The Magic Fluke Company Appreciation thread

Which Magic Fluke Company instruments do you own?


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Booli

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[DISCLAIMER: I am in no way affiliated with or compensated by this company in any way, just a very VERY HAPPY CUSTOMER!!!]



Who loves their instrument(s) from The Magic Fluke Company?



I'm talking about the Fluke, Flea, Firefly, Fluke SB ukuleles and the NEW Cricket Violin...and the Timber Bass


I have been a multi-instrumental musician for 35 years and I am (or was prior to discovering the ukulele) primarily a guitarist, and I discovered the ukulele in December of 2012, and have owned, and still own some very high end instruments.

The quality of these instruments from The Magic Fluke company are simply some of the highest level I have ever seen, used, or owned. These folks take pride in their work and their acute attention to the details are easy to see.

I LOVE these ukuleles! I have a basic lava (black) concert Flea with the plastic (polycarbonate) fretboard and original friction tuners (soon to be replaced with the Gotoh UPT-L planetary geared tuners), and the top-of-the-line Koa tenor Fluke with rosewood fretboard, and pegheds tuners....both have Worth Browns mediums, high-g on the concert and low-g on the tenor. BM and BM-LG.

These are my best sounding, playing, feeling, LOOKING and intonating ukuleles, and at the moment my UAS is cured, and soon I might sell off all previous acquisitions in order to fund the purchase of more products from this company...

My concert Flea and tenor Fluke are my most prized and precious ukuleles of the 6 that I currently own, and while some may prefer to spend $1,000-$5,000 on a custom instrument from all the favorite names so frequently discussed here on UU, unless it has BETTER intonation than a Flea or Fluke, I'm simply not interested.

Unless the instrument is both manufactured and assembled in the USA, I'm also not interested. (I have nothing specifically against instruments made elsewhere, but I'd like to try and invest my money 'locally' if possible)

Instruments made by The Magic Fluke company are also affordable to the average joe, and by the reputation of The Magic Fluke company with their ukuleles, and my own personal hands-on experience (which is confirmed by at least a couple hundred other UU members) with the high quality, playability and tone, I can confidently say that you are getting a very good value for the money.

So, my fellow Ukulele Undergound members, please tell me:
1) What you got?

2) Why did you buy it?

3) Tell me what you like about it, and what you hate about it?

4) Tell me if you plan to buy another and why?

5) If it got stolen, lost or damaged would you replace it immediately?


Bonus points if you share pictures of your instrument(s)!

Be sure to mark your entries on the poll at the top of this thread!

(as per suggestion from eugene ukulele (Jon) below, and since I can not edit the poll [don't know how] this thread and poll is for both past and present owners to participate, so if you do not own a Magic Fluke company instrument right now, but have had one in the past, please consider yourself included by default, and please add your voice to the discussion here)

Also, don't miss the NAMM 2014 video with Aldrine, down below in post #11.

Please share and discuss below...

-Booli

[The following content was added on 8-3-2016]
Since creating this initial thread, here are a few of the following discussions where I have participated with my own recommendations, photos and links to the solutions that I currently use.


1. Pure Blasphemy! Geared Tuners-Fluke & Flea-installed-photos & explanations
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/...p-explanations

2. Flea Question: difference between the standard Flea and the designer Flea?
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/...-Flea-Question

3. Solution for frets and neck same color on plastic fretboard
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/...72#post1820972

4. Fitting a strap to a Fluke
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/...rap-to-a-Fluke

5. and
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/...46#post1820246

6. Fluke strings discussion
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/...hanged-strings

[The following content was added on 8-22-2016]
YnxCNhW.png


Above is directly from the Magic Fluke Company web site: http://www.magicfluke.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1830

[The following content was added on 7-2-2017 (moved the info below from another post to here)]

As they say, 'a picture is worth a thousand words', so here are two, recently taken, an 'MFC Family Photo'

zB2aUXG.png

Rear, from left: Lava concert Flea, Koa tenor Fluke, Hibiscus Red tenor Flea, Lava concert Fluke, Mango tenor Fluke.
Front, from left: Cricket violin with bow, Walnut tenor Flea with birch rosette
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​
pJ1cgnm.png

Back, from left: Koa tenor Fluke, Lava concert Fluke, Mango tenor Fluke
Middle, from left: Walnut/birch tenor Flea, Hibiscus Red tenor Flea, Lava concert Flea
Front: Cricket violin with bow
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​
I just got the Cricket violin on Saturday as part of a trade, so I cannot play it yet, but I have been preparing for this for a few months with a soprano using the Aquila 30U GDAE fifths-tuning strings on this soprano. A soprano uke is the same scale length as a standard 4/4 size violin. Violin is tuned GDAE in fifths tuning.

