The Magic Fluke Company Appreciation thread

Which Magic Fluke Company instruments do you own?


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Some more love for Dale and Phyllis.

I wanted to upgrade the standard tuning pegs on my Flea, Fluke, and Firefly and wound up with Grover 6s. According to the Grover website, the post holes for the 2 and the 6 are the same size. The swap should have been no sweat.

But it was.

For my Fluke, which may be a 2010 vintage, the new hardware dropped right in and I made the switch in less than 30 minutes.

The Flea (new Koa-topped) and Firefly (2015?) were other matters. The post holes were 1/64 of an inch smaller, maybe? And the hardware for the 6s is just that much larger than the 2s.

I used a tapered reamer to make holes and replace the crappy geared tuners on my Makala with vintage-looking Grover 85s, but couldn't really do much with it on the MFC's slotted headstock.

So, I emailed MFC. Phyllis (and then Dale) got back to me within a couple of days. Dale said they had been using a local shop to produce some of the necks on newer instruments, and occasionally the post holes may be a little small for an upgrade. He suggested using a round file to open the holes just a little, and maybe even bevel the inner holes just in case the hardware was too crowded during installation.

To make a long story somewhat longer, the file worked like a dream! A little gentle elbow grease, and I'm fully upgraded.

The new tuners adjust SOOO much more smoothly than the 2s, and they look pretty spiffy, too. (see below)

As always, Dale and Phyllis are the best. Always generous with their time and advice. Plus, making some fantastic instruments as well.

grover-firefly.jpggrover-flea.jpggrover-fluke.jpg
 
Brand new. Ordered from them and made for me. I have called. One of my in7tial requests was Martin strings which they dont have much experience with. So they're going to string another tenor with Martins and see of they're the same. We'll start with changing strings. Its possible the action maybe a little too high and the saddle needs to be adjusted and compensated which it can be since it's a wooden fretboard. It wouldn't be so bad if all the strings went out in the same direction but with 2 strings going flat, one in tune, and one really sharp the discrepancy is unfortunately really apparent. Worse comes to worse I can have a luthier look at it. I am confident though Magic Fluke will make it right.

Hello Dave,
I’m new to UU and myself just ordered a Koa Tenor Fluke, and desperately wondering how things played out (bad pun...) with your situation. Did new or different strings resolve the issue; did the company help resolve the issue? My Oder is being processed, and based on the many reviews, your issue seems to be somewhat of an outlier. Thanks in advance - Ozzy and little Ozzy (my son; he lurks with me sometimes; we’re here to learn together).
 
It's news to me that there IS a Magic Fluke appreciation thread! My very first uke was a Walnut Flea, which I still have and which is always very reliable and seems to keep itself remarkably in tune although I don't get it out all that often. I have just ordered a Walnut (I think!) Firefly. Although I now have several (ahem!) other ukes now, I don't think I'll ever rehome the Flea.
 
I am really new to ukes and before I really knew what I wanted I picked up a Flea soprano on an auction for a great price. When it arrived I realized it had some moisture damage especially in the tuner area. The tuners were rusted. I had thought it was just dirt in the pictures. Being the crafty person I am I figured I had nothing to lose by giving it a beauty make-over.

I decided on aqua and coral stain. The coral stain didn't work out as well as I hoped but it does "mask" some of the grayed wood. You can see from the image that it appears to be bleeding. The damaged area seemed to have sucked up the stain and decreased as it got closer to the healthier wood near the body. And of course the fret board popped off before I started staining. :mad: (I think it must have been kept in storage, not temp controlled.) I coated the stained wood with 3 coats of satin finish. I added a couple "tattoos" for interest, although the one above the nut is going to have to go as it isn't centered. Drives me nuts (LOL, so puny). I ordered white Grover tuners so I could stain them for more color. A few drops of alcohol ink and they came out just as I imagined.

I finished it up today and started practicing. I really like it so far! The chords seem easier to me. I've included the before and after pics. It is by far not perfect but it is perfectly for me. :) Not sure why the last 2 are sideways?

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@ Tstarky -

I absolutely love what you did here and how you made it your own, while also 'making a silk purse from a sow's ear' as my grandmother used to say...

