Outdoor vs Fluke

Ukecaster

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I have an Outdoor tenor, never tried a Fluke or Flea. It's cool that the Outdoor can live in your trunk with no worries, and it totally waterproof. The Outdoor action and intonation are spot on, but the tone is rather dull, and volume low, at least in comparison with my wood ukes. Not very inspiring. From only videos, I assume a Fluke or Flea would be louder, and have better tone. Agree?
 
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Hi! Sorry I don't have an outdoor Uke, but I own a Tenor and a Concert Fluke and I can confirm action and intonation are spot on on that too and volume and tone are good. I personally prefer the tone of the Concert Fluke over Tenor Fluke (even if I usually like uke tenors more), but I think it is just me.
I personally find the tone and volume on flukes better than on laminate ukes I had or tried, volume almost as loud as but a little "plastic" tone compared to solid wood ukes I own or tried.
Hope it helps.
 
For my taste, I think the fleas are a bit nicer than the flukes.
 
I'm keeping my Flea in the back of my SUV. I expect (and hope) that it will survive the occasional high temperatures.
 
My Fluke (concert) has great tone and good volume. It resides in an unheated environment in the Northeast all winter, and never an issue. I am going to change the horrible friction tuners to pegheads this summer.
 
I have owned both an OU soprano and a Flea. I sold the OU and still have the Flea. The playability of both was very similar. They have a very similar neck profiles and their intonations are both spot on. That is where the similarities end. The sound of the flea is, IMHO, worlds better. It has a wood, albeit it laminate, top rather than the poly carbonate and it rings better. Where the OU shines is its durability. I left mine in my car all year and never worried that anything would happen to it (it is rated to 250 degrees F). While I am not overly concerned with leaving the flea in a car for a short period. It will not stay there permanently.
 
Flea or Fluke are both great in terms of tone and playability. However, they do include a fair bit of natural wood, and while the top is laminate, they aren't as bombproof as an outdoor uke. I've taken mine camping and the main issue I wound up with was the changes in temperature, etc. made the friction tuners loose. I wouldn't let mine sit in a hot car if I could avoid it.

The next step up on the durability scale would be a Blackbird Clara or Farrallon - better moisture resistance than the Flea/Fluke, and a huge step up in sound as well, but the biggest difference is in the cost (over $1000 more). I think the Clara is worth every penny, but I still wouldn't leave it in my car - mostly because I can't afford to replace it. Blackbird says they're good to 150 degrees Fahrenheit and cars can approach that.

The Blackbird carbon fiber tenor is probably a bit more impact resistant, but I don't think the recommend over 150 degrees for that either.
 
I have both the Outdoor Tenor and two Flukes (and a Flea). You are absolutely correct in that the tone/volume/sound of the Outdoor Tenor is on the quiet weak side. Other than that, it's awesome. It's indestructible/ weatherproof etc. If you like the neck profile on that, you'll like the Fluke/Fleas too. They're very similar in that regard.
 
You did good on that one. I have a Fluke tenor and it is louder than the Outdoor tenor I tried. Still, I liked the outdoor ukulele fell a lot. Quieter, yes. I couldn't live with friction tuners on my Walnut Fluke with poly fretboard so upgrade to peghegs. Big improvement. I think having the wood fretboard is the icing on the cake. They both have their fans and they both have their niche. Congratulations.
 
Very nice. I love the hardwood fretboard. It's a must-have for me on Flukes/Fleas.

Thanks all. Selling the OU. Found a concert Fluke on eBay for $150.00 shipped, apparently a small batch custom model, spec'd by a jazz musician Lyle Ritz: standard Fluke, but with rosewood fingerboard and metal frets, and a pickup installed. It was owned by a musician named Ken Kanaka of the Crazed Mugs, and gigged all over the US, so I'm hoping it has some good mojo. Looking forward to receiving it in a week or so.
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The flea/fluke is more of a normal type ukulele that is a bit more durable than most other ukuleles with a cool builtin stand.
The OU is for more extreme uses that should just last.
Then there's something like a caramel that's more of a disposable ukulele that can easily be replaced if it doesn't last.

Funny at one time I had fleas and flukes and also an OU. I still have a cheap rubin sopranino that's still in pretty good shape, sat in my trunk for more than a year.
 
A flea or fluke is an excellent choice. I bought my tenor fluke with hardwood fretboard used here in the forum and I take it with me to the beach, the park, on hikes and even a week long horse camping trip in the Eagle Cap wilderness. The sound compares favorably with any laminate uke out there and was plenty loud enough for campfire sing alongs and durable enough for the occasional bump and drop with no ill effects. Even when the temperature drops at night a quick adjustment was all that was required to keep in tune and keep the party going. It sounds and plays just as good as the day I got it and I've put a LOT of miles on it too.
 
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