Fleamarket Music/New Koa Uke

Witters

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I received a Koa Concert Flea this morning and it is absolutely superb!:D

I ordered it less than 2 weeks ago from Fleamarket Music and they advised me at the time it would probably take about a week to make up - it took about 5 days.
Then they told me it was going to be shipped out to me about 4 working days ago, and the time it took to get to my house in the UK is excellent.
Total time in making up and getting to me was way less than 2 weeks!:music:

I have bought from Hawaii in the past, and it has taken 3 times as long, sometimes almost a month. I am not complaining about that, it is just the way the system works.

Anyway, the company right from the word go after my initial enquiries have been top class when it comes to customer service.
They have answered every question without fail and promptly, and kept me informed as to the progress. :cheers:

As to the Uke, it is as I hoped, stunning.
I know the Flea/Flukes are not everyone’s cup of tea but I like them so that’s all that matters. The Koa top is solid, and the Walnut neck is a lovely piece of wood. The Fret board again is superb.
I can’t fault it really because it is as I hoped it would be.
It also feels a bit more comfortable than my Soprano - its hard to explain, it just seems to fit me better, if you know what I mean.

I know having the upgrades costs almost as much as an all solid Uke, but in my eyes it was worth it.:smileybounce:
 
Congrats on your new flea! I've looked at them, but haven't pulled the trigger on getting one, yet. Please post pics and sound samples soon!
 
Awesome - that exact model has become one of my "dream" ukes, so it's great to hear from somebody who actually has one!

Enjoy it, and please post photos if you can!

Like you, I've had a very positive experience with Fleamarket. I bought a Flea last month, and I found the folks at Fleamarket EXTREMELY nice to deal with - they patiently answered every question I sent them, and really made me feel good about my order. Mine took less than two weeks, too - and that was with a holiday weekend thrown into the mix. :shaka:
 
I know the Flea/Flukes are not everyone’s cup of tea but I like them so that’s all that matters.

Congratulations! From what I hear those Koa topped Fleas and Flukes are sweet instruments. Flukes and Fleas are certainly my cup of tea, and I've seen more Fluke/Flea love here than on other uke boards.

I haven't had the ducats to pull the trigger on a Koa Flea either, but one day it will be mine. Oh yes, it WILL be mine. Mwwwaaaa haaaaaa haaaaa!
 
Been playing a pineapple concert Flea since November, and it's been intruding on how much I play my Kamaka. I've knocked it off my desk so many times, and even sent it flying when my chair hit it, and it's barely got a scratch. What an awesome uke. :D

The folks at Flea Market Music are great. I hung out at their booth at Uke Fest with Jim and Liz, and they answered all the questions I had about their instruments. More recently, I emailed to ask if I could have them retrofit a pickup in my Flea, and they responded very quickly and positively.

Enjoy the heck out of your koa Flea! They sound and look great. Even if the price approaches an all-solid uke, Flukes and Fleas aren't for the traditional and they're totally worth it if that's what you're into. :D pixplz
 
You know, Ovation never made a guitar that sounded anything like a Martin D-28 but even professional guitarists like Adrian Legg, Melissa Etheridge and Glen Campbell find them very pleasing.

Maybe a Flea will never sound quite like a vintage Style 0 or a Kamaka, but it does sound great and makes a lot of us very happy.
 
Oh yeah, I forgot the obligatory "Pics / video or it didn't happen."

So,

Pics/Video or it didn't happen.
 
Oh yeah, I forgot the obligatory "Pics / video or it didn't happen."

So,

Pics/Video or it didn't happen.

The bar keeps rising. Soon it will be "commemorative tattoo, logo'd t-shirt, and Wikipedia entry or it didn't happen."
 
Have not taken any pics yet, but a chap on youtube plays one and you can see what its like as well as hearing it.:)
 
The bar keeps rising. Soon it will be "commemorative tattoo, logo'd t-shirt, and Wikipedia entry or it didn't happen."

I just wanted to see some pitchers so I could be all envious and talk to my wife and be all like "I want me one of them like that" and she's all like "we can't afford that," and then I'm all like "but honey, it's so pretty" and she's all like "I know you want it, but you can't have it, and then I'm like "awwww dangit."

On second thought, maybe no pictures.
 
This is not mine, this one belongs to Plainsong.

But mine is exactly the same, exept I do not have a case for it yet, just a denim carry bag.

Obviously the Koa top is slightly different because no 2 tops would be the same, but the colouring is the same, albeit with a slightly different grain.
 

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How does the Koa Flea compare to the regular Flea in terms of tone quality?

I have a Bark Cloth Flea Concert model w/plastic fretboard and and have thought about getting the Koa or Mahogany Flea.

The Koa Flea compared to my ordinary one has a brighter tone. If you go to youtube and just type in "Koa Flea" you will see a couple of people playing them.

I don't know about the Mahogany as it is still a laminate top.

All the upgrades are there when you buy the Koa top Flea except a pickup installed which I didn't want anyway.

But lets be realistic here, I think ANY Flea is good anyway without any upgrades, as I have a normal one with plastic frets and Hilo strings which sounds great regardless.
The upgrades though do improve overall but this would purely be a matter of taste - and of course if you want to pay out the extra money.

The main reason I got it was because I wanted a Concert size anyway so I just went for the big push and got the top of the range. But I would have been happy with an ordinary one if I could not have afforded the Koa.

If I had wanted a traditional all solid Concert I would be looking at a Kanilea or something like this which would cost me double the price of the Flea.
But I would want a hands on first and try different one's and then choose which I think is best.
Until that happens and I have the opportunity to do that, I am more than happy with the Flea.

I would imagine the Fluke's are the same quality and I would have no hessitation in going for a Tenor Fluke if that is what I wanted.
 
Lastly, Fleamarket Music are a superb company to deal with. If they ever miss an email it is purely an oversight and not intentional.

I have also heard that their after sales is also 1st rate and they have had thousands of customers worldwide.
 
When I got my Flea upgraded to the Rosewood Fretboard, I couldn't have asked for better service and faster turnaround.

First class company all the way.

JT
 
I hope you don't mind me asking (ignore me if you do) but how much Import Duty / Tax did you get stung for?

Just wondering as I'd love to get a Fluke imported :)
 
I can tell the exact amount - £0.00

The breakdown was as follows:

Import duty - £ 0.00
Excise duty - £ 0.00
VAT -------- £32.81
And lastly Parcelforce fee of £13.50 which in effect is another postage cost on top of what you already paid.
I don't know how or why this is because I objest to Parcelforce assuming that I want them to collect it from the Airport on my behalf.

A person I know who lives near the Airport has to wait until Parcelforce collects, then they take it to a huge warehouse, then on to his local depot which is further than the Airport.

Beware of postage fees from the States and budget for it because it only seems to pay for the parcel being carried to the UK and not to your door.

When buying from Hawaii in the past I have had to pay import duty, so either this has now stopped or Hawaii is classed differently.
 
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