Timms Style O vrs Kiwaya KTS-4 Soprano

jksk8in

jksk8in

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Neck Profile on a Timms Style O vrs Kiwaya KTS-4 Soprano

Greetings!

I hope this topic hasn't been beaten to death, however I've done a search and come up short on findings.

Wondering if anyone has played and compared a Timms Style O soprano to a Kiwaya KTS-4? I'm mainly concerned with any differences in nut width and neck profiles.

I currently own a Kiwaya KTS-4 soprano. Despite set up and intonation being spot on, I find it difficult to play certain pieces requiring fast finger work cleanly. This does not seem to pose issues with any other soprano ukes I've owned. I measured the Kiwaya nut, and it appears a hair over 1 3/8 inches. The neck profile is extremely thin and flat; a bit different from my other ukes with standard nut widths and slightly chunkier profiles, i.e; Mya-Moe, Mainland, Pono. Not sure if it's the slightly wider nut, or the thinner neck profile, but the Kiwaya definitely feels different!

Thinking of purchasing a Timms, but having not played one, I have obvious concerns of similarity with the Kiwaya. If anyone has played both, I'd surely appreciate your thoughts of comparison. Thanks!
 
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I have a KTS-4 and a few Martins and the kiwaya has a lower action than the Martins. I have to assume the Timms has similar action to the Martins.
I prefer the higher action on the Martin compared to the Kiwaya .
 
I'm curious about the differences in weight. The Kiwayas are famously light weight so I assume that the Timms must be a little heavier but I don't know that.
 
Pukulele Pete said:
I have a KTS-4 and a few Martins and the kiwaya has a lower action than the Martins. I have to assume the Timms has similar action to the Martins.
I prefer the higher action on the Martin compared to the Kiwaya .
Click to expand...

I agree. The action on the Kiwaya is incredibly low! I find I have to adjust my playing accordingly.
 
pluck said:
I'm curious about the differences in weight. The Kiwayas are famously light weight so I assume that the Timms must be a little heavier but I don't know that.
Click to expand...

Someone posted a thread on soprano weights here once upon a time. As I recall, the Timms was heavier than Kiwaya; both with peg heads AND regular tuners installed.
 
I'd be suprised if any uke was lighter than a KTS-4 . I remember reading here on UU That someone here with a KTS-4 put a piece of business card under the saddle to increase
the action but I'm not sure how well that worked out. I've thought about making a new nut but the uke is so perfect in workmanship that I'd hate to fool with it.
 
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Ken Timms provides much better pictures on his ebay listings than any of the Kiwaya dealers do on their web pages. Not even close. If I actually had $500 I wouldn't have it for long. Guess I'm a sucker for a pretty picture.
 
Talking about weights is splitting hairs really. They're both superlight. As for playability and smoothness of the neck; the Timms is so fast you need a handbrake. :p
 
LOL talking about apples and oranges....personal preference accounts for individual tastes....
 
Back to the topic at hand. My original inquiry wasn't of personal preference persay, but whether or not anyone has played both ukes and could comment on the similarities or differences in neck profile and nut width.
 
I have not played a Kiwaya but I did own a Timms. Great little uke. If there are any ukes I regret selling this would be the one. The action was super duper low and i preferred it to all of the martins I have played (vintage or new). And generally it was incredibly easy to play. But I did think the nut was very thin so landing four finger chords cleanly was a bit tough for me sometimes. Somehow the nut width seemed even smaller than other ukes I have played even though both were supposedly 1 3/8".
 
dirtiestkidever said:
I have not played a Kiwaya but I did own a Timms. Great little uke. If there are any ukes I regret selling this would be the one. The action was super duper low and i preferred it to all of the martins I have played (vintage or new). And generally it was incredibly easy to play. But I did think the nut was very thin so landing four finger chords cleanly was a bit tough for me sometimes. Somehow the nut width seemed even smaller than other ukes I have played even though both were supposedly 1 3/8".
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing! Interestingly, a thinner or standard nut is my preference! Despite the Kiwaya nut being a hair over 1 3/8 inch, it feels "wider" to me; almost as if I'm playing a Kanilea with a 1.5 inch nut! Couldn't determine if it was the thin neck profile or the nut itself, but it's definitely taken some getting used to! Oh well, looks like a Timms purchase will be in my not so distant future!
 
I have the experience of playing both. A couple of years ago I missed out on a Timms on eBay for the umpteenth time and decided to buy a KTS-4. Later I sold it. I regretted that immensely and last year I had the opportunity to finally buy a Timms.
They are extremely close! I also compared them to a couple of old Martins. Again, extremely close!
I prefer the Timms because of the beautiful French polish finish, but the Kiwaya in real life is prettier than the pictures show. Sound wise I think the Timms has a little more bark and volume, but again: so, so close.

You can't go wrong with either of them. I prefer the Timms because I like the thought that Ken made it in his shed instead of luthiers I don't know in a fancy workshop in Japan.
 
Not sure if this helps, but I own a KTS-4 and noticed that the frets are much thinner with a lower profile than any other modern ukulele that I have played. The frets are designed to match vintage Martins, as new Martins use much larger frets than these. I find that I need to change my playing style when switching from a different soprano to the Kiwaya, in that I need to add a little more pressure when I push down on the strings to get the notes to play cleanly. The action is low, and the neck is very comfortable, but because of the low-profile frets, it does feel and play differently than other sopranos. That said, I absolutely love this uke and will never make the mistake of selling it!!
 
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we tigers said:
...You can't go wrong with either of them. I prefer the Timms because I like the thought that Ken made it in his shed instead of luthiers I don't know in a fancy workshop in Japan.
Click to expand...

Great to hear your perspective and how close they are in terms of sound for you. I have owned/played Kiwaya but not Timms (yet; on my list).

Thought you'd get a kick out of these posts below. I don't know that the workshops are all that different, when you get down to it.

Mr. Timms:
https://youtu.be/vqRbjMqlWFs

T's Guitars (who make Kiwayas):
https://youtu.be/-fqMKfVcmb8

Regards, Eddie
 
Thought I'd revisit this thread after now acquiring a Timms this past month. As we tigers mentioned, the two ukes are very similar indeed! I've had a chance to spend a bit of time inspecting and playing both side by side. Nut width, string spacing and neck profile are identical, with the Timms definitely exhibiting more bark and volume. Brian hit the nail on the head as to the low profile fret-wire on the Kiwaya requiring a little less pressure and attack when fretting. Without ever playing a vintage Martin, I didn't have anything to go on as to what was different about the KTS-4, but this is definitely it! One couldn't go wrong with either instrument, however for my playing style being a bit heavy handed, I think I prefer the Timms. Thanks to all for your comments and input. Cheers!
 
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