There is a Kiwaya KS-0 for sale near me. I thought it might make a nice entry level uke. It would be great to hear some feedback from anyone who has owned or played one.
I greatly enjoy the Kiwaya Thinline series. It is the "go to" uke for WS64 on Youtube (in case you want to hear it); it has a thinner body profile and headstock than other Kiwayas. It has micro-geared tuners that work very wel, and take up less space than friction tuners (although I adore friction tuners in general). They do have ideal intonation. They are Kiwaya laminate, which is the best, as you may know. And, to top it all off, they are less expensive than the Kiwaya 5 (I think) by around a hundred bucks. I owned one, sold it, then wished I didn;t, then repurchased one from a UU member/friend. I love it to death!
Howdy. I have a Kiwaya KS-0P, the pineapple version, and I love it. My KS-0P has a lovely, mellow sound, excellent intonation, it's comfortable to play, and easy to tune. I love it. Oh, I said that already. I picked up my KS-0P used in my area, and it's been one of my favorite ukes ever since.
There was a Kiwaya KS-0P used in a shop I visited a few months back. Played it and liked the sound/playability a lot. Wasn't on a "buying" trip, so didn't get it. thought about it for a week and realized how much I wanted it. Too late. Gone.
When I couldn't find the KS-0 anywhere in th US, I ordered the Famous FS-0 version from a dealer on the Rakuten Japan site. Price was great even with shipping. Seems to be the same Uke but sold in Japan under the Famous brand.
Strings are cheap. Try several different ones -- they can make a big difference. And not all strings sound good on all ukes and vice-versa. While I'm not a fan of Martin strings, plenty of people are. Southcoast, Fremont Blacklines, Aquila Reds, Living Water and Oasis are the brands I use most frequently.
Can confirm that if you go thru the Japanese Rakuten website you can get FAMOUS brand ukulele's for cheaper than Kiwaya's. Both are super-great / lightweight / have great intonation. I got a Famous FS-5 from Amazon and really like it
When I couldn't find the KS-0 anywhere in th US, I ordered the Famous FS-0 version from a dealer on the Rakuten Japan site. Price was great even with shipping. Seems to be the same Uke but sold in Japan under the Famous brand.