This is a brand new instrument that has been discontinued. Well, sort of. It’ll continue to be made but under Kiwaya’s ‘Famous’ brand. Usually they use that in the Japanese market - presumably as ‘Famous’ sounds more exotic there than Kiwaya. Which probably sounds like ‘Smith’ or something! While here, Kiwaya is definitely what people prefer - particularly when it has been made in Japan as this KS-5 has. Anyway, the model will continue but it’s likely to have ‘Famous’ on the headstock instead. The KS-5 has friction pegs (as opposed to the KS-5G, which has geared). This is the friction peg, KS-5 variant.

So this is a ukulele that’s new but going forward will change, and as a result there’s a good discount available, which I have passed on here.

Kiwaya are famous (sorry) for their high-pressure laminate models - experts at producing laminate models with impressive tone. This one is laminate koa and delivers a light, expressive and crisp sound, with a good amount of traditional soprano ‘bark’ into the mix. It certainly chimes and has good resonance - the perfect example of a laminate uke that doesn’t have to sound box - when the laminate is done well.

It is fitted with D’addario Titanium strings (which are rectified nylon - ‘Titanium’ makes people think they’re metal sometimes, which they aren’t). And it is a wider, 37mm nut, so has a bit more room on the fingerboard for those who might otherwise find a soprano a little cramped.

It doesn’t come with a gig bag or hard case, or any strap buttons. If you scroll down to the bottom of the soprano ukulele section on the site, you can find these extras if you need them. To do that, click here.

I do have more than one of these, but only a few, so if you fancy one, don’t hang about!

Please note - items in my special orders section can only be ordered online, and can't be tried in store. Also, they're available to UK customers only.