Lanikai
SOT-6

OK the back story for this Ukulele and its invitation; it's coming from the same seller in Germany who is selling the LU2-8 as well. Basically what happened was the seller put up 3 Lanikai multi-string Tenors, this one, the LU2-8 and a Lanikai SOT-8e, (the Taropatch in this range), all with a starting price of 1€ Now the SOT-8 was up first which was nice, probable the best of the three, (certainly the most expensive), and if I was only going to get one that would have been the best, but as there was no guarantee I would get any and no reason why I couldn't bid on all three I did. Of course with this tactic I could have ended up with all three, this wouldn't have been that disastrous but I didn't really want two Lanikai Taropatch Tenors, nor did I really want the Taropatch and the Lili'u from the same range; so the best outcome was to get the LU2-8 and this one; and this is exactly what has happened. Not quite the plain sailing though as I came second in the auction for this one. I was out sniped by 1€, (and that is always a bitter pill to swallow but "c'est la vie"), by the person who also won the auction for the SOT-8e and I don't know what happened, maybe they didn't cancel the second snipe having won the first, maybe they just changed their mind, (they didn't bid on the LU2-8?) Whatever the reason when I logged on today I found that I was getting a second chance offer for this, (and this was a bit lucky on my part because, with the disappointment of yesterday I didn't bother logging on until late and when I found I had got the second chance it was going to expire in 45 minutes!) Well whatever reason the original winner had, I was still up for two, especially as it was the two I wanted the most, so I said yes straight away and sent off the invite to Ukulele Corner.

Now it's here and it too is very beautiful, if anything even more beautiful than the LU2-8 Taropatch. But then it is part of a higher spec, more expensive range so it should be. What it is, is a nice spruce top with abalone rosette and binding, (very pretty), and an okume back and sides. I don't know okume as a wood and I don't have any other Ukuleles made with it but from this example it's a very pretty wood  a bit like maple but slightly more golden in hue, and with grain patterns to compete with the finest flame maple; as I say very pretty. It's got a good tone as well, the spruce top does make it very different from the Ashbury AU-68 and the Lanikai LU2-8 Taropatch. Obviously as a spruce top it's more trebly but the low A string does mellow out the sometimes strident tone from a spruce top. Once again, as its new I need to let the strings stretch and settle quite a bit before I can give it a real go, but it's still fun to play with and I'm very glad I invited it.