I have the tenor version of this uke, and absolutely love it! I agree, the wider nut width & flat neck profile are super comfortable. Thanks for another great review!
I am in Tokyo, Asakusa, stumbled across a small ukulele shop in a quiet neighbourhood, went in and bought a soprano ukulele for my son. Knew nothing about Kiwaya, it sounds great.
I do love the sound of this. I have a Kiwaya long neck soprano from their student series that I bought second hand just as something to didle on so I didn't keep leaning so heavily on my Ko'Aloha l/neck and found its tone surprisingly good and it's just so playable. Have to say every Kiwaya I've seen or played has that instant playability that shines head and shoulders above just about anything else. I'm looking for a tenor version next ... 🤣
I would love a soprano version but this ukulele is fantastic. All I can say is I love it! Thanks Barry for a reviewing this one..a real company that knows how to make a ukulele….have a great week…. DOC
Beautiful instrument! I can’t justify buying anything new right now - just bought a new Bonanza for Christmas/birthday - but it was a treat to see and hear.
For the price they are asking in the USA (nearly $1,000 for concert and north of $2,000 for tenor at Elderly Instruments) I would expect and insist upon a solid neck.
@@GotAUkulele true enough. But I suspect it’s possible to achieve that with a one-piece neck. I prefer that to height-adjustable tuners. After all, I can change my break angle by the manner in which I wind my strings.
A real quality instrument all round. I hear the resonance coming through on this one. I think in most cases the Japanese are renowned for their quality products. You have reviewed many ukuleles and occasionally there are some brands that get it right too in all areas. Nice review.
Relatively expensive i'd say - when Hawaiian ukes are $1000 plus and even some Chinese - £800 for a Japanese made uke is a bit of a deal I think - in the scheme of things of course
I dig mahogany! Very nice instrument! Close to perfection! The price! Fair! Pay for quality!! oh … THANK YOU Matt @ WORLD OF UKES and also all donators supporting GOT A UKE?
I find it a bit odd that they didn't color match the wood for the neck joint when it comes to a pretty fancy uke like this but otherwise it seems amazing. Thanks for the great review.
I have a few Millar that look and sound beautiful, but none of my ukes come close to my Kiwaya in term of build quality, attention to detail in the construction and design, and more importantly that sound is so soulful, beautiful, precise and dynamic!
Just like to add that due to your excellent review and sound samples here, I too have ordered one of these from Mike! He should give you a commission!!
I have a Famous (their low-end line?) soprano, and it has the same joint st the head. Looking at it closer I think they might do it just so the grain pattern looks good both on the neck and the headstock. I love my Famous, by the way, and now I wish I could afford this one as well...
Do you think changing the strings to the Worth browns helped the overall sound or changed it from the original sound? I've never tried Worth strings. What do you think about them?
@@GotAUkulele thanks. Next time one of my ukes needs a string change I'll get a set of Worth and try them out. I usually use Martin fluorocarbons, but a change might be in order. If I change to a low G, would I have to modify the nut?
@@GotAUkulele still boggles my mind at how some of these models don’t come with cases. Koaloha does not offer a case either. I mean at that price point they could even hide the cost of a case. If koaloha charged me $1289, rather than the $1229 I paid, to cover the cost of a case, that extra $60 isn’t gonna be the deal breaker 🤷🏽
I'm really not trying to be cynical of your reviews, I do enjoy watching them, but why do you care so much about whether the heel and neck are one piece or not? If the instrument has a good sound then why should it matter? I personally wouldn't mind seeing a more decorative heel (just not anything over-the-top).
@@juliespeaksout Largely. But then, when a maker CAN make a joint invisible I think it's valid for me to point out that they failed to do that here. You could say the same about any part of an instrument. But to clarify - I don't care 'so much' it's just a very small detail. The uke got a 9.3!!
@@GotAUkulele I really wasn't talking about this particular uke. It's a very nice instrument. I was only asking about your practice, in general, of pointing out whether the neck and heel are two separate pieces or not. I particularly do not consider it a measure of quality.
@@juliespeaksout I never said it was - purely a visual thing. If a tuner was put on wonky it wouldn't affect the tone of the instrument, but I'd still mention it.
