I ordered this from Japan and received it Friday. It has had about 10 hours of play time and new Oasis Warm strings, otherwise in new condition. In Japan, this line from Kiwaya is labeled Famous. It's identical to the Kiwaya KS-5, which is very well reviewed, see Baz's review here. Also see one of several threads of the subject here.
This is the very thin eco Koa laminate from Kiwaya that, according to Barry and others, sounds nearly or actually identical to the real thing. Which brings us to my problem, apparently I don't like Koa very much. Or perhaps the competition with my mahogany Kiwaya KTS-6 (it's also much more expensive) is too great. At any rate, I don't like this as much as the 6, and know I won't play it. I have friends on this board and elsewhere who prefer their KS-5s to KTS-4, 5, and 6, and I was excited to try it, but my tastes aren't the saem.
Learn from my mistake: Maybe you'll get exactly what you want when you order from someone other than the the usual vendors, maybe you won't. Maybe they'll be great about returns, maybe they won't. In my case, they weren't. They are charging return postage to Japan, which is within the realm of fair, plus a large restocking fee. Therefore, I'd lose more sending it back then selling it here at a discount. It's listed at HMS for $369, you can read their (glowing) review, too. I paid $282 shipped. I would like $260, also shipped to the continental US.
This is the very thin eco Koa laminate from Kiwaya that, according to Barry and others, sounds nearly or actually identical to the real thing. Which brings us to my problem, apparently I don't like Koa very much. Or perhaps the competition with my mahogany Kiwaya KTS-6 (it's also much more expensive) is too great. At any rate, I don't like this as much as the 6, and know I won't play it. I have friends on this board and elsewhere who prefer their KS-5s to KTS-4, 5, and 6, and I was excited to try it, but my tastes aren't the saem.
Learn from my mistake: Maybe you'll get exactly what you want when you order from someone other than the the usual vendors, maybe you won't. Maybe they'll be great about returns, maybe they won't. In my case, they weren't. They are charging return postage to Japan, which is within the realm of fair, plus a large restocking fee. Therefore, I'd lose more sending it back then selling it here at a discount. It's listed at HMS for $369, you can read their (glowing) review, too. I paid $282 shipped. I would like $260, also shipped to the continental US.
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