First Ukulele - Lanikai

xarcul

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Hi there,

I'm a UK musician who's looking to buy my very first ukulele! One that seems to jump out at me is the Lanikai Lu-21c, for a number of reasons. I have just ordered one off ebay for a price that appears very low compared to other sources (they seem to cost a bit more in the UK). However, I now have my doubts over what model it actually is, because the image doesn't completely match up with other images of the uke.

As I've already clicked 'buy' on ebay, I've had to upload the image here: http://imgur.com/MsvIJmN

Can anyone help me? What model of ukulele is this? I can't seem to find an exact match amongst the whole of the Lanikai range.

Thanks,

Matt
 
That's definitely a Lanikai Lu-21C!

If you're unhappy with the feel (action etc) of the ukulele then I suggest you take it to a music store to fix it for you. If it feels fine for you though, have fun learning!
 
Hm, that's odd...Well, it doesn't matter much now, the main thing to do now is when you get it, check everything on it to see if there are any defects and test the sound.

Who knows, even if it might not be the uke you thought you were buying, it might still be a great sounding uke in the end!
 
Hm, that's odd...Well, it doesn't matter much now, the main thing to do now is when you get it, check everything on it to see if there are any defects and test the sound.

Who knows, even if it might not be the uke you thought you were buying, it might still be a great sounding uke in the end!

I haven't paid for it yet, so I easily have grounds to cancel the purchase. It comes from this seller, based in Shanghai, and they seem to have a lot of Ukes available for seemingly reasonable prices.

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/GlorealMus...=1136086321&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14&_sop=2&_sc=1

Are there any concert Ukuleles here that could be a good buy? Ideally around the £50 mark.
 
The store seems a bit dodgy... There ARE fake Lanikais out there you know? Although, since they all come from China you may not mind. For £50, you may want to get one from a local store with a setup. Where are you based?
 
The store seems a bit dodgy... There ARE fake Lanikais out there you know? Although, since they all come from China you may not mind. For £50, you may want to get one from a local store with a setup. Where are you based?

I'm based in the UK. My budget is up to about £60, and I've seen some Lanikai LU-21Cs go for around that price on ebay. Are there any other concert models you can recommend?
 
I'm based in the UK. My budget is up to about £60, and I've seen some Lanikai LU-21Cs go for around that price on ebay. Are there any other concert models you can recommend?

Here's some links to UK-based ukulele stores which have been recommended on the UU boards:
Southern Ukulele Store (SUS): http://www.southernukulelestore.co.uk/ - they're on eBay as well
Clifford Essex Music Co. Ltd: http://www.cliffordessex.net/

Ask them to setup the uke for you so that you'll enjoy playing it once it gets to you. :)
 
Eagle music: http://www.eaglemusicshop.com/concert-ukuleles have one, though they are charging a bit more. Eagle music do setup, though and they are excellent to deal with. I can recommend them from personal experience. I would be wary of cheap ukes on eBay unless you know the seller or have had a reliable recommendation.

Don't forget that goods in the UK carry 20% VAT which explains a lot of the higher price you are complaining of. I worked out that by the time you add VAT and shipping costs importing a uke from the USA doesn't work out any cheaper than buying the same model here. I did the same for concertinas a few years back with the same result and VAT was less then.
 
Duke of uke also do a few concert ukes around your price range. I had a chat to one of the guys there when I was looking to buy my concert uke and he was very friendly and helpful so they're worth checking out. What part of the UK are you in? They're in London so if you are near there you could pop in and try some of them out or do what I did and just give them a ring and they can help you over the phone.
 
I've bought three Lanikais, always the cheaper ones. One was perfect out of the box, one needed a lot of fiddling but now sounds good, the third (and cheapest) needed to have the C string reversed, after that it sounds great.

Now a fake Lanikai I have no experience with...
 
Thanks for the advice everybody! I'm still not sure whether to splash out (sort of...) on a Lanakai Lu21c or go for something a bit cheaper as my first uke. I've got big exams coming up in the next couple of weeks, and this will be a present to myself for finishing them, so I've still got a fair bit of time to think about it!
 
Thanks for the advice everybody! I'm still not sure whether to splash out (sort of...) on a Lanakai Lu21c or go for something a bit cheaper as my first uke. I've got big exams coming up in the next couple of weeks, and this will be a present to myself for finishing them, so I've still got a fair bit of time to think about it!

