Kiwaya KTS-5 Soprano

Not to divert the topic, but I always found Toyotas to be competent cars, but not terribly fun or inspiring. Maybe the Mazda analogy works somewhat better, as they have more style, are well built and fun to drive. Lots of spunk and character.

I'm glad to own a Kiwaya KTS-5. After I purchased the Kiwaya, I sold all other Soprano-Ukuleles and I never regret it!
Your review is excellent and I agree with every single statement.
Thank you for your work and I hope the Kiwayas now get the attention they deserve!

I had a KTC-1 and I'm sorry I sold it. I needed more frets [like the KTC-2]. I really want their tenor[they do make them] but RARE and spendy
http://www.theukulelesite.com/kiwaya-kmt-k-master-series-koa-tenor.html
http://www.fernandezmusic.com/Kiwaya_Ukuleles.html

I love the KS-5 that I got from Baz in the Marketplace. Sounds and looks great even though it is 'only' a laminate.

That's one of the very best laminates you will find ANYWHERE

EDW said:

Perhaps some may be reluctant to drop the money. I also don't get why some would have a stable of medium quality instruments rather than one really nice one such as this. I do believe that the Kiwayas are a great bargain as they are amazing quality in all respects. You get what you pay for and then some. I have had some custom luthier made instruments that I did not think came close to these.

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I agree and I am guilty of this general idea of avoiding amassing a stable of Ukes that could be replaced by less or even a single uke higher up the ladder in terms of price/quality. But that's a can of worms as well. The debate gets into varying areas such as price to quality/sound ratios (subjective?) and one area, for me, is that I wouldn't want just one high priced say a >$1K uke to have to exclusively use, especially for taking out to jams and subjecting it to possible damage. Far more comfortable using a lower priced uke for certain places. Also the selections at the higher end can become a more daunting selection process in terms of committing to one over another, unless you are specifically after a particular make/model.

As for Kiwaya, I owned a KTS-4 and merely sold it to make room for other purchases. In hindsight, it deserves to be in my collection right now for the type of uke that appeals to me. And yes, high quality, competitively priced offer an above average value for the money spent with Kiwaya. But in particular, the KTS-4 price point brings on the conundrum of being able to select some quite other worthy makes and models too. So where does it end? It's like that old Tootsie Pop TV commercial with the wise old owl and how many lick does it take to get to the center...?: "The World may never know".

I first met Kiwaya ukes at Dusty Strings in Seattle a couple weeks ago. I have an eye for quality - not always a good thing ($$$) - and I homed right in on the Kiwayas up on the wall. They had a couple sopranos and I really liked their understated good looks and sound. I didn't buy one because I already have an Islander soprano with more frets. Another locally-owned music store has a base Kanile'a soprano for ~$725, and that one really is tempting, but instead I went for a Kanile'a koa concert on order (bc I already have tenor and soprano ukes and a bunch of other instruments).