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GUke
Lokahi
188 Posts |
 Posted - 07/12/2008 : 9:53:40 PM
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One of my recent ukulele acquisition is the Flea Ukulele from the Magic Fluke Company (makers of the Fluke Ukulele). I ordered mine with the concert rosewood neck-one more fret than the soprano neck in addition to more spacing in frets, and also with an under saddle Briggs active pick up (would have gotten an under saddle passive pickup but not a choice). I liked the size of the Flea better than the Fluke and its soprano voice (The Fluke can be ordered with a concert neck or tenor neck.) Both ukulele can stand because of the flat bottom.
I was impressed with the Fleaʻs brightness which was better than my koa Pono concert with pick up. Of course the Fleaʻs overall sound doesnʻt compare with my other koa ukuleles which cost 2 to 3 times as much. And it definetly doesnʻt have the looks (especially compared to the premium koa), although one can order a Flea or Fluke with a koa top. But I did get the Flea because of its Ovation-like body. Iʻm not afraid to leave it in my car sitting in the sun, nor worried if the Flea gets banged. The Flea is my beach ukulele and for its cost Iʻm very very happy with it. If I am not mistaken, thereʻs a Japanese ukulele manufacturer that also has a model with the Ovation-like body, besides the Ovation Applause ukuleles. I guess it depends on what looks/size that appeals to you.
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Genaro
Should I? Itʻs only $, and where Iʻm going itʻll burn or melt. |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 07/13/2008 : 01:16:22 AM
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| Aloha e Genaro - I tried the composite body instruments when I was searching for my `ukulele. I agree that there are great advantages such as being able to leave them in the car or take them to the beach and not have to worry about humidity. I am not certain I like the "brightness" of the sound, though. I tend to lean more toward the mellow, smooth, rich sound of a wooden instrument. I do think it is amazing, though, what can be done with composites other than making sealth aircraft, yeah? I wonder if anyone has tried making a composite piano, i.e., polymer body but real strings, not electronics like my Clavinova. |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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Earl
`Olu`olu
USA
523 Posts |
Posted - 07/13/2008 : 10:05:08 AM
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I am a fan of the Flea with the longer concert neck. My big meaty hands don't care for the standard soprano length neck. I recommend Fleas to new ukulele players all the time, if they are willing to spend more than $75-$100.
Every example of the Fluke and Flea that I have met had a good set-up and good intonation, and decent tone. We took ours to AMC in '07. I just packed it in the suitcase with some music books on either side to give it some shielding, and padded it with clothes all around. No problem either way, and even if they did destroy it, it's under $200 to replace with the exact same thing.
Our Fluke had the polycarbonate fretboard pop off recently. I called up Flea Market Music, and they were happy to take care of it. But I'm pretty handy and did not want to bother shipping it both ways. They told me that Super Glue would reattach the fretboard to the neck. No problems, and it is holding fine a few weeks later.
Ordering one with the wood fingerboard and koa top has crossed my mind. They look cool, and the one example I have seen seemed to sound noticeably better (might have been the power of suggestion, though). But then you push $400, which kinda defeats the purpose of a semi-disposable beach instrument.
I would not leave it in the car in the sun. Maybe OK in the trunk for an hour or two, but the glues would soften - and probably the plastic too - in a hot car interior.
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 07/13/2008 : 3:19:06 PM
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i've used fleas for my loaners in my university (freshman) ukulele course, but i've been migrating off of them to lanikai and kala. i was originally interested in the fleas because they are so robust and they sound good, but the round back makes them a bit awkward to hold. and, the tuners are not geared, and so the students have a hard time tuning them. i can get concert lanikai for $20-$30 cheaper, and they have geared tuners, easier to hold and have a good tone. they also seem as robust - even more robust, perhaps, as fleas (occasionally a bridge will pop off a flea, but i can glue it back on).
in the flea's benefit, the bridge placement is uniformly better in my experience - intonation is usually better with fleas than with lanikai/kala.
keith
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Earl
`Olu`olu
USA
523 Posts |
Posted - 07/14/2008 : 07:27:00 AM
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Good point, Keith. You pointed out probably the biggest drawback to the Fluke / Flea.
I really dislike peg tuners. In this industrial age when decent geared tuners are actually a bit cheaper than good quality peg tuners, there is no excuse. It is down a bit on my to-do list, but I fully intend to replace the factory pegs with geared tuners on my Flea at the next string change.
