Which should i get? KIWAYA laminated longneck or PONO solid mahogany

ht852

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Hi,

I came across an almost brand new pre-owned PONO full solid mahogany soprano uku and a KIWAYA KSU-1L soprano long neck uku. They both have similar satin finish. Both cost about the same.

The PONO deal seems good price for a solid uku and its reputable brand. However read the neck is bit beefier. (I love my koaloha's concert neck. Find ny kanilea concert neck too thin to play. But i am only 1 uku year old. So not sure about my own judgement. Play sing-along and strum as well as finger picking) And read that PONO soprano tend to be quieter.

The Kiwaya model has good review from gotaukulele. Also learn their overall quaility are generally good.

I am not particular whether it's solid or laminate. Looking for a soprano with nice tone, sustain and good playability that I'd enjoy to play. I am not able to try any of them as they are selling online abroad. What would u recommend? :) Thanks!
 
If you find your Kanile'a concert neck is too thin...

and if its neck carve is similar to that on my Kanile'a Islander tenor....

and if the Kiwaya KSU-1L has a similar neck carve to my Kiwaya KTC-1

- then my guess is you will not like the Kiwaya.

My Kiwaya's neck is substantially slimmer (front to back) than the neck on my Islander. Far slimmer than can be attributed to the size difference. Kiwaya makes wicked fast necks ... I love them!
 
Personally, I'd be looking at the long neck soprano, especially if you liked what you saw & heard on 'Got A Ukelele', (Baz says it how he finds it).

I found the concert scale better for picking tunes, & it will likely to have a bit more sustain.
 
I can't directly compare the two, but in my experiences, Kiwayas are great players and sound terrific. Playability and intonation are great. Their laminates sound better than many solid instruments out there.
 
A couple of months ago I ordered a Pono Mahogany soprano that had setup from the seller. I have a Koaloha concert. I could not stand the Pono (forced myself to play it for 15 minutes to give it a better test). It sounded way too soft (almost muted). But the worst thing was the intonation on the C scale was off on some of the notes especially the B note on the A string so any G chord sounded off and thuddy. Sent it back.

Kiwaya has been on my short list for sopranos, but I was able to get a Koaloha concert used and have not tried the Kiwaya in person. (The soprano is like a sibling to the concert) in sound and playability.
 
That made in China Kiwaya will be quite different than the those made in Japan. The laminate Kiwaya have a different neck profile than the solid wood ones, and I imagine the laminate made in China will have a different neck than either of the others. If you are expecting the made in China one to be similar to either a solid or laminate one made in Japan, I think you might be disappointed. It will be nothing like as nice as a solid wood one. I haven't any experience with Pono.
 
If you live in a dry climate, don't get the solid wood Pono, unless you vow to protect it. If the neck it too thick, you can always have a luthier take it down. Then you can have exactly the shape you want.
 
That made in China Kiwaya will be quite different than the those made in Japan. The laminate Kiwaya have a different neck profile than the solid wood ones, and I imagine the laminate made in China will have a different neck than either of the others. If you are expecting the made in China one to be similar to either a solid or laminate one made in Japan, I think you might be disappointed. It will be nothing like as nice as a solid wood one. I haven't any experience with Pono.

Teri has a good point here. The newer, lower priced Kiwaya laminates, KSU-1, KSU-1L and KCU-1, etc. are supposedly made in China, although I've heard reports that some may also be made in Japan. I tried a KCU-1 concert, ordered from Rakuten in Japan, but origin could not be determined, since there was no mention where it was made on the uke. The country of manufacture should always be shown, IMO. This was my first supposedly MIC uke that didn't have, at minimum, the little Made in China sticker on the back of the headstock; not sure why, I thought that was a law?

That uke was just OK, had blems, like the one in Baz's review (which I could live with), but did not have the good volume & tone like the one he reviewed. It was a disappointment, and went down the road. That particular uke was nowhere near the quality or sound of the 4 MIJ laminate Kiwaya/Famous ukes I've owned. Maybe I just got a dud, but the KSU-1L still has my interest, based on Baz's review.
 