My first ever instrument was violin in 3rd grade, but I have not played one since (like 40 yrs) so this is like coming full circle.

- The Koa Fluke, Mango Fluke and Walnut Flea, all tenor scale, all have wooden fretboard.

- The Koa Fluke has PegHeds, the Mango Fluke has Gotoh UPT-L which I customized with the Carmelite colored tuner knobs, and installed the Gotoh myself.

- The Walnut tenor Flea, and Red tenor Flea both have open geared tuners also which I installed myself.

- The Lava concert Fluke also has Gotoh UPT-L tuners.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​
One might ask, why so many, aren't they all the same?, and simply the answer is NO.

The only way that they are the same is in how easy they are to play, the great tone, the excellent consistent build quality and best intonation of any uke I've touched so far.

Magic Fluke Company ROCKS! :rock:

Also a few of them are tuned a little differently, and because of that and the varying shape and scale lengths each MFC uke has a different purpose in my music-making toolbox.

- Koa Fluke is E-A-C#-F# re-entrant with Martin M620 strings (one whole-step [2 semitones] higher than DGBE baritone), and this is the uke I sing with since A6 tuning fits my vocal range easily.

- Mango Fluke is CGDA fifths tuning like mandola, viola or tenor guitar with Aquila 31U fifths-tuning string set. Sounds great in this tuning. Very full and rich tone.

- Lava Fluke is GCEA re-entrant with the new CarbonBlack strings from Aquila that I am testing and a video is coming in a few days once I get my technical issues resolved.

- Walnut tenor Flea has D'Addario T2 Titanium nylon in GCEA re-entrant

- Hibiscus Red tenor Flea has Oasis Warm in GCEA re-entrant

- Lava concert Flea has Worth CM in GCEA re-entrant

- The Cricket violin also has the B-Band pickup installed and D'Addario violin strings (don't remember which ones they are called).

I have other ukes, but these get the most play time, and most of the others are soon to be listed for sale as I am downsizing now and hedging towards minimalism.

If I want a linear tuning, my Lanikai LU-21B gets more play than any other bari, and if I want a guitar my Cordoba Mini SM-CE is the one I reach for and is in Terz tuning.

Yes, I have bought all of these with my own money and am in no way compensated by MFC. I am just a huge fan of their well-made products, how they run their business, and the people all involved that work there.

So please relinquish any thoughts of my being a shill, as this is simply not true.

 
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Absolutely, Booli

It's because of my past great experiences with the 4 Magic Fluke instruments that I have owned (gifted one to my niece) that I made the plunge after 37 years and am now back to playing violin... Thanks to The Cricket!


in fact if you search some of my posts you'll see my indepth review do the cricket violin...

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?93533-The-%93Cricket%94-Violin-by-the-Magic-Fluke-company-A-Personal-Review%85


You'll also see mr bojangles instrumental on my prized flea with rosewood fretboard and of course pegheds.... I picket it out as the best choice for my video, yes even over my KoAlohas and the lovely Mya-moe
Why? Because the sound is nice and clear, it plays like butter, intonation is perfect even to the highest note at the end. And note, I was able to play this with no strap, it feels fine right in my arms.

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?93425-A-new-Mr-Bojangles-instrumental-arrangement-for-Ukulele-on-a-Flea-this-time
 
Me me! What a timely thread. I just sent them a note of appreciation for the job they did on my special ordered Fluke. It came back everything I was hoping it would be. I just heard back from them a couple of hours ago thanking me for the appreciation. They rock.

