Modifying the Flea

bikemech

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I reshaped the neck of my Magic Fluke Flea soprano. I found the neck, as it comes from the factory, a bit chunky and unrefined. It was the thickness and rather hard edges that detracted from my playing comfort especially when playing chords in the first position such as E7 and Fm. So I concentrated my modification toward the tuning head end of the neck where I removed a good deal of thickness there and worked on smoothing some of the connecting surfaces leading into the tuning head. Then I feathered that back toward the body.

The Martin C1K is the basis of my comparison and I think its neck is just about perfect for my needs. I didn't mind the flat back section of the original Flea neck but when I did the reshaping I wanted to try to come as close to the Martin as I could, so I rounded the neck, removing any defined edges as you can see in the photos. In the end, I could have taken a bit more thickness out of the Flea neck but I think it is pretty good as it turned out.

Unfortunately I did not take any photos of the process so you'll only see the end result in the comparison photos. I used a Simonds half-round rasp for the rough work of removing stock. I then used a Simonds half-round file for smoothing, followed by varying grits of sandpaper. I finished with a few coats of Tru-oil and a bit of wax. Note: Magic Fluke uses a bit of tint in their finish so the tone of the new finish doesn't match perfectly but it's good enough for me.

In the photos you'll see the Flea in the vise. In the comparison photos you'll see (top to bottom) my wife's unmodified concert Flea, the modified Flea, and my Martin C1k.



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Nice job! While I like the fleas and flukes, I agree that this is a nice upgrade. I had a fluke a number of years ago that I modified in the same way. I found it very nice to play with this change.
 
Great job. Although I don't own a flea or a fluke that is exactly what I would do to the neck if I got one. Thanks for sharing ........the pictures help to tell the story very well.
 
Nice work!
If the necks came from the factory like this, I guess it'd mean more labor and higher costs for the consumer. I never had any problems with Flea or Fluke necks, but what you did does look like an improvement. I'm a big fan of Tru-Oil too.
 
Thank you all for the kind words. Now if I could only get it to sound like my Martin...:love:
 
Great job. That is an option I'd pay for from MFC or from a third party, ssuming it was reasonable. I think it make for a better instrument. Just like doing pegheds...IMHO. Good for you, I don't think I'd be able to pull it off.
 
Great job. That is an option I'd pay for from MFC or from a third party, ssuming it was reasonable. I think it make for a better instrument. Just like doing pegheds...IMHO. Good for you, I don't think I'd be able to pull it off.

If you'd like me to modify your Flea, I would be happy to discuss it. PM me and we can work out the details.
 
Resurrection of this thread. I have the same problem with my Fluke neck. I could follow your lead, but if you're still on UU and the offer is still open, I might be interested. I'll PM you.


This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly West near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 5 acoustic bass ukes, 11 solid body bass ukes, 11 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 35)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
 
Resurrection of this thread. I have the same problem with my Fluke neck. I could follow your lead, but if you're still on UU and the offer is still open, I might be interested. I'll PM you.


This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly West near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 5 acoustic bass ukes, 11 solid body bass ukes, 11 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 35)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers

He did a beautiful job on that neck. I'm sure I'd be able to cut one down for myself, but I doubt it would turn out as well. Let us know how this turns out if you go ahead with it.
 
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