Lanikai S-TEQ Spruce Series Tenor Acoustic Electric Ukulele Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a review for the Lanikai S-TEQ Spruce Series Tenor Acoustic Electric Ukulele
Basic features:
-Hohner (Made in China).
-18 frets on rosewood fretboard.
-Solid spruce top with mahogany back and sides.
-Active pickup.
-Tenor cutaway.
-Geared tuners.
When I received the package, I was pleasantly surprised how well the unit was packed: A box within a box, and lots of paper cushion/support. Inside the second box, more cardboard and plastic-balloon padding.
It looks are pleasing to the eye. I was a bit hesitant to get a production instrument from China, but fortunately this particular instrument did not disappoint me. The finish is nice and clean, there were no obvious blemishes, and the build seems solid enough. Inside the soundhole, I can see a bit of carelessness (excess glue in one area of the bindings) but not visible and does not affect the sound. The cutaway feature is... okay... not really something I care about (this is my only uke that has a cutaway body), but it is there for those who do care and want/need it.
There was no buzzing at all, and the frets were nice and polished. It came with Aquilla Nylgut (hi-G) strings, so I didn't have to change them out. The action is lower than I anticipated, so I didn't have to adjust anything. I checked the intonation, and the 2nd-4th strings were pretty much spot on, but the 1st string was a good 20 cents flat on the 12th fret. Because the other strings were in tune on the 12th fret, I speculated that it might have been an issue of the string itself. I changed out the first string, and lo-and-behold... tuned right on A.
The sound is very punchy and bright, due mainly to the strings and the solid spruce top. I tried both the standard (hi-G) and the low-G tuning, and for this instrument I like the hi-G tuning better. I use this as my beater/travel ukulele.
The electronics are decent, but for the price point (about $250) it is a very good electric uke. My only gripe is the 9v battery, and tells me that this is an older unit (pre-2008) with the Belcat UK2000 preamp, because all the new Hohner ukes made 2008 and after comes with the Shadow JW2 preamp (and Nanoflex pickup) which uses the smaller 3v coin battery. Not too big of an issue, but it is still a difference.
Overall, for the price this is a decent acoustic/electric ukulele. I prefer my solid koas, but when I go out to a picnic or anywhere I do not feel comfortable bringing my solid wood ukes, I bring this baby along. Highly recommended.
UPDATE: I've had several inquiries regarding the strings and the electronics that comes with this ukulele. It seems that some vendors ship out with the GHS strings, which are one of the worse strings to use on this particular uke. Also, it seems that some of the units are configure with the older Belcat preamp, and some have the Shadow preamp. If the vendor is listed by Amazon, I would suggest to contact them prior to placing the order. Have the vendors email you the specs, so that if there are questions when you receive the item, you can refer back to the email correspondence.

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