Magic Flea Question

mineymole

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So I have a Magic Fluke Flea Concert and a Ohana Mohogany Soprano. Both have the Aquila Nylgut strings.

I find the Magic Flea much harder on my finger tips on the left hand. I believe the strings are just a tad farther from the fret board than on the other ukulele.

Would this cause the pain?

Sorry for my noobie question!
 
It's possible, but Fleas and Flukes have a general reputation for being low action. Also you could be noticing a difference in string tension between the concert scale and soprano scale. You could try tuning the Flea down a semitone or two and see if that helps? If so, you could then look for lower tension string alternatives to get back up to normal pitch - or just play it at the lower pitch.
 
Could it possibly be the higher/bigger/thicker frets on the Flea? Or the thicker neck? Personally, I like the thicker frets, and thicker neck, that the Flea uses... but I might just be used to it. I think the action on Fleas/Flukes is perfect.
Also, as Jim notes, there is always going to be additional tension on a Concert scale vs. a shorter Soprano; that's simple physics.
I'm not a huge fan of Aquila Nylguts, so I would personally consider swapping them out for something like Worth Browns (BM's); those are my default favorite go-to strings.
Also be sure that you're pressing too hard. I know with Aquila, since they're fatter/thicker strings, I have a tendency to jam them down moreso than usual. That actually might be it. Try swapping out strings on Flea.
 
New Flukes and Fleas generally come with D'Addario Nyltech strings on them, which may not have the same tension rating as Aquila Nylguts. If you know for sure that your Flea is strung with Aquilas, then I agree with what Jim said - you are likely experiencing the difference in tension between the soprano and concert scale lengths. That has been my experience as well.
Jan
 
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