aren't important really I just want to know which one people prefer.

PLEASE HELP, I'M VERY CONFUSED! Haha thanks. :D
 
Okay, so I started playing a toy Uke I got as a joke present and I actually love it. I want to upgrade to a proper Uke and I've done some research and I've decided that its between a Ohana SK-10s or a Hohner Lanikai LU-11 (soprano uke).

I have no idea which one is better...I prefer the look of the LU-11 but apparently the SK-10s is better sounding or has longer sustaining on the notes? Yeah haha looks aren't important really I just want to know which one people prefer.

PLEASE HELP, I'M VERY CONFUSED! Haha thanks. :D

With either of those (and any other ukes in that price range) the variation from sample to sample is fairly high so it's really kind of a toss up - I would buy the one that appeals to you the most visually.

I highly recommend purchasing from a real ukulele vendor who will set them up, either uke is quite likely to need one or more nut slots lowered to resolve intonation and playability issues. (I purchased four LU-11s for grandkids last year - every single one of them needed the slot lowered for at least one string, most of them two or three.) NOTE: If you aren't going to follow this advice then I would actually recommend that you keep playing your "toy" for a while until you can afford something a bit better. There isn't necessarily going to be a lot of difference between a box-stock LU-11 or what have you and your toy, if the toy is at all playable. Some plastic toy ukes are actually pretty decent - look up the YouTube user "GUGUG" for a taste of what a couple of talented guys can do with toy ukes.

OH, and welcome to UU! Also oh, some online vendors with good reps around these parts are Mim, HMS (Hawaiian Music Supply), and Uke Republic - there are others but those three come to mind right at the moment. MGM is in my opinion the best setup guy in the business and he closed his own business and is working for HMS now. Any of these vendors will make sure that whatever uke you buy from them will be set up to play as easily as possible and in-tune (proper intonation). That is value all out of proportion to any slightly higher price you might pay, believe me!

John
 
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Don't know where you are located, but... Ohana & Lanikai are both made in factories in China; in fact, these two ukes are almost identical. The difference (& it is likely the most important thing to take away as you decide what to buy) is this - where you buy it & whether or not the seller "sets up" the uke properly. What I mean is since these are commodity low-priced ukes, many shops simply get them in straight from a distributer & hang 'em on the wall. They sometimes come w/crap strings,& often w/the nut & especially the saddle so badly setup as to make playing them a chore.

Several vendors who are also members here on UU ship worldwide, carry these brands & most importantly, will do a proper setup on each uke before shipping. The result will be that even a cheap uke will sound MUCH better & play better as well, certainly better than they would have otherwise.

Check out Hawaiian Music Supply (http://www.theukulelesite.com/, Uke Republic (http://www.ukerepublic.com/, Mainland Ukulele (http://www.mainlandukuleles.com/, or Mim's Ukes (http://www.mimsukes.com/ - all of these will help you get your $$ worth out of whatever you purchase & possibly give you a few more choices to boot. [NOTE: Mim has moved so her website doesn't have her current stock at the moment, but you can find her on eBay as well.]

Hope this helps! Mahalo & welcome to UU!
 
I am in the UK, does The Ukulele Shop ship to the UK? I saw a Kala KA-S which looked really nice and it is cheaper than the one I saw on Thomman.co.uk. (Anyone know if they are any good for Ukulele dealing?)

Is the Kala any good? Just wondering haha.

Thanks for all your help as well guys, you've been so helpful. :)
 
Welcome to UU. I am sure the UU contingent will chime in with suggestions soon. Try before you buy. (if possible)
PS: UK instead of UU contingent.
 
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Both of the ukes you named are more entry-level ukes, great, but probably not much more proper than the toy uke you have. If you are really serious about this uke stuff, I would recommend getting a nice mid-level uke like an Ohana SK-25 or 35 or 38, or even a Brüko (Made in Germany).

The Southern Ukulele Store: http://www.southernukulelestore.co.uk/ and Duke of Uke: http://www.dukeofuke.co.uk/ both have a good reputation.

You might also try a local music shop try out a few and see which ones you like. Then ask about a set-up/adjustment. If they laugh, and say "but it's just a toy" then walk out, since you don't want waste your money there.

Best of luck!
 
I'm more than delighted with my Mainland, and it was bought from a uke vendor who set it up (very important for satisfaction.) There are several vendors who post here who have good reputations and who have sales from time to time on various good ukes.

As an aside, I found out that a former colleague (when we worked in analytical chemistry) is now the worldwide product manager for Hohner (Lanakai) guitars and ukes. He was always a musician at heart and played guitar quite well--nice to see someone following their true love of music.
 
If you are limiting yourself to buying in-country, all 3 of those brands sell ukes for a little more with a solid spruce or mahogany top. Best sound is subjective, but many may list them in the following order, but some Kala's sound better than some Ohanas, etc. Still have to make sure they are set up properly. Not rocket science...if you are craftsy at all, models, etc. you can cut, sand, and file nuts and saddles, replace tuners, etc. Good luck.

Ohana
Kala
Lanikai
 
I am in the UK, does The Ukulele Shop ship to the UK? I saw a Kala KA-S which looked really nice and it is cheaper than the one I saw on Thomman.co.uk. (Anyone know if they are any good for Ukulele dealing?)

Is the Kala any good? Just wondering haha.

Thanks for all your help as well guys, you've been so helpful. :)

Why not look at these very cheap and you get a good instrument. Plenty of reviews around. Just over £100.
http://www.brueko.de/shop/product_i....html&XTCsid=a6f5c4a853b177960cf1904f9a2975b1
 
Okay, so I started playing a toy Uke I got as a joke present and I actually love it. I want to upgrade to a proper Uke and I've done some research and I've decided that its between a Ohana SK-10s or a Hohner Lanikai LU-11 (soprano uke).

I have no idea which one is better...I prefer the look of the LU-11 but apparently the SK-10s is better sounding or has longer sustaining on the notes? Yeah haha looks aren't important really I just want to know which one people prefer.

PLEASE HELP, I'M VERY CONFUSED! Haha thanks. :D

I'm in the UK.

I got a Ohana SK10 from southern ukulele store. It was advertised with setup for which they charged a little more but it came decently set up and there are no major intonation problems. It's a little brash for my taste, but I mainly got it as something I could lend to others to try and it serves that purpose very well.

I see you are in Cumbria, in which case get in touch with Omega music. They are based in Brampton so you could probably go there and try out what they have. They seem to have a reasonable selection. I have used them for accessories and find them pretty good to deal with.

Don't be too hung up on brands. It's best to go to a shop and try some out and get what you like. You'll likely end up spending more than you initially intended, but it's worth spending the extra to get something decent and, as long as you can afford it, it will be well worth spending the extra money.
 
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