Lanikai LU-21TE Tenor Acoustic Electric Ukulele 

Comments about Lanikai LU-21TE Tenor Acoustic Electric Ukulele:

Ok so I'm not by all means a musician but I've come from a large family of them and I've wanted to start learning an instrument for quite some time but lifes been crazy and I haven't been able. So a few years back my parents got me an Ephiphone EJ-200 artist edition acoustic guitar, I never really got around to leaning it but recently I got inerested in the uke and decided to sell my guitar to get one, tonight I got an offer from my brothers friend my guitar and strap for this uke and a gig bag. All I have to say is I love it!!! Great sound, great action, super easy to learn on and I can finally say I'm addicted to playing it hence why I'm writing this at 6:30 am, I've been up all night playing it. Truly amazing and I'd recommend it to any and every one!!!

Comments about Lanikai LU-21TE Tenor Acoustic Electric Ukulele:

Guitarist for a few decades getting my first uke. I don't have the luxury of hitting a uke
filled shop as I work a 3rd shift, and live far from one, so I relied heavily on reviews and
tried to stick to my budget of 200 US dollars for one. I'd have gone 100 higher than that if the features REALLY spoke to me. I wanted an electric in case I needed
it for jam sessions.

The Lanikai was reviewed favorably on musician's friend.

Mine had issues both in quality control and in general. No sustain. It's like someone has a compressor / limiter on it, cranked. Low acoustic volume. From a production standpoint the G string would not be picked up by the horrible
amplification system which I found odd. The rest of the strings were amplified ok but had a strong plucky sound and was not
at all pleasing through the PA system. Borderline worthless for plugging in regardless of eq tweaking. The fretboard edge on the G string side was in dire need of sanding, from the 8th fret up. The action was deplorable. It held tune comically bad in my opinion even for nylon strings. The wood? Wow. NATO ("eastern mahogany," lol) must mean garbage in some foreign land. I realized going in it wasn't a high quality wood and was ok with that, but it was far worse than any type of cheap wood or laminate I've ever experienced. I'm not a fan of returning items and not being an experienced uke guy I wasn't sure if my instincts from guitar were creating unrealistic expectations. Well, I got the Chinese made Cordoba 20TM-CE instead (basically same price point) and was blown away. The mahogany (I guess this is "western mahogany?" hehe) felt like a fine baseball bat wood in comparison to the Lanikai. Very solid with better weight. It had great action. It held tune 100x better. Nice sustain. Louder despite the cutaway. The electronics sound great. It looks nicer. Just a night and day difference for only a few bucks more.

The most important thing here for a new uke player, and in my case very relevant, is: Had I kept the Lanikai, and even had all its flaws fixed by a luthier, I'd have not been inspired to play. It didn't excite me. It felt like a poorly made toy. But with the Cordoba I will often be inspired to pick it up. It feels so nice in your hand by comparison. I now "get" what players mean when they call the uke addicting. In my opinion anyone praising this model hasn't tried the Cordoba.
on paper it has all you'd want to get into ukulele
there is much better out there for the features. The NATO wood is truly a new low in cheap woods for me. The eletronics are horrendous. This feels like a cheap toy
ok value if the quality would have been at least on an ok level

Comments about Lanikai LU-21TE Tenor Acoustic Electric Ukulele:

I bought this ukulele because I needed one to plug in for my live shows. First, the not so good:

The intonation on this instrument (out of the box) was not very good, due to a poor fitting saddle -- however, a thin cardboard shim on the front side of the saddle fixed it. The instrument now has perfect intonation. Also, the internal electrical guts tend to buzz/rattle a bit when you play. I had to tighten up the zip tie holding the wires to get it to quit being so loud, but it is still noticeable when playing acoustically. After playing it for several months, I've gotten so I can ignore it, but it drives my husband nuts when I practice...

That said, it is a solidly made instrument! It's not exceptionally pretty as wood choice goes (I graffitied mine with sharpies to give it some 'flair'), but it plays nicely, the tuners are good quality, and it has decent resonance (for having wires and electrical guts cluttering up the soundbox, lol). It has a nice, rich, throaty tone; very well-rounded for those who aren't a fan of super "bright" ukes. With a set of "low G" aquila strings, she sounds wonderful. As far as the electronics go, the piezo pickup doesn't give a true representation of the instrument's sound but it's passable, however, the adjustment panel gives you a fair amount of control over things (treble/bass controls, as well as a volume). I have played several 2-3 hour shows with this uke and I still have not had to replace the 9 volt battery.
I would not hesitate to recommend this ukulele to the gigging musician looking for a decent acoustic-electric uke at a friendly price point. This instrument is a workhorse! If you're looking for a thoroughbred, however, this one might not be for you.
The electrical guts buzz

Comments about Lanikai LU-21TE Tenor Acoustic Electric Ukulele:

I ordered one of these Lanikai LU-21TE and it is a nice instrument. Very well built. Excellent sound, nice strings. Very comfortable to play.The Belcat electronics are very clear and punchy. The battery is super easy to change. On the bad side: It has minor flaws like traces of glue on the fingerboard, unpolished frets, or uneven frets. Things easily fixable.Butmy real concern is that mine got here with the wood broken by the preamp controls. It seems as if the hole was too little and they pressed on too hard. When I ordered a second one, guess what?Broken! In the same place.It was super weird, because I'd never seen a review of anyone mentioning this. But, things happen.

Comments about Lanikai LU-21TE Tenor Acoustic Electric Ukulele:

I love this uke. I bought one today and it sounds amazing. I can not put it down. This website has amazing instruments. Period.

Comments about Lanikai LU-21TE Tenor Acoustic Electric Ukulele:

I have played several ukuleles, and this is by far the best. I have experience with the pricier ones, and this one, imho, sounds and plays much better. The pups are great!

Comments about Lanikai LU-21TE Tenor Acoustic Electric Ukulele:

Have toyed with the idea of a Uke for a long time. As a guitar player who'd dabbled in the mandolin a little, I opted for the tenor size, as I'd had trouble making my fat fingers work on small fretboards. The tone of this instrument is great and fretting's a breeze. After some web searching for some easy chord sheets I'm tearing it up on Christmas carols, standards, etc. Great value for the money. Sounds great plugged into acoustic amp. Glad I sprung for the one with the pickup. Highly recommend this one!

Comments about Lanikai LU-21TE Tenor Acoustic Electric Ukulele:

I've had this uke for about two years now and it's still a thrill every time I play it. It fits well in your arms and is easy to hold. The sound is amazing and it still has the original strings. I've played in shows with it and have gotten many compliments on the clear sound. I definitely recommend it!

Comments about Lanikai LU-21TE Tenor Acoustic Electric Ukulele:

This ukulele sounds great unplugged or plugged in. One thing i wish it had was a strap clip since it is a tenor and kind of big. Other than that, for this price, it's flawless.

Comments about Lanikai LU-21TE Tenor Acoustic Electric Ukulele:

I am fortunate enough to own several high end ukes--I do prefer the tenor size. This uke, for the money, is the absolute best value I have found. The uke stays right on pitch has better than average intonation and the tone is better than anything else I have found in its price range. The electronics are an added bonus--I am using this particular uke for the alternate "lower" G tuning with Aquilla strings, try it--you'll like it.