Tkitki HKS Solid Hawaiian Koa Vintage Style Soprano Ukulele #308

This TkiTki soprano ukulele is feather light in the hand and feel unburdened by modern production techniques. The semi-gloss is so thin and resonant that the wood remains open pore and incredibly resonant. The gloss does just enough to really bring out all of the quirky and sexy notes in the wood grain.

The dimensions are on the slimmer side. This soprano ukulele is much more like its Japanese counterparts Kiwaya/Takumi/Sumi than the vintage Hawaiian brands like Kamaka. The soprano does however remind me most of the very early Kamaka sopranos I have had the pleasure of handling in the past. If you want to experience a modern incarnation of the very early ukuleles that paved the way for today then this ukulele is a fantastic addition to your collection.

The sound is colourful, the bright notes are not too shrill and there is a lovely character about the lower notes that linger but never overpower... for koa, its a very balanced sounding instrument.

Finally, this soprano ukulele has a traditional Martin style slot bridge and a curved heel on the neck - if I didn't know better I would say this was an heirloom of an undiscovered high end ukulele brand of the 1920s.

Be aware that because this has a light gloss over open pore finish, with no grain filler used, you may find some small pits and anomalies in the finish. They do not have the mirror finish of a Kanile'a!

Specification:
Select Hawaiian koa top, back and sides
Vintage Martin style lightweight body
Gotoh gold planetary tuners
Simple traditional abalone rosette
Rosewood fingerboard
Hawaiian koa bridge
White plastic fret dots
Clear Fluorocarbon High G strings
Light gloss over open pore finish
36mm nut width
Free freestyle hard case included

TkiTki ukuleles are so intriguing to us... They're a Japanese brand that seem to have really picked up steam in their country of origin. Here in the UK, every delivery is a journey into the unknown. So far, these ukuleles have been incredibly unique from one to the other and noteworthy. The HK-abalone series is slightly paired back from the master-built Hawaiian mango ukuleles that arrived recently with extremely traditional vintage Martin influence in the build. We're very impressed with the TkiTki range and are sure you will be too!