Flea and Fluke Owners: Pegheds and Fretboard Upgrades? Yes or No Opinions Appreciated

cletus

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I'm interested in the Fleas and Flukes and wondering if the upgrades to the Pegheds vs. friction tuners, and the wood fretboard vs. plastic are worth the extra money?
It seems that there are no retailers for these ukes in Phoenix, unfortunately. I would like to be able to give these instruments a test run.

Thanks!
 
I have played with both type of fretboard. I like the rosewood better, but the plastic is just fine (dark hard to see frets etc) and I like it also.
The latest rosewood board I have on my Tiki Mug Fluke has a grainy appearance, but plays and feels fine.
Thinking about the pegheads - people seem to like them.
 
I went with the Rosewood + Peghead upgrade.
I think it's worth it. The Rosewood fretboard is supposed to last longer, and pegheads are absolutely more comfortable to use than friction tuners.
 
I went with the Rosewood + Peghead upgrade.
I think it's worth it. The Rosewood fretboard is supposed to last longer, and pegheads are absolutely more comfortable to use than friction tuners.

I have a Fluke with the rosewood upgrade, but I'm using friction tuners. It's working great for me, but it's my first uke, so I don't really have a good frame of reference. So, yeah.

I don't understand the problem people have with the friction tuners though. It's not any harder to tune or keep in tune than my guitars with geared tuners, so I don't think it would be worth upgrading those unless you have a preference.
 
The pegheds are great for because I plan to play out with the Flea. Plastic fretboard, fine...
 
Plastic fretboard and friction tuners on my Flea and my Fluke - that works fine for me.
 
I thought the plastic fretboard on my Flea was fine.

I might have kept it if it had peghead tuners, although with lower tension strings it wasn't a really big issue.
 
I have the plastic and friction as well. At first I really hated the friction tuners, but I think I'm pretty well used to them now. As for the fretboard, I actually really like it being plastic. As others have said in other threads it looks almost fretless and for the amount it costs to upgrade to rosewood, I'm not sure it's worth it, at least for me.
 
I'm interested in the Fleas and Flukes and wondering if the upgrades to the Pegheds vs. friction tuners, and the wood fretboard vs. plastic are worth the extra money?
It seems that there are no retailers for these ukes in Phoenix, unfortunately. I would like to be able to give these instruments a test run.

Thanks!

I bought my tenor fluke first. Plastic fretboard and friction tuners. Wonderful instrument. It's out all the time. I also bought a concert surf flea with the rosewood fretboard upgrade. It was not cheap, but I really like the rosewood upgrade. Another wonderful instrument. I even bought the hard shell case for the flea. Nice case. I have never had a problem with the friction tuners. They work well. I didn't want to add the extra money onto the price of the flea. If you have the money, the pegheds are remarkable and I don't think you would regret it.
Regards,
Ray
 
I find the plastic fretboard to be the most "playable" uke fretboard I own. Super fast, great intonation, easy on the fingers while sliding, etc... The only reason I would go with metal frets is if I wanted to use a wound low G string - I have other ukes for that, so I have no need.

As for the tuners, as long as you keep a small screwdriver handy, they are not a problem.
 
I have the plastic fretboard, which I like a lot. And I have the friction tuners, which I have on all my sopranos. Once I got used to them I have had absolutely no problems with them on any of my ukes. The rosewood fretboard might last longer, but I have 14 ukuleles now, so I don't think I need to worry about wearing out the plastic fingerboard on my Flea any time soon. In my mind, the plastic back and fingerboard is what sets Fleas and Flukes apart from other ukes. Well, that and the shapes. I think it adds to the overall fun level, and the "Differentness" appeal of the brand.
 
As for the tuners, as long as you keep a small screwdriver handy, they are not a problem.
So do you suggest loosening the screws a bit? I just got a concert mook and the friction tuners are the only thing giving me grief. I dont think they are THAT big of an issue (certainly wont spend $70 to upgrade) but I am wondering what I can do to make it more "tuneable"? I can get it in tune, it just takes very fine tuning, vs all of my other ukes with geared tuners, which are a breeze to tune (except the Martin, the frictions on that thing suck too!) Advice, anyone?
 
So do you suggest loosening the screws a bit? I just got a concert mook and the friction tuners are the only thing giving me grief. I dont think they are THAT big of an issue (certainly wont spend $70 to upgrade) but I am wondering what I can do to make it more "tuneable"? I can get it in tune, it just takes very fine tuning, vs all of my other ukes with geared tuners, which are a breeze to tune (except the Martin, the frictions on that thing suck too!) Advice, anyone?

Yeah, loosen the screws a bit. When I got my Fluke they were nearly impossible to turn. You will have to tinker with them a bit.
 
I've never played a plastic-fretboard Fluke. My fluke is Koa and it only comes with the rosewood fretboard. But I really like it, it is super smooth and well built, and the frets are filed very very well. I don't like the friction tuners at all, I'm planning to switch them for some pegheds.
 
In the end, some people like the friction tuners, some do not.
So..

Friction tuners: You may/may not like it
Pegheads: If you like geared tuners, you'll definitely like it.

So there is more of a risk with the Frictions. It's not everybody's cup of tea.
Whereas there is very little reason to dislike pegheads (aside from the cost?)
 
I think the bottom line is get the upgraded tuners and rosewood if you can swing the extra $$. But the plastic fretboard and friction tuners should not be a deal breaker. I don't really think people actually prefer the friction tuners on these the way the purist do on high dollar ukes. The Pegheads tuners look, perform and feel great. My friend hates his poly fretboard on his fluke but I don't. I think it looks cool but its harder for me to play in low light because I need to see the fret positions. Flea Market music allows customers to replace their poly boards with a rosewood one but its like $90. They also allow you to upgrade to Grover 4B friction for a modest up-charge of $12. Once your new strings break in you won't be tuning nearly as much.
 
I have a Flea with the rosewood fretboard and a Fluke with the plastic. They're both good! It really depends on how much you want to spend and how much abuse the uke will take. If it's going to be your beater/travel uke, stick with the cheaper fretboard and friction pegs. (If you hate the friction pegs, but don't care how the uke looks, a set of $12 Grover geared tuners will work on a Fluke!) But I've ran into a lot of people who use their Fluke/Flea as their main player in almost every case, so the classier Pegheds and rosewood fretboard make it feel more upscale. There's really no wrong way to go with a Fluke or a Flea.
 
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