Leolani Ukulele
RatingsLeolani sell a lot of their ukuleles on Hawaii to the tourist trade. As you'd expect, a lot of their output are the cheap and cheerful, highly decorated sort. They do, however, have some more legitimate ukuleles and both AJ Rafael and Prescilla Ahn use Leolani ukuleles.
Leolani on eBay
 Leolani Gloss Ukulele  US $5.00
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 Leolani Hawaiian Uke Ukulele US $29.99
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 2 HAWAII Dark Stained Wood LEOLANI UKULELE US $28.33
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Leolani On Video
Prescilla Ahn performing Find My Way Back Home with her Leolani ukulele on Later with Jools Holland.
20 Comments
i have a soprano leolani ukulele and i absolutly love it! it’s my first ukulele but it’s so easy to learn on! it has a great sound and is so fun to play. everytime i play it i end up in a great mood with its happy sound! it has aquilla strings and holds it’s tunes great! I’d reccomend it to anyone!
I am a guitar major, and I didn’t know, but I already knew how to play the ukulele when I got it a little over a year ago. For me, I didn’t have learning time, I had adjustment time. I know nothing about ukuleles so I can’t give a very well rounded opinion, but my soprano Leolani ukulele, my first and only ukulele, was bought for me when my mother traveled to Hawaii. She paid a little under $300, and it is extremely gorgeous. Its dark stained koa works wonders, and its turtle inlay on the headstock looks great! For me, it is very easy to play and took no time to adjust, I just dove into playing. It sounds great, looks great, plays great, and stays in tune! What more could I ask for?
I have Leolani Uke and it seems nice
i love it.
Been playing guitar for 45 years and picked up the Uke a year ago. Just bought a Leolani in Honolulu. It’s the Zebra wood model and is very well made. I love the sound of the “Dancing Flea” anyway, but this uke has a nice mellow tone with plenty of volume. Tuners are great quality and I’m already in love with this instrument. I never expected to find a ukulele with such quality construction and fine finish. Get one! You’ll love it.
I bought a leolani Ukulele in Hawaii payed 160 dollars (maybe a little expensive)in a shop that sell only Leolani brand….It is a Traveller Model (more thick than others) but his sound is great, good sustain, and the refinements are great!….A wonderful purchase
I’ve been playing guitar as a hobby for a few years now. During a recent trip to Hawai’i, I was visiting the Wednesday “swap meet” at the stadium in Honolulu. I saw that there were several vendors who specialized in selling ukuleles, and some of them had very nice examples for sale. I decided to pick up a decent starter model, but I didn’t want to spend a lot. I settled on a Leolani with a laminated (not veneer) top. It’s all mahogany, with ivoroid binding and a koa inlay. It’s not flashy, but has an understated elegance. The tuners are decent, and it sounds pretty good to me. Certainly not top of the line but I only spent $100 including a soft case and a book full of chord diagrams. It’s good enough to learn on and decide if I want to spend more on something nicer.
Brought a leolani saprano at the swap meet also, paid $50 and got a gig bag also. Changed the strings and put a pickup in it. Sounds good and I’m still learning how to play it.
My wife brought me home a leolani zebra wood ukulele from Honolulu
In 2006. I think she paid about $150 for it. I have to say it’s been a
Great instrument.
Bought an acacia concert Leolani Uke at a dedicated Uke shop in Honolulu last year. After trying many models – this one really stood out as far as playability and sound quality of all the models in the sub $300 range – highly recommended.
Just picked up the Leolani Thin Body Tenor a week ago and I cant say enough about how pleased I am with it! It has a wonderful sound and its projection is unreal for the size (the body is less than 2 inches thick!) I paid $185 for it and it was worth every penny, great uke!
Recently bought a Leolani Koa Tenor Deluxe for $239 with case, tuner and an uninstalled set of Aquila Nylgut strings with no set-up. This is a very nice looking model with a sweet mellow tone. Action set-up from the factory was too high…had to adjust both saddle and bridge height lower. Replaced the factory nylon strings with the Aquila strings. Tuning gears appear to be imitation Gotoh-like gears of lesser quality. Intend to replace those with real Gotoh SG381 higher quality 16:1 tuning gears. After action adjustment, I am very happy with the look, sound quality, and playability of this uke at this price point!
One additional point on the Leolani Koa Tenor Deluxe. The top, sides, and back are made from Koa laminate. My point is, just because a ukulele uses laminate doesn’t mean that it is inferior in tone quality to a uke with a solid wood body. This Leolani Koa Tenor Deluxe is a case in point. I love it sweet mellow tone with plenty of sustain. The sweetness of its sound continues to grow on me day by day. (By the way, I highly recommend the upgrade I did to Gotoh SG381 tuning gears… huge difference in quality!)
I have a zebra wood concert size Leolani and I love it. I switched up from a soprano Hilo which is also a great little instrument. The sound from the Leolani is certainly not what I expected…Beautiful
@Chris
Is it easy to switch out the tuning gears? Just bought the same model from Hawaii Music Supply.
@Greg
Yes, the switch to the Gotoh SG381 gears is very easy. They are exactly the same size as the originals on the Leolani Koa Tenor Deluxe, so you can use the same tuner holes and screw holes. I bought my set from http://www.hanalimastore.com
Some people say that Leolani’s range of ukes are just junk. I disagree. I have a soprano made of rosewood and it’s very nice. Its easy to play with its black nylon strings and a deal for only $60! I’m looking forward to getting the Tenor Koa or Acacia. Their deals are great and so are their range of ukes. They have little wider necks because they are handmade.
And I’ve read that the bodies are made in China as the products are shipped their and the necks and headstock are made in the U.S.A.
the Uke is just too much fun, and once you’re been to Hawaii and experienced the music, sounds and sights you cannoy say no !
I am a guitar player and after an hour long lesson – free in the hotel lobby – there is no turning back … chords are easy and you can play many songs once you have 5 or so under your belt.
Aloha !
@Bryce
I have the same exact uke
leolani is a very good brand and i enjoy playing mine. at first i thought this uke was a tourist uke considering the low price i got it for but it sounds like any other uke. this rosewood leolani uke is my first one and it keeps me happy
I got my Soprano Leolani last summer. Bought it on line from Hawaii Music Supply. I’ll tell you the kid
Jason that does the setup on Every Uke that leaves the store is Awesome. The action is Perfect, Aquilla strings, frets, neck, All done with care.
I have 5 different Uke’s and this one of my favorites. Solid and fun to play.
my friend has one. its an extended neck soprano and has beautiful sound quality. it was one of the high end ones. mines a handlei.
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