Lanikai Kohala Standard Ukulele
Lanikai are known for their cheap ukes, but they’ve chosen the name Kohala for these uber-cheap ukes. In the price range, they’re definitely a good option. But if you can, getting a Lanikai LU-11 Ukulele or LU-21 would be worth it.
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Lanikai Kohala – $34.00
Specifications
Size: Soprano
Construction: Nato top, sides, and back
Fretboard: Nato
Frets: 12
Tuners: Chrome/Ivoroid Geared
Binding: White
14 Comments
It’s a great ukulele to “play” with as a toy, but I do recommend others for people who actually want to play a ukulele. It is something you would take on a trip to pass the time, but not present in front of an audience for example.
The chords do un pitch easily and need constant pitching, but it is a fun toy.
If you’re a serious uke player, this definitely isn’t the ukulele for you. If you’re a beginner, or just want to pass the time, then get this cheap thing.
My boyfriend really wants to learn ukelele. Our anniversary is next month, so, I went to 3 different music stores and spoke with people there and asked them which brand they would recommend for a beginner ukelele player, and all three of them said that Kohala is actually very good for a starter ukelele. However, two of the three of them also said that they would not recommend Kohala for someone who has already been playing the uke for a while.
I just ordered him one online last night. I hope I did okay. D:
I just bought this ukulele tonight and it does not sound anything like the ukes online I hear, like on youtube, and the top string is not playing correctly because the second and third frets are too high, making the note almost silent or really terrible sounding. I’m very disappointed in my purchase because I paid $57 for the uke + a warranty! I am definitely taking it back tomorrow and splurging on a better quality uke.
Hi 🙂 I just got this ukulele for christmas and I am getting on great with it. I am a beginner and I find it easy to play, it also sounds and looks Really good so I would recomend it to any beginner.
This ukulele is the first one I’ve owned and played, and it’s great for a starter. But I am looking forward to a higher-quality uke in the future. Not bad though. 🙂
I bought the Kohala soprano ukulele for my younger son the other day while in Florida. The one we opened in the box was not as nice as the display. It doesn’t stay in tune. I wish I had bought a different kind with the money I spent on the added warranty. I am glad my younger son doesn’t know any better. If he can learn to play it, it will be worth it.
The Kohala isn’t bad as a starter uke. I got one for $27 on sale, and it was just what I needed to get going. That being said, the first ‘lesson’ to learn from your Kohala is… chop off those abominable factory strings and put on Aquilas.
Very good value for money.
Would recommend to people just starting out and not wanting to waste heaps of money on something they might not like.
I’ve played guitar for years and if (when) I had to buy again would go for something slightly higher quality… its very hard to keep in tune
I bought one just the other day at a local music store for $40.00, just a beginners one. I’ve been a guitar/bass player for years, but never a ukulele, so I just bought a cheap beginners model. Like others on here are saying, it doesn’t really stay in tune, but it’s not bad, I’ve still got the factory strings on it. I’ll see what happens when I put new ones on. I must say though, it is rather addicting, I find it very fun to play. I’m picking up on it pretty quickly, not bad considering I’ve only had it for two days. I bought it for a reason, there’s a purpose behind it. I don’t expect to be a wizard on it, nor perform live with it, (maybe around a few of my friends in my living room or something once in a while!) but I just want to learn some basics on it. I’m hoping it will help me with my song writing. I’ve been writing songs on guitar for many years, but it’s been getting a little stale lately. I figured that by using a different instrument which is tuned differently and has a different sound, it will open up another dimension and give me more musical ideas, that it will give my music another dynamic and enhance my song writing skills. It could never hurt to try. So far so good. It’s a well spent 40 bucks as far as I’m concerned, no complaints here.
I got a Kohala from Guitar Center a few months ago for $40. I don’t know why everyone else has had bad experiences, but even with the factory strings still on, this thing sounds completely amazing. It has just the bright tone I wanted, and playing this compared to the others they had on display, I much preferred this one, (with one $200 exception that was out of my budget). I hadn’t even planned on getting a ukulele when I walked into that shop, but it’s taken over my life, including meeting a professional player who said the Kohala sounded just as good as his $350 professional model. Yes, the strings have trouble staying in tune BUT only for the first few weeks or so. Then I can leave the thing on the back seat of my car for days out of a case and it stays in tune perfectly (but that’s something that ALL new instruments/strings go through). It’s also very loud for it’s price range, which makes recording it a pleasure. Maybe one day I’ll upgrade, but I’ll do it with a heavy heart, cause this thing is pretty much perfect.
I picked up a Kohala to have as my “grab-n-go” uke (I have a concert kala but just wanted something cheap and portable i could take camping, throw in the car, etc.). First thing i did was replace the strings with Aquila strings (which made a HUGE improvement) and i’ve been kickin around with it ever since. it’s a great starter uke/uke to bum around with.
I started out playing these, and they’re one’s I don’t mind dinging up or experimenting with the guitar itself, but the sound is far from what all others sound like. To me, good beginner uke, but not one to perform out live with.
I just got one of these today. I like the tone and feel, but it does require constant tuning. I intend to use it as my “traveling” Uke to keep in the car and play at the beach or casual jam sessions. I keep the Mitchell uke at home for practice and recording.
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