(lava black tenor Fluke with rosewood frets, low g tuning)

(concert fret Fluke in plastic)

Not much to dislike but I wish I could see the frets on the plastic fretboard. I would replace them in a second if lost or damaged. I may spring for a wood fretboard to replace the plastic one as I find the low action kind of difficult when barring chords. But it sure plays easy.
 
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Just thinking Booli, it may have been helpful to have another option in your poll for those members to participate who don't own one of these instruments. I've owned a couple of fleas and a fluke in the past and enjoyed each one very much.
 
I have another comment on the Magic Fluke Co. It's really pleasing to me, being older to see something of good quality at a reasonable price made in my country by my countrymen. I think we can be proud (without being unnecessarily patriotic) about that. It seems such a rare thing now. When I was a young man it was a different game altogether and I miss finding quality products I can afford being made here by skilled craftsmen.
 
Just thinking Booli, it may have been helpful to have another option in your poll for those members to participate who don't own one of these instruments. I've owned a couple of fleas and a fluke in the past and enjoyed each one very much.

Jon, that's a great idea, and I'm sorry for not thinking of it. This is the first poll I've ever created and I do not see a way to edit the poll or add a second poll to this thread, is there a way to do either?

Please advise...
 
Jon, that's a great idea, and I'm sorry for not thinking of it. This is the first poll I've ever created and I do not see a way to edit the poll or add a second poll to this thread, is there a way to do either?

Please advise...

Na, no biggies mate, you'd have to do a start a separate thread with a new set of options. It was just a thought "out loud" maybe for next time. Poll is col as-is.
 
I'm cheating here but these were two of the lovelies I used to own... :)
DSCF6886.jpgDSCF6896.jpg
 
I confess to being intrigued by them, but they seem pricey for a plastic and laminate uke--and the fact you have to pay an additional premium for a wood fret board. Do most people pony up for the wooden fret board, or are folks content with the plastic one?
 
Na, no biggies mate, you'd have to do a start a separate thread with a new set of options. It was just a thought "out loud" maybe for next time. Poll is col as-is.

I just now have edited the top post to include everyone, as it should have been in the first place (sorry), and also added some personal information to qualify my experience and perceptions of these instruments.
 
natural concert poly fluke i tweaked to take a phd non wound low-g. I installed 3 of 4 grover 4b tuners on that (waiting for a missing screw).

red true joy branded concert poly flea. i'm very seriously considering selling this since i decided I prefer my fluke and now have a martin oxk. still considering what to do...
 
I confess to being intrigued by them, but they seem pricey for a plastic and laminate uke--and the fact you have to pay an additional premium for a wood fret board. Do most people pony up for the wooden fret board, or are folks content with the plastic one?

If you want to use a low-g string and prefer higher tension strings, and are committed to concert scale, then the wooden fretboard is necessary.

A metal wound string will chew up the polycarbonate fretboard and is not recommended by The Magic Fluke company.

If you are looking at the tenor scale, and want low-g, then you can get either fretboard, as with the tenor scale there is enough tension for most unwound low-g strings.

I prefer higher tension strings than most people, and after testing 24 different sets of strings (<--click to see the thread) on concert scale instruments, I have concluded that at this moment, other than the Aquila REDS low-g, all other strings I have tried do not have enough tension for me, so my lava concert Flea is my go-to high-g instrument, with Worth Brown medium strings (BM), and my Koa tenor Fluke is my default low-g instrument, also with Worth Brown medium strings but with the low-g (BM-LG).

Some folks with vision issues have trouble 'seeing' the frets on the polycarbonate fretboard, as it is all monochromatically brownish in color, and this was a little problem for me at first, but after having the instrument now for 4 months, and this is now 11 months I am playing the ukulele, I am training myself NOT to look at the fretboard, unless I am learning an new chord, and even so, despite being farsighted and wearing eyeglasses, I do not have trouble to 'see' the monochromatic fretboard.

There is a great thread currently going now on this very topic created by fellow member Icelander53 that you can see here.

if you want to use a WOUND low-g string, and want to avoid premature wear on the (polycarbonate) fretboard (and getting it replaced, by The Magic Fluke company, which they will do under warranty for up to 3 yrs to the original owner, and then after that for a nominal cost), then your safest option is to upgrade to the wooden fretboard, and thus you are not limited to string type and can use any strings you wish without fear of the strings inflicting damage.

