Kiwaya KTS-6K Koa!

This is a new old stock solid koa Kiwaya soprano ukulele modeled after the Martin 2K. Very rare! Kiwaya has not made these for years and is not planning on making more per my discussion with them. The serial # is 022 making it an early one.

Specifications: Solid koa body, solid mahogany neck with 17 fret rosewood fingerboard, ivoroid top & back binding, rosewood bridge with ebony saddle, deluxe Gotoh nickel friction pegs with white buttons, made in Japan.

Action, setup and intonation are spot-on...just as you would expect from Kiwaya. Fit and finish is outstanding. The koa is stunning with the very smooth satin finish.

I just found this at a store online and the retailer failed to mention two flaws and is refusing returns or compensation for repair. This has left a bitter feeling and I would rather sell than be reminded of it.

#1 - there is a small ding on the back side of the neck at the 7th fret closer to the treble side. You would probably never feel it due to the location.

#2 - between the sound hold and bridge the seam between the 2 bookmatched pieces of koa are seperating. It is not a crack just a seperation between the 2 top pieces. Very repairable...I just wanted to present the uke in this condition so the buyer could choose if or who they want to reglue it. In the meantime the uke is being rehydrated and the string tension is loosened. Even tuned to pitch there is no further separation or dipping in the sound boards.

Kiwaya owners will know how rare it is to come across the mahogany version of the KTS-6 which retails for $855. I'm not sure how to price this one so I am open to offers. Satisfaction guaranteed minus shipping. E-mail for phone # or more pics.

two more pics...one close up on the separation and one of the koa headstock. buyer will have two days to inspect and make sure ukulele was exactly as described and the issues described are correct. kiwaya recommended a couple places to reglue the top....McCabes and Dusty Strings. I spoke to them and the estimate was $50-100 to rehydrate and glue. I'm sure there are many others that could do this work...I just don't know any local to me so I would ship it off.

wow...weird placement of pics. also, it never puts them in the order that I think I chose. I need to learn how to post pics in the body of the message like I've seen others do.

I own a KTS-6 in mahogany and absolutely love it. It is at my office where I can grab it if I have free time (which I sometimes do). I can vouch for the amazing quality of this instrument. I also own a KTS-7 which I keep at home. To be honest, the KTS-6 is my preferred (partly because it is not as expensive as the KTS-7). Whoever ends up with this instrument will be one happy uker!!!

Allen

Dmace, are you in the Seattle area? I may be interested, maybe some trade deal too. Would be interesting to check out in person if you are local. Thx

Mouthy1 said:

Dmace, are you in the Seattle area? I may be interested, maybe some trade deal too. Would be interesting to check out in person if you are local. Thx

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Sorry Mouthy...I'm in CA. If you've ever seen the high-end Kiwaya's before then you'll have a good idea of what you're getting into. This one is no different minus what I've described and it is koa!

I saw on Kiwaya's site that they still list a koa model...I think it's called the master series and it's a little more decorative like a Martin Style 3 and it lists for $1395! I think MGM has had 1 or 2 of these before.

shrink9 said:

To be honest, the KTS-6 is my preferred (partly because it is not as expensive as the KTS-7).

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I wonder why they don't make more of these...we see mostly 4's, 5's and some 7's. Maybe all of the 6's stay in Japan.

So how much is it for sale for?

Would you be interested in any trades? I am getting bored with my collection of 14! Ukes. I would think about my honu concert rope koa, acacia tenor maybr throw in a soprano tangi? I love em all but I have a short attention span.

Who was the retailer who wouldn't allow you to return it?

strumsilly said:

So how much is it for sale for?

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same question from me too...

Hi Mouthy, sorry none of those float my boat....

Regarding price, I was honestly unsure how to price it. I've probably sold 20+ ukes on UU and they all been somewhat new and free of issues and not rare or pontentially collectable. This Kiwaya is opposite. I guess I would hope around $650 w/ free shipping. PM with any offers...Thx!

Gotcha, sounds like u have some interest so I am sure you will be fine. Good luck!

What a cool looking uke!

Nice looking uke- Kiwayas are awesome!

Lucky to be the current and happy owner of this beautiful uke! What an awesome instrument.

I own the master series all koa tenor ukulele, from Elderly, and it is slightly more decorated with the Martin 3k styling (stripe down fretboard) but is otherwise just like yours but tenor size, d-mace.

I can vouch for this being one absolutely lovely ukulele. I adore Kiwaya brand. I can also vouch for the current retail price of the master series. for instance see this link from Elderly:
http://elderly.com/new_instruments/items/KMC-K.htm

and this one:
http://elderly.com/new_instruments/items/KTS7.htm

So, koa concert is $1600+(!), and soprano mahogany is $1000+(!).

So, I think you have it priced to sell, d-mace. Aggressively low...anyone on the fence willing to pay a few bucks to fix the split is getting an absolute bargain.

Steve

smiler said:

Lucky to be the current and happy owner of this beautiful uke! What an awesome instrument.

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Glad to hear you are enjoying the uke. That really is a sweet sounding Instrument.

Hey d-mace, did you ever sell your KTS-6K? Any idea where I might find one these days? Thanks

Is this the "Twilight Zone"??

Where do you people come up with these old friggin' posts??