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