Choice of 3 Tenors: Lanikai, Kala, Oscar Schmidt--Any Thoughts?

I believe the KALA and Lanikai are made in China, and the Oscar Schmidt in Indonesia. I have never heard any negatives on the Kala, and rarely on the Lanikai but the Oscar Schmidt I hear complaints about them being too heavily built (great for self protection) so the volume muted though they are pretty to look at. I grew up swimming and diving Lanikai Beach so have an attachment to the place but personally prefer the Kala for consistency.

i have that kala.... and its fantastic. So easy to play, the finish is really nice and shiny, and it sounds really amazing.

kala the way to goo!!

I just got the Lanikai spruce top from a dealer on eBay with Aquila strings, hard case and chord book for $158. Free shipping, no tax. I ordered it on, like, a Tuesday and had it in my hands on Friday.

http://cgi.ebay.com/BRAND-NEW-LANIK...trkparms=65:12|66:2|39:1|72:1205|293:1|294:50

I can't compare to other dealers or ukes since this is my first real uke, but I'm really happy with this one so far.

kala all the way.. haha.. its better of the three mos def..

RE: MGM vs. Ukulele4U - They are both great. I prefer MGM just because I've had more interaction with him and he is fantastic. But I've also purchased a couple of Kalas from Rob at the Ukulele Shop and his service was also top-notch.

Heck...they're both ukulele people - they must be cool! :shaka:

Being that your in NC, I might plan a trip to Wilmington and visit the North Carolina Ukulele Academy and give a couple of theirs a test-run. I know they sell Kala brand, not sure about Lanikai or OS... and I don't know what they currently have in stock, but if you sent them an email, I'm sure they could give you some details.

i finally picked one!

i went with the lanikai s-t.

what tipped the final balance? i put an estimated value on all of the items in both packages (hard case, setup, etc.). after considerable research and photo comparisons, the lanikai s-t and the kala ka-st seem to be remarkably identical instruments.

and yet with the package value estimation, the actual kala instrument would require about $30 more dollars than the actual lanikai instrument.

so, i may have made a spectacular blunder or stumbled upon a great deal. all i know is that with that $30 difference i can buy some extra strings and a clip-on tuner or other nice extras!

i'm going to post images and a review of my new uke soon!

also, i was gifted a mitchell mu-70 by a very generous uu member. so i now have two ukuleles where just a few days ago i had none. the mitchell looks fantastic and has a nice sound to it. it came with kala reds, but after playing the lanikai tenor that came with aquilas, i think i may switch out the reds for some aquilas. a big, huge mahalo for the kindness of this member! may God bless you in a great way for your thoughtfulness.

and thank you all so much for your feedback.

while the overwhelming votes were for the kala from mgm. i think i made the right choice for my meager funds at the time. and if they really are practically identical instruments, then i did save some money.

but mgm will probably be my go to guy for the upgrade in a year or five when i can roll the coin for the next one. the constant and consistent support he gets on here is without equal in loyalty among any market i have seen.

is there some kind of antidote or treatment for uas?

:shaka:

I'm in the same boat!

I have been researching these 3 exact ukuleles for the past couple of months. I've been heavily leaning towards the Kala from MGM, just because I want the case and great action.

OP, could you post your review of your lanikai s-t?

here's my review of the lanikai

hey cool to see someone checkin out this thread.

i eventually went with the lanikai. but from additional research, it seems that the lanikai and the kala are virtually identical apart from small cosmetic differences.

overall i am very, very happy with my lanikai.

here's my review link i posted on uu a while back. http://ukuleleunderground.com/ukereviews/viewReviews.php?modelID=364&manufacturerID=17
i've got 2 reviews of the same uke with slightly diff #'s. why? i posted a review and then it never, ever appeared. i thought i did something wrong so i wrote another one. and without having the first review to refer to, some of the #'s may be a bit different. after a while, both reviews popped up on the site--oh well. but overall i love the uke.

here's some add'l pics of my uke.

http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?p=187625#post187625

basically what did it for me was about a $20 difference i came up with in cost and shipping and perceived value. there were both added or seemingly free things tossed in from both top ebay uke sellers. when i added them all up it was a diff of $20. but in the future, i would probably buy from mgm.

my experience on uu, his feedback and rep on here and his presence on here, his generosity to contests and other things on here have really made me into a future customer.

here's what the uke sounds like in a recent video. note that i had to point the sound hole away from the comp so it wouldn't drown out my voice on the comp's mic.
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?p=267485#post267485

i think that if you went with either the lanikai or the kala, you'd be happy. but of course, if you get the chance, try them out first. i didn't get the chance. it was a leap of faith based on the scant handful of ukes i did get to play before going with this one.

good luck in your decision! let me know what you eventually decide.


:shaka:

Great video 3 nails. For a first effort the quality was outstanding. Thanks for posting it, as I have also been thinking about the Lanikai ST, and it always helps to be able to listen to it in a well played video.

haolejohn said:

In your price range kala is the best. I have owned three kalas and currenbtly own one. They are great ukes for the price. I also own a koaloha and three meles and my kala still gets play time.

You should also check out www.ukerepublic.com he is in georgia and my uke club at school has purchased over twenty ukes from him. I have never had a bad experience purchasing a uke yet.

Click to expand...

:agree::agree::agree:
UkeRepublic is definitely worth checking out. Shoot Mike an e-mail and he will be sure to work with you, he's a great guy.

Very satisfied with Kala!

Another testimonial for Kala here.

I love my Kala tenor so much that I am not lusting after any other uke in the near future. I set it up myself to my own preference and it is just lovely. I gig mine on stage regularly with a band. It gets played hard and often and has never let me down.

I tend to be loyal to businesses and brands who give me good value and service. If I ever do buy another uke I'll be looking at Kala first. If they have what I want I will probably look no further.

3nails4holes said:

also, i was gifted a mitchell mu-70 by a very generous uu member. so i now have two ukuleles where just a few days ago i had none. the mitchell looks fantastic and has a nice sound to it. it came with kala reds, but after playing the lanikai tenor that came with aquilas, i think i may switch out the reds for some aquilas. a big, huge mahalo for the kindness of this member! may God bless you in a great way for your thoughtfulness.

Click to expand...

Wow, how lovely!
If I may make a string suggestion for the Mitchell, based on my experience with my MU-100: Ko'olau Golds.

for what a little shameless self-promotion is worth, I've got a Lanikai S-T for sale in the marketplace that could save someone a few bucks
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22446

thanks for the encouragement sweetwb! i really appreciate the feedback!

now if i can only come up with something to win that mgm Christmas contest.

:shaka: