Jerryc41
Well-known member
I got two ukes within a few days of each other, so I'm posting them together.
A friend raves about her Blackbird Clara, and I've seen so many favorable comments online that I was persuaded to order one from the company. They estimated a build time of eight weeks, but it was ready in five. You specify what you want, leave a deposit, and then make sure it's paid off before they ship it. You can pay over a few weeks or all at once, whichever you prefer.
The sound really is amazing. I brought it to my weekly jam yesterday, and I was afraid I was drowning everyone out. (I wasn't). It's very comfortable to hold and to play. I'm glad I ordered it with the low-G. One odd thing is the inability to put a strap button in the heel area. Since the company doesn't want to drill a hole in that hollow area, neither do I.
The other uke is a well-used Fluke, #17880. As you can see, the top shows signs of being played. Shameful! I'm going to have something painted on the top, so the marks don't matter, and I'll probably replace the fretboard. This is my second green Fluke concert, but I had the plastic fretboard on the other one replaced with wood, so I won't have trouble telling them apart. Eventually, both will be painted.
The number is interesting, though. It has a fairly early number, indicating that it was made in CT, the label inside is yellow, rather than the orange used in the other CT labels I have seen. So at some point, the CT plant switched from orange to yellow labels, which they have kept to this day. Although it is old and shows some wear, it is without defect, and it sounds beautiful. Dale certainly hit on a perfect design with these Flukes.
A friend raves about her Blackbird Clara, and I've seen so many favorable comments online that I was persuaded to order one from the company. They estimated a build time of eight weeks, but it was ready in five. You specify what you want, leave a deposit, and then make sure it's paid off before they ship it. You can pay over a few weeks or all at once, whichever you prefer.
The sound really is amazing. I brought it to my weekly jam yesterday, and I was afraid I was drowning everyone out. (I wasn't). It's very comfortable to hold and to play. I'm glad I ordered it with the low-G. One odd thing is the inability to put a strap button in the heel area. Since the company doesn't want to drill a hole in that hollow area, neither do I.
The other uke is a well-used Fluke, #17880. As you can see, the top shows signs of being played. Shameful! I'm going to have something painted on the top, so the marks don't matter, and I'll probably replace the fretboard. This is my second green Fluke concert, but I had the plastic fretboard on the other one replaced with wood, so I won't have trouble telling them apart. Eventually, both will be painted.
The number is interesting, though. It has a fairly early number, indicating that it was made in CT, the label inside is yellow, rather than the orange used in the other CT labels I have seen. So at some point, the CT plant switched from orange to yellow labels, which they have kept to this day. Although it is old and shows some wear, it is without defect, and it sounds beautiful. Dale certainly hit on a perfect design with these Flukes.