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| Moderated by: Tony Provencher, Richard Hefner |
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| New Ukulele in a month! Flea or Fluke, someone help! | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Tue Oct 13th, 2009 02:38 am |
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1st Post |
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Gl2Director Approved
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I'm getting a new Ukulele in a month. *confetti* Let me tell you what I like in my ukulele. I have a soprano Lanikai LU-21. I recently switched to a Drop-G tuning and fell in love with the lower sound. The chords sound more full, and the sound from my ukulele is completely different, but I prefer it. I like the deeper sound, and I prefer it to the higher notes from the average soprano ukulele. I recently played with some friends who both play Ukulele and they both have Concert-sized ukuleles. I guarantee I've practiced for hundreds of hours longer than they have, no offense to them, but they have the sound that I want. Their ukuleles are in the $100-$150 range, mine costing about $70. And I've been looking into these Fleas, and their big brothers, the Flukes. I've heard people raving about these because their qualities can compare with ukuleles costing $700+. I can imagine some people must disagree, so I'm hoping to get some opinions. So I suppose I have three questions. a) What kind of sound will come out of a bigger, more expensive ukulele? Will it be less twiny and high-pitched? b) Can someone compare the Flea and the Fluke? c) If you own a flea or fluke, what do you think? Are they really as amazing as I've heard? Btw... I plan on sticking to Concert or Tenor, no Baritone Ukulele please!
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| Posted: Tue Oct 13th, 2009 04:49 am |
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2nd Post |
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Will Approved 
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Gl2Director wrote: I'm getting a new Ukulele in a month. *confetti* First, if I understand you correctly, you actually mean you prefer "low-G" tuning (not drop-G, which implies that you can lower a high-G string an entire octave - it will be so low in tension that it will be unplayable). Low-G tuning (which I myself prefer) works better for larger ukes than for sopranos, because the larger body size resonates in the lower frequencies and provides beneficial reinforcement of the low-G tuning. A more expensive uke may include any combination of features, such as: a solid wood top, a better-made fretboard that plays notes accurately farther up the neck (referred to as "good intonation"), better quality tuners, and more consistent workmanship. Flukes and Fleas have a good record of consistency regarding build and tone quality. Be aware, however, that the standard Fluke and Flea have a molded plastic body as well as fretboard; a low-G string has metal windings which will eventually damage the soft molded "frets." So, if you prefer low-G tuning, the standard Fluke and Flea are not ideal; you could pay more for a rosewood fretboard and metal frets, but you might instead decide to buy a more traditional tenor uke with a solid top; you are now getting close to the $300 range. (For these reasons, I do not own a Fluke or a Flea because I play in low-G tuning.) If you are limited to the $100 to $150 range, both Lanikai and Kala make solid top tenor ukes which may be to your liking. Last edited on Tue Oct 13th, 2009 04:51 am by Will ____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Sat Oct 31st, 2009 01:42 pm |
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3rd Post |
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Sworch Approved
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I currently play a tenor Fluke with a low G tuning.The base model has plastic frets/fingerboard so, if you really want to play low G you need to either a: upgrade to the hardwood fingerboard model or b: stick with strings with an unwound (solid nylon) low G string. Both Worth and Aquilla make them and to be honest, I prefer them to wound G's as the tone is more consistent from string to string. The Fluke cost me about $300 with a pick up. I am very happy with it. It has nice tone from the solid top and, at least to my ears, the plastic body (while no replacement for a good wood body) kind of accentuates a ukes natural voice. It is very consistent (intonationwise) and stable (tuningwise) as the plastic body and fingerboard are virtually impervious to temp/humidity changes. For that price range, it is very tough to find a better brand imho. If I was to upgrade beyond what I have, I would probably go with the wood fingerboard first and maybe the upgraded tuners tho neither would be dealbreakers. Whatever brand you go with, if you want to play low G, stick with the tenor size. The scale length of anything smaller (including concert and longneck soprano) wont really work with the low G.
____________________ http://www.myspace.com/stevewaltherorchestra |
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| Posted: Sun Nov 1st, 2009 09:39 pm |
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4th Post |
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sharp21 Approved
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I love my flea & plan on getting a tenor fluke in the future, exclusively for drop g tuning. If you get one though make sure to upgrade the neck & fretboard, or don't bother S.
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| ezFolk Forums > Ukulele > General Ukulele > New Ukulele in a month! Flea or Fluke, someone help! | Top |