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Out of the two, I'd always pick the Pono. I think they provide the best value, all of their instruments are made from solid wood with a very nice finish, you know where they come from (Indonesia), they are being supervised by the Kitakis family from Hawai'i who is one of the most experienced makers and sellers of ukes. However, I prefer the larger sizes (tenors and baritones) and to me, this is were Pono really shines. Still, the Pono concert I bought for a friend sounded almost as good as the Kanileas, Kamakas and KoAlohas I have had, and were built just as clean or even cleaner.
 
That made in China Kiwaya will be quite different than the those made in Japan. The laminate Kiwaya have a different neck profile than the solid wood ones, and I imagine the laminate made in China will have a different neck than either of the others. If you are expecting the made in China one to be similar to either a solid or laminate one made in Japan, I think you might be disappointed. It will be nothing like as nice as a solid wood one. I haven't any experience with Pono.

Hi Ziret, I live in Singapore where it has good humidity here. Solid wood instrument is easy maintain here. However, regarding reshaping the uku neck profile, I can approach most shops for professional set up. But having a luthier to thin down the neck of a ukulele, I might have to pay a bit for the service and find a very reliable store. Prefer not to buy a ukulele if that’s the trouble I might expect to resolve.
 
Teri has a good point here. The newer, lower priced Kiwaya laminates, KSU-1, KSU-1L and KCU-1, etc. are supposedly made in China, although I've heard reports that some may also be made in Japan. I tried a KCU-1 concert, ordered from Rakuten in Japan, but origin could not be determined, since there was no mention where it was made on the uke. The country of manufacture should always be shown, IMO. This was my first supposedly MIC uke that didn't have, at minimum, the little Made in China sticker on the back of the headstock; not sure why, I thought that was a law?

That uke was just OK, had blems, like the one in Baz's review (which I could live with), but did not have the good volume & tone like the one he reviewed. It was a disappointment, and went down the road. That particular uke was nowhere near the quality or sound of the 4 MIJ laminate Kiwaya/Famous ukes I've owned. Maybe I just got a dud, but the KSU-1L still has my interest, based on Baz's review.

Hi Ukecaster, thanks for sharing your experience. My concern is also I haven’t read enough to show that Kiwaya laminated uke sounds above average whether from Japan or China. The KSU-1L still attracts me too. But for now I am planning to buy wisely than widely (hoarding^^) .
 
Out of the two, I'd always pick the Pono. I think they provide the best value, all of their instruments are made from solid wood with a very nice finish, you know where they come from (Indonesia), they are being supervised by the Kitakis family from Hawai'i who is one of the most experienced makers and sellers of ukes. However, I prefer the larger sizes (tenors and baritones) and to me, this is were Pono really shines. Still, the Pono concert I bought for a friend sounded almost as good as the Kanileas, Kamakas and KoAlohas I have had, and were built just as clean or even cleaner.

HI Rakelele, totally agree with you for the reliable PONO. most comment that it's either good and above average. Just uncertain about the generally comment of the thick neck. But yes the brand itself is reliable. Why hesitate?! ^^
 
Happy New Year everyone! Thanks for the comments!

I still very attracted to the laminated Kiwaya model for the sound and feel that Baz described. But I haven’t come across enough positive reviews about it to convince me to spend on one. So I went for the highly reliable PONO. Received the uku. The neck profile does not bother me for now. I would like to play longer to reveal more. The fiction tuners and new strings are a pain everytime I play at the beginning. As the strings settled, it’s dead in tune with little adjustment needed. I still love fiction tuner for its minimal look and it’s stability  The sound and intonation is awesome. Definitely better than my dolphin soprano. I feel it’s as good as my Kanilea concert and Opio concert. Has to play longer to give much comment. 
 
Congratulations on your new uke, sounds awesome! Yes, friction tuners can be somewhat tricky to use. Turn the screw with a screwdriver gently to the right if you want it to hold better.
 
Congratulations on your newest acquisition!

They're both fine instruments. I've got a Pono Pro Classic and the Kiwaya KSU-1L. I have to say I prefer the tone of my substantially cheaper Kiwaya to my Pono.
 
If you live in a dry climate, don't get the solid wood Pono, unless you vow to protect it. If the neck it too thick, you can always have a luthier take it down. Then you can have exactly the shape you want.

How much do you think this would cost?
 
i think at least 50-100 usd? Anyone has an idea? Depsite having to find a trustable luither to take on the job.
 
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