AVAILABLE: Kiwaya KPC-1M all solid Mahogany concert

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danersen

danersen

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Kiwaya KPC-1M all solid Mahogany concert

Having acquired a Kiwaya KTC-3 concert, this Kiwaya KPC-1M concert is now surplus and needs a new home. This is an exceptional intermediate-level all solid Mahogany concert that has served me very well.

Link to photos taken March 1st:https://photos.app.goo.gl/f2fnBdqpM8deSis88

Please note the photos with the blue circle and the two blue arrows pointing to two hairline surface cracks. I discovered them quite by accident some months ago. I don’t know when they initially formed. They are located in the upper bass bout and do not extend through to the inside of the body. After consulting Edward Dick, maker of Victor Guitars and owner of Colorado School of Lutherie, I decided to leave them alone and they have remained stable and unchanged.

The ukulele has no other issues.
Current strings are Aquila Reds (86U) with wound low G.
Will ship in a generic ABS case.

$325 final sale for ukulele, case, and shipping to USA address.

contact: danersen at gmail or PM, here.


From the Elderly website, here: https://www.elderly.com/products/kiwaya-strummer-series-kpc-1m-mahogany-concert-ukulele

Simple appointments and built light to sound great. All solid mahogany with a mahogany neck, Rosewood fingerboard (with side dots) and bridge, Gotoh geared tuners, glossy finish, flourocarbon strings. 19 frets, 14 clear of body. Nut width 1.47". Nicely made by the oldest uke company in Japan. Available by special order.








 
Does anyone know how this series fits in the Kiwaya line or what distinguishes it from the usual Kiwaya ukes out there?
 
EDW said:
Does anyone know how this series fits in the Kiwaya line or what distinguishes it from the usual Kiwaya ukes out there?
Click to expand...

I've always wondered, too.
 
Kiwaya concerts are hard to find. I played one of these at Dusty Strings in Seattle and regret not getting it at the time. This is a great deal if you don’t mind the two small cracks. Low Action. Quality stuff
 
Replying in reverse order of posts.

Elderly
Properly set up
This Is a wonderful ukulele for any player who isn’t inclined toward a custom build or already have their sights on a particular model.

Yes, this is a great deal given the nominal and stable state of the cracks.
Any current treatment would be surface as the cracks are not all the way through.
If that happens, a $50-$75 cleat job would likely be all that is required.
The cracks are there, however, so the disclosure and selling price reflect that.

My recollection is that the KP series was the intermediate model alternative to the Master series at the time.
The Master series convention was KMx-K or KMx-M at the time.
I seem to recall that the KP series were also referred to as Artist models.
The KT series seems to have replaced or supplemented the KP series which according to the Elderly listing is now by special order (see link in original post)
Not knowing what is meant by the “usual Kiwaya ukes out there” I can’t make any other comparisons beyond mentioning that this one is a much higher quality than the entry level Famous lines that Kiwaya now offers.
If I recall anything more, I’ll update this post.
 
Last edited:
Thanks. I should have been specific, I meant compared to the KTC.

I think these came out much after the KTC line and were less expensive. You have a KTC (I do too), how would you compare them? If you have time to answer. It's very pretty and I bet it sounds great.

danersen said:
Replying in reverse order of posts.

Elderly
Properly set up
This Is a wonderful ukulele for any player who isn’t inclined toward a custom build or already have their sights on a particular model.

Yes, this is a great deal given the nominal and stable state of the cracks.
Any current treatment would be surface as the cracks are not all the way through.
If that happens, a $50-$75 cleat job would likely be all that is required.
The cracks are there, however, so the disclosure and selling price reflect that.

My recollection is that the KP series was the intermediate model alternative to the Master series at the time.
The Master series convention was KMx-K or KMx-M at the time.
I seem to recall that the KP series were also referred to as Artist models.
The KT series seems to have replaced or supplemented the KP series which according to the Elderly listing is now by special order (see link in original post)
Not knowing what is meant by the “usual Kiwaya ukes out there” I can’t make any other comparisons beyond mentioning that this one is a much higher quality than the entry level Famous lines that Kiwaya now offers.
If I recall anything more, I’ll update this post.
Click to expand...
 
Perhaps, this will shed some light ...