The colors are almost like a reversed sunburst/fade and I've never seen anything done exactly like that before, just wonderful. I applaud and admire your skill in doing this make-over.

I am a big fan of the traditional 'tobacco sunburst' on guitars, but it seems so common nowadays....

... I ordered white Grover tuners so I could stain them for more color. A few drops of alcohol ink and they came out just as I imagined...

This too looks AMAZING to me. I'd love to learn how to do this with the white plastic tuner buttons, as I have a few ukes I'd like to customize the tuner colors.

Is there a web site or YT video that can show the method? Or if not, are you able to give us the steps of the process?

In any case, this is a wonderful project and strongly appeals to my own sense of DIY.

Kudos to you! Job well done! :) :rock:
 
@ Tstarky -

This too looks AMAZING to me. I'd love to learn how to do this with the white plastic tuner buttons, as I have a few ukes I'd like to customize the tuner colors.

Is there a web site or YT video that can show the method? Or if not, are you able to give us the steps of the process?

In any case, this is a wonderful project and strongly appeals to my own sense of DIY.

Kudos to you! Job well done! :) :rock:

Thanks Booli!

Here is a link to basic alcohol ink technique:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KbNWkzZFQg

I used 2-3 drops of the main color of ink on the corner of the stamper and 1 drop of minor color (I used stream and citrus). I also add 1 drop of the alcohol blender at the same time and then just blotted (don't rub) the entire peg. I used a q-tip with the blender on areas I wanted to add a little more "splashy" look. Also, the q-tip works great for the nooks and crannies (a drop of each color and blender) and just jabbed it to get the ink to spread. This stuff dries really fast. The best thing is if you don't like it, clean it off with rubbing alcohol and start over. If you have some old white dominoes you can use them for practice to get the look/color you like.

I lightly sprayed a matte clear coating over them by punching holes in cardboard and inserting the tuner through the hole with the peg dangling downward. A second light coating after the first dried. When I first installed them they felt very slightly tacky but it was gone by the time I got it tuned.

If you don't want to invest in the inks, youtube has several tutes on making your own. You can make your own felt dabber in any size using self stick velcro, felt and a wooden dowel.

Took me more time to get the color combo the way I wanted it then it did to color the pegs. :)
 
I just picked up a used Firefly M90 concert, #5xxx at a very good price.
I found it on Craigslist in San Diego, after another member posted his amazing find I started looking harder in areas further out.
This is a stunningly beautiful instrument with all the MFC bells and whistles;
Wood fret board
Peghead tuners
Pick up
This one is just about new in the box. My first banjolele!
I'm having fun trying clawhammer.
NUD!!!!
 
I'm up to 3 Magic Flukes now, 2 concert fleas both with upgraded fretboard and tuners, one is high g, the other low g. And I just got a new-to-me concert mango Fluke (no upgrades). I find the fluke difficult to hold, but I really like the sound, maybe more so than the flea. I think I'm going to have to get me one with the upgraded fretboard so I can tune it to low g.

Clearly I'm a disciple of Booli. What are we called, Booliites?
 
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I just noticed Mim has become a MFC reatailer (on her Reverb site). That’s great! I would have bought my koa from her if I had the chance!
 
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I'm up to 3 Magic Flukes now, 2 concert fleas both with upgraded fretboard and tuners, one is high g, the other low g. And I just got a new-to-me concert mango Fluke (no upgrades). I find the fluke difficult to hold, but I really like the sound, maybe more so than the flea. I think I'm going to have to get me one with the upgraded fretboard so I can tune it to low g.

Clearly I'm a disciple of Booli. What are we called, Booliites?

Congrats on your nice collection. :)

If you go to the first post of this thread, you will see a link to a discussion of how several folks (including myself) have devised ways to put a strap on a Fluke or Flea, and this might provide some ideas for you that can make your Fluke easier to hold...

Disciple of Booli? Ha Ha, you flatter me. :)

I'm not trying to create a cult or anything like that...but more a collective of friends, maybe a band of rebels (pirates) LOL - perhaps 'Booligans' or 'BooliFans' are more appropriate?

Humility prevents me from commenting further. I will let the group decide. \m/
 
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