NUD Tenor Fluke

StacyAZ

Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2015
Messages
24
Reaction score
0
P1030756sm.jpg

Why is it NUD for me? I am a new uke player (since January) but already in love with the instrument. I play with a local uke group, and I have goals of playing a ukulele in duet with my guitar-playing husband. While my Luna Honu soprano is great for the uke group, for playing other material, and learning fingerpicking I found I need a uke with a larger fretboard, bigger sound, and strung with low-G. I live in a dry climate so I was looking for a sturdy uke that did not require special humidity care. I chose the Fluke because a couple people play Fleas and Flukes in my uke group and give them as rave reviews as you do here on UU. In deciding between concert and tenor fretboard, I went into my local music store and tried both out and was delighted to discover that the tenor was not such a big stretch for my hands as I feared.

First impressions:

Looks: I am so glad I ordered the hardwood fretboard, not only to give me the option of using a wound low-G string, but also because it looks so beautiful! It perfectly complements the beautiful (to my eyes!) purple of the "Amethyst" top. Also a lovely aesthetic to my eyes is the length of the tenor neck against the Fluke body--wonderfully balanced. IMHO the concert neck looks a bit squat on the Fluke body.

Handling: As you can see, I immediately felt like I needed a strap so I fashioned one from the strap of a purple deerskin purse I no longer use. Of course the nature of the Fluke requires creative strapping if one is to retain the ability to stand on its own. We'll see if I come up with a better solution, but this is fine for now. I did order the grip strips installed, and that is a very nice addition, preventing the otherwise slippery uke from sliding across my body. The tenor-scale fretboard will take some getting used to after the soprano, but I do appreciate the roomy feel for sure!

Sound: Aside from a short time I had the opportunity to play a friend's low-G Martin OXK soprano (which sounded great I thought), hearing the sound of chords strummed with the low-G is new to me and I am not falling in love with it as quickly as I expected. It's nice, resonant, and deep, but a different sound than the re-entrant soprano I am used to. But I am determined to have a low-G uke and I think I will get used to it just fine. There is a nice amount of resonance and sustain to this uke overall, which I am really enjoying. I did order with the K&K soundboard transducer and I plugged the Fluke into my Roland KC-300 keyboard amplifier (the only amp I have, as I have played keyboards for 20 years). Very nice! First impression as the sound is more pleasing, warm, and natural compared to my Risa soprano solid when amplified.
 
Congrats on the new FLUKE!

That color looks great in the sunlight. :)

I love my Flea and Fluke ukes, and recommend them to others whenever possible.
 
Thank you, Booli!

BTW, I have noticed you post some very informative and useful posts, of which I am thankful! :)
 
Thank you, Booli!

BTW, I have noticed you post some very informative and useful posts, of which I am thankful! :)

You're welcome. Thanks for noticing. :)

This forum has helped me a lot in the 2 yrs since I joined, so I really try to pay-it-forward and share my own experiences in the hope that they might help others...:shaka:
 
Hola - lovely Fluke. I live in AZ too and it's nice not having to worry about humidifiers on these. I've had both plastic and hardwood fretboard. The hardwood is nicer by far. Did you try these out in a store and if so where?
Enjoy!
 
Hola - lovely Fluke. I live in AZ too and it's nice not having to worry about humidifiers on these. I've had both plastic and hardwood fretboard. The hardwood is nicer by far. Did you try these out in a store and if so where?
Enjoy!

I was not able to try it out in a store. I am in a local ukulele meetup group and one member has a concert Fluke I was able to try!
 
Nice and yes low g is great on a fluke

Aside from the low g sound i find fluke and fleas have a unique loud sound.

Despite much more expensive ukes the fluke and flea are among my favorites.

Did younget a bag?
What kind of strings? I like worth clears on mine.

Anyway congrats! And enjoy!
 
Congratulations Stacy, lovely ukulele and the matching strap looks really nice!

Thank you, Campbell! I am fortunate I was able to find a use for part of a purse that I dearly loved but no longer use...it is working nicely as a strap so far!
 
Nice and yes low g is great on a fluke

Aside from the low g sound i find fluke and fleas have a unique loud sound.

Despite much more expensive ukes the fluke and flea are among my favorites.

Did younget a bag?
What kind of strings? I like worth clears on mine.

Anyway congrats! And enjoy!

Thank you for your positive thoughts about the Fluke and Fleas! I did splurge and get a hard case for my Fluke! I wanted to have more protection for taking it places. The Magic Fluke Company puts D'Addario strings on their new Flukes and Fleas. The Low G string is the wound LaBella string they sell as a single. When ordering a uke from FMM you can purchase a single Low G or a Low G set and request they string with the purchased strings. They will send you the D'Addario strings they would have strung it with upon request.
 
Fluke makes some quality instruments for sure. It's cool that you got the wooden fretboard too. I like the durability of the original fretboard, but that aside I definitely prefer the wooden one. I've played on both.

It's true these ukes are more durable than a lot of others, but they still need some care. Wooden fretboards can still dry out, at which point the fret ends will be exposed. It's fixable, but it's better to not get to that point. So unless you want to chance it, I'd still look into ways to give the fretboard some care and use a humidifier during the winter when needed.
Also, I'm not sure about the bracing on the uke tops. Yes, laminate tops on ukes are more durable in some ways....However, they are normally braced with solid wood braces..which still need the right humidity..

You've got a quality instrument there. I hope you enjoy it!
 
Top Bottom