The wooden fretboard is a $79 upgrade IIRC, so that puts you in the ballpark of ~$300 depending upon the scale length and which instrument. So you can then compare that to other brands in the $300 range, but then the issue with other ukuleles is going to be intonation.

Unless the $300 ukulele you buy has a setup that can guarantee that the intonation is going to be no more than 8-10 cents off at the 12th fret, or you plan to adjust the string geometry yourself or take it to a luthier and have the nut and saddle adjusted, you are not truly comparing apples to apples. Most factory made instruments are shipped with high saddles, and poorly cut nut slots, both of which can cause the intonation to be poor, and both of which might need to be remedied to correct the problem.

Most people either dont care or dont know about intonation. If you never go past the 3rd fret, you will probably never hear that the intonation is off. However, if you want to play more complex music, like John King or Jake Shimabukuro, you will be making use of the entire range of the fretboard and typically when the intonation is off by too much, you can never really get the instrument in tune with itself, regardless of what fancy strings you put on it.

It's a simple fact: If the string geometry is cockeyed, intonation is poor.

You will also not be able to perceive when the intonation is off until your ear is trained for it, and then sadly, you can hear it always.

As a beginner, sometimes as the saying goes 'ignorance is bliss' and that $40 uke from BestBuy or Costco sounds fantastic to the beginner. God bless them for what they dont know that they dont know, as long as the uke makes them happy.

In my mind, the careful attention to detail in the design and engineering, as well as the quality control procedures that are done by the Magic Fluke company to make absolutely certain that the instrument shipped has near-perfect and highly-accurate intonation on a wooden fretboard, is absolutely worth the price.

My question is, why is it so completely impossible for other manufacturers to compete and provide similar results?

Mind you, I am not indicting all ukulele builders, and there are many smaller luthiers/custom builders with a careful eye and deft hand, but even at the $300 range, there is little motivation for the cookie-cutter factory-built instruments to take extra care to make sure the intonation is better than 'barely good enough' to the 5th fret.

I will not name manufacturer names, but this forum if full of more discussion about problems due to poor factory set up out-of-the-box than probably anything else, and that is a huge reason why HMS, MIM's and Uke Republic are so well regarded, --- it's because they take instruments that might be unplayable and by doing the setup work before the instrument ships to the customer, they are correcting these 'defects' such that the instrument is better than it was direct from the factory....

Remember this is all related to NEW instruments, and a buyer might happen to get lucky and get an instrument from Amazon and it happens to be very good with the intonation and action, but this has all been well documented here on the forum, and this is the rare exception rather than the rule...

As they say, 'you spends your money, and you takes your chances..'

With instruments from the Magic Fluke Company, they take these careful steps during the manufacturing process to make sure that their instruments do not have these problems, and require no after-the-fact manipulations. The polycarbonate fretboard should have no issues with intonation unless it was installed in the wrong position on the neck, and this skews the scale length, but I have never even heard of this happening.
 
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I'm cheating here but these were two of the lovelies I used to own... :)
View attachment 64524View attachment 64525

No, it's all good - everyone can 'play' :) - see the updated first post at the top - where I credit you for the suggestion!

If you got more from the past to share, let's see them and hear about it, and please feel free to do the poll at the top as well.

These are very nice, and very 'arty' looking.
 
Wow you are a fan Booli! The Music Store (Cripple Creek Music) in Ashland Oregon where I abide is well known for the high quality of instruments and knowledgable staff. They do a full set up on every Ukulele that hits the wall there. Except for the Fluke and Flea. They told me that wood or plastic they are always good to go when they get them. I usually buy from them but based on that information I bought my first Fluke sight unseen and got a free padded gig bag and tuner thrown in for the same price they sell them. It was perfect on arrival and I loved it so much for it's playability and sound that I sprung for a second one with the full tenor fretboard in rosewood. I told them I wanted as low of an action as possible due to finger arthritis. I emphasized that and was a little concerned that they'd do it so low that it might buzz or such but I've had it for over a week now and it's perfect. I was so inspired by it that I emailed them a letter about it yesterday just to let them know they done good. :rock:
 
BTW I was in that music store a few days ago selling a friend on a flea and I played with that little banjo guy. I want one. It's on the wish list. It has a really happy sound and very fun to play.
 
