My Kiwaya KS-0 thin ecoline soprano is ideally fitted, frets easily with low action, I have no intonation issues, and the seams are flawless. It is high density laminate and sounds like soldi. I have tow solid ukes that do not sound as good as this Kiwaya. My only niggles are that the sound is a tad shallow, and this is due to the shallow soundbox. Thin will do this every time, but it’s not an issue playing alone–in a group, or performing, a deeper model might be desired. A second niggle, and I am not hyper-critical at all, is there geared tuners. On the small headstock, they are very easy to bump. I prefer friction tuners on all my ukuleles if possible, and a set of lightweight Grotoh friction tuners would have been more ideal on this uke. Kiwaya is outstanding.

Overall		Sound		Playability
Value for		Looks		Construction

1. The fretboard is a very thin slice of heavily dyed walnut. As a result there are no edge markers and I’d have preferred a natural look rather than the odd looking black felt-tip finish.

2. Action at the first fret is a tiny bit high.
(Intonation seems pretty much perfect)

3. The Gotoh standard tuners are a bit irritating very easy to pinch sharp and a bit gritty feeling. This is actually in my opinion the only real annoyance with this instrument because an extra fiver spent on tuning pegs would have sorted this out the point of manufacture.

I actually love this uke and I am a bit hyper-critical. Can’t see how anyone who wants a quality
and robust instrument could do better.

Sound – With the Fremont strings it sounds just right to me. Solid mahogany, a lovely mixture of warmth and brightness.

Playability – This lovely thing is so light. It surprises everyone. I don’t like holding other ukes as much as they’re so heavy in comparison. I’m used to the Kiwaya’s feather-light weight!

Playability – The action is low, so little effort is required. When I play Schmidts, Mahalos, Kalas, etc. they feel mechanical in comparison.

Value – I’ve given it 4/5 because they’re not cheap, and this is my second uke. Let’s just say that if something happens to my KTS-4, with my budget, I’ll not be able to buy another one for quite some time.

Looks – To me it’s perfect. Satin finish, nothing flashy, simple, humble.

Construction – It’s perfect. Handmade in Japan.

To see me (try to) pay, I’ve a couple of vids up on Youtube (Laouik).

Overall		Sound		Playability
Value for		Looks		Construction