Looking at archive web pages, KTC-1M and KPC-1-M appear to be comparably priced in the low-to-mid $700’s. The frets-to-body, tuners and the fret markers are different in the photos available.
KTC = 12 frets to body, friction tuners, center fret board dots, and no side markers
KPC = 14 frets to body, geared tuners, small offset fretboard dots and side markers


From Mass Street Music Web Page... Note the reference to 2012 NAMM
This Kiwaya KTC-1 Concert Uke has a solid Mahogany body and sounds amazing, recalling the best of vintage Martin ukes. Our boss Jim B. fell in love with these at the 2012 NAMM show and we're proud to carry them. This really has that vintage vibe, is beautifully crafted with attention to detail and is a really fantastic player. It has a Rosewood fretboard, and Deluxe Gotoh tuners, as well.

  • Body: Solid Mahogany
  • Frets: 12
  • Fingerboard: Rosewood
  • Tuners: Deluxe Gotoh
  • Case: Case not included

From The Ukulele Site Web Page...
KIWAYA SOLID MAHOGANY CONCERT PACKAGE

This is a vintage-style 12-fret mahogany concert from the wonderful crafsmen at Kiwaya. We love the classic tone and feel. It features a warm, sweet tone, a smooth satin finish, Gotoh's top-of-the-line friction tuners

From Elderly Music Web Page...
 KPC1M
Simple appointments and built light to sound great. All solid mahogany with a mahogany neck, Ebony fingerboard (with side dots) and bridge, Gotoh geared tuners, glossy finish, flourocarbon strings. 19 frets, 14 clear of body. Nut width 1.47". Nicely made by the oldest uke company in Japan.

 
Ooh... I’ll take that off your hands.
 
EDW said:
Does anyone know how this series fits in the Kiwaya line or what distinguishes it from the usual Kiwaya ukes out there?
Click to expand...

From what I can gather, Kiwaya has 4 basic lines which are available in the US

Eco - Japanese made using high quality laminated woods, such as KS-4
Artist - all solid woods in vintage designs, such as KTS-4, KTC-1, etc.
Strummer - all solid woods in modern designs, such as the uke offered here
Student - Chinese made laminate ukes, such as KSU-1
 
Swamp Yankee said:
From what I can gather, Kiwaya has 4 basic lines which are available in the US

Eco - Japanese made using high quality laminated woods, such as KS-4
Artist - all solid woods in vintage designs, such as KTS-4, KTC-1, etc.
Strummer - all solid woods in modern designs, such as the uke offered here
Student - Chinese made laminate ukes, such as KSU-1
Click to expand...

Don't forget the Master Series, and they also list a K-Series. I don't see any reference to a Strummer Series in this link, but it appears the KPC concerts and KPT tenors are part of the Strummer Series. Elderly has some.

https://gigaplus.makeshop.jp/kiwaya/english/html/export-products.html
 
Last edited:
Every Kiwaya or Famous uke that I’ve played has been well worth the cost. I highly recommend them. They’ve all been nicely setup right out the box. Congratulations to whoever swooped this up
 
Ukecaster said:
Don't forget the Master Series, and they also list a K-Series.
Click to expand...

Ooops! You’re right. I forgot the Master series!
There’s a lot of confusing information out there regarding Kiwaya, but yeah, their distributor in the US, Takumi, doesn’t even mention the Strummers, yet they’ve been available in the US for years.
 
Getting your head around all the Kiwaya models is a pain as, indeed, their website doesn't really list everything they have to offer. For example, they don't have the student series there at all, and most of the concert and all of the tenors are absent as well. The website mostly lists all the Martin clones they make but not the ones that are more distinctly their own brand, most easily recognised by their signature headstock and the way they position the fretmarkers (like on the KPC-1M).

Congrats on the purchase, btw. In my opinion, Kiwaya is probably the best uke brand across all the price ranges. Cheap laminate, quality laminate, solid woods ranging from around $500 up to quite exorbitant amounts of money. All of which are superb instruments. Such a fantastic company.
 
I would guess that the parent company Takumi, is undergoing a strategy change for some of their ukulele offerings.

Since their luthier has retired, Takumi brand ukuleles are no longer being made or sold. Meaning Kiwaya Ukuleles will become Takumi's primary brand of ukuleles.

Most likely, LoPrinzi, DaSilva & Fremont will remain pretty much the same.
 
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