BTW I was in that music store a few days ago selling a friend on a flea and I played with that little banjo guy. I want one. It's on the wish list. It has a really happy sound and very fun to play.

Barry (bazmaz), a highly regarded fellow UU member, has a comprehensive review and video on his web site on the Firefily banjo Ukulele.

In the past, he has also done excellent reviews for the Fluke and the Flea. You can also find them on his page linked above.

Also, our brother Aldrine has a video from Winter NAMM 2014 where Phyllis Webb (co-owner of The Magic Fluke Company) shows him several instruments including the Firefly:

 
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I have another comment on the Magic Fluke Co. It's really pleasing to me, being older to see something of good quality at a reasonable price made in my country by my countrymen. I think we can be proud (without being unnecessarily patriotic) about that. It seems such a rare thing now. When I was a young man it was a different game altogether and I miss finding quality products I can afford being made here by skilled craftsmen.

:agree:

Buying locally also uses less resources, and is more environmentally responsible than having something shipped from far away.

Not only because you are not shipping tons of foreign goods, but also because you are maximizing the investment in local resources and strengthening your local supply chain, and local ecomony, even if only by the creation of jobs and function of long term employment.

but I digress...
 
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Buying locally also uses less resources, and is more environmentally responsible than having something shipped from far away.

I'm noticing more and more that I can't find what I want locally. Even for all the hate against guitar center, I still prefer buying things directly from them first if I can. But their ukulele accessory collection (tuner upgrades, etc) seems to be pretty thin. Other smaller shops are around but based on what they carry I don't think they know what ukuleles are.
 
I got my first uke at a yard sale, a very dusty concert-scale Fluke with a missing plastic fretboard for $15. Got the fretboard upgraded and then went on to purchase a concert Flea and a Firefly. Rarely walk past them without snatching one up and playing for a while. Excellent Ukes! You don't want to leave it out in the rain but you don't have to baby them either.
 
1) What you got?

* I don't own a MFC instrument right now, but have a pending order of a walnut concert Flea w/ hardwood fretboard. Cannot wait!

I've previously owned and loved:
1. Lava soprano Flea
2. Moonlight blue soprano Flea (discontinued, bought for the color)
3. Pineapple design soprano Flea (bought for the design)
4. Lava tenor Flea (the longest I've ever owned a uke and only sold to pay grad school tuition)
All with standard fretboards.

I've owned and not loved, but only because of the shape:
1. Concert Fluke SB
2. Tenor Fluke w/ walnut top, wood fretboard, hibiscus soundhole, PegHeds

I once installed PegHeds on the tenor Flea. Did not like, so uninstalled them (boy was that difficult!) and replaced the original friction tuners. Much better. The only reason there were PegHeds on the Fluke is that I bought it from another UU member that way. :)

2) Why did you buy it?

* Durability, intonation, sounded consistent on all reviews--something I've never heard from another brand. And after I had one Flea, I liked more of the designs and colors so I got those, too. I never owned all the Fleas at once though; I think at one point I had 3. :D

3) Tell me what you like about it, and what you hate about it?

* Love: Intonation, this can't be overstated! Portability. Durability. Re. Flea, cuteness. The Fluke is built like a tank, but not so cute to me. The Flea though, I cannot put down. And the standing on end? How cool is that?

Hate? Don't think so! If I had to complain, I'd say I had some fret wear on one of the Fleas. But I played the thing every day for years, and it was only on 2 strings, 2 frets. Had I kept that Flea, I might have upgraded to the wood fretboard to prevent future damage.

4) Tell me if you plan to buy another and why?

* No, I can only play one at a time and expect the impending Flea to be my only. (Now stop laughing all of you! :D )

But if I decided to play violin again, I'd buy a Cricket in a heartbeat!

5) If it got stolen, lost or damaged would you replace it immediately?

* Absolutely, assuming I had the cash on hand.
 
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