Ukecaster
Well-known member
Got a mint used FS-0 recently, these are the Kiwaya/Famous budget line, laminate mahogany, thin body (only 1.5 thick), some call them travel ukes. These things punch way above their weight class IMO. In my short uke journey, I've tried sopranos in solid koa, laminate koa, solid spruce/ovangkol and solid cedar/rosewood, still have the koas. I like the tone of this one best of all sopranos I've tried so far: just warm and woody, I guess that's the mahogany soprano sound. I probably should have started with mahogany. But wow, this one has way more volume than I expected. It sounds much like the Kiwaya KS-0 Youtube videos of some of our members. It's hard to believe that such big, great tones can come from such a thin little uke. As expected from Kiwaya, the fit/finish and action are top notch, and it's really fun to play this one. It's the perfect uke for quiet solo play, sweet sweet tones without bothering anyone nearby, but plenty of volume if you dig in. It is quickly becoming my favorite uke. Same 37mm nut width as other Kiwaya/Famous ukes, allowing more accurate fingering for me. This one came with the original thin gigbag that it shipped in from Japan, talk about portable! I could easily stash this in a suitcase. Not sure what strings are on it, looks like flourocarbon of some sort, but they ring and sound sweet. Happy camper so far.
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