Good luck with your exams.

You could always consider a Dolphin. They generally get a good write up and are about half the price of the Lanikai.
 
my Lanikai LM-T has the same bridge, made in Indonesia. it's solid mahogany and more expensive than the LU21's.

I wouldn't go too much cheaper. and if you can't do your own set up, like others have said, you are better off buying from a store that does. otherwise it's a crap shoot, it may be fine or it may be unplayable and you'll be wondering why it sounds so bad. they sometimes come with a high nut, which makes it really hard to play in tune.
 
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Now I'm really unsure whether to go for the Lanikai, or just start off with something cheaper like a dolphin. If I was a complete musical novice, I'd almost definitely go for a cheaper uke, but I've had quite a few years experience with violin and piano so I'm thinking that I'll regret it if I do.
 
Now I'm really unsure whether to go for the Lanikai, or just start off with something cheaper like a dolphin. If I was a complete musical novice, I'd almost definitely go for a cheaper uke, but I've had quite a few years experience with violin and piano so I'm thinking that I'll regret it if I do.

Have a budget and look for the best uke you can find (or like) within the budget. Go to a store that provides setup because that's what you'll need if you're gonna go cheap and want decent sounds coming out of your uke instead of buzzes and defects...unless you know how to set it up yourself. :)

I think for £60 you can get a pretty okay ukulele. Have you checked out the links that we've posted on the thread for you?
 
Have a budget and look for the best uke you can find (or like) within the budget. Go to a store that provides setup because that's what you'll need if you're gonna go cheap and want decent sounds coming out of your uke instead of buzzes and defects...unless you know how to set it up yourself. :)

I think for £60 you can get a pretty okay ukulele. Have you checked out the links that we've posted on the thread for you?

Yeah, I have thanks! There's just so much choice...
 
So I emailed SUS asking about the Lanikai Lu21C, as it is currently out of stock, and I got this reply:

"Thanks for your email. The Lu21C is a good ukulele no doubt, but our own
brand SUS All Solid Mahogany Concert ukulele is much better value as it is
all solid wood as opposed to a Laminate.

http://www.southernukulelestore.co.uk/Product/618/S-U-S-Concert-Ukulele-ALL-SOLID-MAHOGANY-only-£80

The LU21C will be a couple of weeks coming back into stock, but quite
honestly when the two are played side by side in the shop, the SUS beats
the Lanikai all ends up!"

They're both the same price, so I was wondering whether anyone had any impartial opinions on which is better? Obviously, SUS will have at least some self interest.
 
So I emailed SUS asking about the Lanikai Lu21C, as it is currently out of stock, and I got this reply:

"Thanks for your email. The Lu21C is a good ukulele no doubt, but our own
brand SUS All Solid Mahogany Concert ukulele is much better value as it is
all solid wood as opposed to a Laminate.

http://www.southernukulelestore.co.uk/Product/618/S-U-S-Concert-Ukulele-ALL-SOLID-MAHOGANY-only-£80

The LU21C will be a couple of weeks coming back into stock, but quite
honestly when the two are played side by side in the shop, the SUS beats
the Lanikai all ends up!"

They're both the same price, so I was wondering whether anyone had any impartial opinions on which is better? Obviously, SUS will have at least some self interest.

bazmaz, a fellow UUer did a review about that on his blog (found it when I was looking for my first uke): http://www.gotaukulele.com/2013/03/southern-ukulele-store-all-solid.html

A friend of mine has one, under the original Aria ACU-250 branding (Aria is easy to get here). To his beginner-like ears, the sounds produced beat the Lanikai. :) I'm considering maaaybe getting one for my brother this Christmas.
 
bazmaz, a fellow UUer did a review about that on his blog (found it when I was looking for my first uke): http://www.gotaukulele.com/2013/03/southern-ukulele-store-all-solid.html

A friend of mine has one, under the original Aria ACU-250 branding (Aria is easy to get here). To his beginner-like ears, the sounds produced beat the Lanikai. :) I'm considering maaaybe getting one for my brother this Christmas.

I read Baz's review and followed the SUS link. Nice looking uke, and based on the review, it looks a good buy for the money. I would ask them to look at the setup and order some different strings.
 
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