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GUke
Lokahi
188 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2008 : 12:55:10 AM
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Earl,
I don't leave my Flea in the car all the time, but I wouldn't be as concerned if it sits in the car for a few hours. And I'd leave it in a semi-hard case with one of those humidifiers too. Thanks for pointing out glue softing.
And when you do change the pegs to geared tuners what brand did you have in mind? Tuning problems have been mentioned by a fellow ukulele player and I've had that irritaion too.
genaro |
Genaro
Should I? Itʻs only $, and where Iʻm going itʻll burn or melt. |
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Earl
`Olu`olu
USA
523 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2008 : 10:15:29 AM
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I purchsed a batch of geared ukulele tuners from Stewart McDonald [www.stew-mac.com] a couple of years ago, I think for about $12 for a set of four. No idea of the brand name, but I think it was the only set that they sell.
I worked on two different older ukes where the tuners were complteley worn out, and these made a decent replacement. I still have one set left which I will use for my Flea. You want to consider the length of the shaft and whether the tuner goes through the peghead or mounts on the side of it. Some shafts are quite long, especially if the peghead wood is fairly thin.
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Baritone
Lokahi
USA
136 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2008 : 03:53:49 AM
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Thanks Earl and Keith for the tech info. Because of a bad shoulder its difficult for me to tune the "side" tuners. I prefer the "pass-thru" banjo tuners, such as Dennis Lake of Po Mahina (www.pomahina.com) built nto my slack key guitar and baritone ukulele.
I also have a fluke tenor. Like the Ovation, I don't care for the difficult to handle "round back". Nevertheless, I slapped onto the back remnants from clear silicone pads. They're kinda sticky and assist in keeping these "round backs" on my chest without pilling my cool Aloha shirts.
Herb |
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Earl
`Olu`olu
USA
523 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2008 : 06:04:44 AM
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Hey Herb,
I envy you. I played a couple of Dennis Lake guitars at AMC. Awesome is just an inadequate word. And he makes incredible ukes too.
For round back instruments, I use a piece of the rubber shelf lining that is somewhat sticky. Alice has a prototype Ovation resonator guitar with a koa top and palm tree sound holes. It's pretty cool, but my belly and the round back don't work well together. I use a strap.
You might consider a strap for the Fluke too. It lets you use a more centered postition that can take the strain off of a bad shoulder (me too) and it reduces the pressure on my forearm as it rests on the corner -- less digging in across those tendons.
- Earl
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2008 : 08:03:59 AM
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dennis's instruments are amazing, yes. this weekend i'll post some photos of my new punahele `iki; it's awesome.
the idea of using something on the back of the flea is ingenious! i kind of think it's not going to help me with my undergraduate students. it's funny - the men often gravitate to playing the uke holding it low like a bass guitar, and the women sometimes play them flat in their laps like a lap steel. i keep reminding them of how to hold them, and they all agree they sound better and are easier that way, but it's always temporary.
the strap idea is great - i know several people who use a strap even when seated. it works well and gives you a professional look.
aloha,
keith
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GUke
Lokahi
188 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2008 : 11:30:12 AM
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Fell upon a website which shows a Flea with geared tuners http://fleamusem.blogspot.com/ See pimped-out flea. Owner mentions what he did to change tuners. Looks like a bit more work than I thought. Neat collection of other custom Fleas, too
genaro |
Genaro
Should I? Itʻs only $, and where Iʻm going itʻll burn or melt. |
Edited by - GUke on 07/16/2008 11:39:36 AM |
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Retro
Ahonui
USA
2368 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2008 : 2:18:31 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by GUke
http://fleamusem.blogspot.com/
Fixin' the link, it's ---
http://fleamuseum.blogspot.com/
The guy in the "Pimped-Out Flea" feature is one of our regulars at the Seattle `Ukulele Players Association - a great character, too.
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Edited by - Retro on 07/16/2008 2:19:47 PM |
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Baritone
Lokahi
USA
136 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2008 : 5:42:55 PM
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| Earl, you be Da Man! Thanks for the strap and 'sticky rubber' shelf lining ideas. Herb |
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noeau
Ha`aha`a
USA
1105 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2008 : 9:53:11 PM
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| John KING DO DA SAMETING WIT DA RUBBER stuff. |
No'eau, eia au he mea pa'ani wale nō. |
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