Product Review: Lanikai Concert Ukulele

The Lanikai concert ukulele, made by Honer, is one of the highest quality ukuleles available in the United States. It is also the most affordable. Of course, you can buy a ukulele for $10 to $35, but the saying you get what you pay for applies here. These cheap ukuleles are the reason the ukulele is so often brushed off and seen as a toy. But the Lanikai concert ukulele proves that the ukulele is indeed an instrument worth noticing.

This ukulele is durable, well-made, and has a professional sound. However, it's also inexpensive and easy to play, making it the perfect ukulele for students and professional musicians alike.

First of all, the Lanikai concert ukulele is a handsome instrument. It measures 14 and 3/4 inches long, slightly larger than the soprano ukulele. The top, back and sides are made of high quality Nato laminate, which looks very much like mahogany. In addition, the laminate is also as strong as mahogany, which makes this ukulele a good instrument to travel with. The top and back binding are white, and the fingerboard and bridge are made of rosewood. Anyone who thinks the ukulele is just a toy will think twice when they see this impressive instrument.

The Lanikai concert ukulele offers a sound as good as its looks. It has 18 frets that can be reached, miraculously, equally well by a man or a child. This is the true beauty of the ukulele--its fitness for players of all ages and sizes. This model has a large sound hole, which is where its title comes from. The larger sound hole makes the sound carry, and even without amplification, it can be heard well throughout a small concert venue. And you will never hear the signature tinny sound of a ukulele from this instrument! Instead, the sound is mellow, yet bright. It sounds like a small classical or flamenco guitar.

Ukuleles are notoriously hard to tune! But not this one. The Lanikai ukuleles have open geared tuners, which means they "stick" when you tune each string. It also means the strings last longer, because they rarely break during tuning.

This ukulele retails for $119.00, but you can often find one cheaper on EBay or from Elderly Instruments or Music123. However, paying the full retail price would be worth it, because short of a ukulele made in Hawaii or Portugal--where many are made--the Lanikai concert ukulele is the best there is.