Lanikai LU-11 - The Perfect First Ukulele

Last year I made a short review of the Lanikai LU-21; now we have taken a look at its "little sibling". The phrase is in quotation marks because it is actually the same size - both models are sopranos - but the LU-11 is slightly cheaper and looks a little simpler.

If you have not yet chosen an instrument, I can confidently recommend the Lanikai LU-11. In terms of value for money it is one of the best. There are other brands making perfectly good ukuleles in a similar price range, but in my opinion it is difficult to go wrong with the LU-11, just as it is with the LU-21.

The main difference between the LU-11 and LU-21 is visible at first glance: the LU-11 has no decorative binding, while the LU-21 has grown one - and that is almost where my list of differences ends. Seriously. So I can simply say it is a matter of taste which one you choose. Both offer the same basic performance, both are made of mahogany, both have twelve frets on the fretboard, and I think anyone choosing either as a first instrument is making a good decision.

For a soprano instrument it has very good volume, helped in part by the factory-fitted Aquila strings. Tuning is no problem either: with the geared tuning machines, the strings can be brought to the correct tension in moments, and beginners should have no difficulty with them.

As I mentioned, its volume is surprisingly large for a soprano. The recording below was made on a phone in slightly windy conditions near the Pest end of Margaret Bridge, yet every nuance of the LU-11 can still be heard clearly.

One small curiosity - I do not know whether anyone else noticed it. If you look closely at the strings, the camera did not capture their extremely fast, dense vibration. I suspect it either cannot record it or automatically filters it out, so in the video the strings appear to vibrate much more slowly, almost like rubber bands. This is especially noticeable on the C major chord strummed at 0:45. In real life, of course, the strings vibrate far too quickly for the eye to see!

UPDATE (1 October 2020): This ukulele model has been discontinued. In its place we recommend the Lanikai MA-S as the successor to the LU-11.