two ukes. two sizes. which of which.

homEsick

homEsick

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I plan on buying two new ukuleles with my tax rebate check :) i am getting a fluke and an ohana 75cg series. i already have a soprano ukulele, so I want to get the next two sizes. I've been playing guitar for a decade, for what it's worth.

now my dillema. I can't decide whether I should get a concert Fluke and an Ohana TK75CG, or a tenor Fluke and the CK75CG. I've fallen in love with all of them. I can't find a tenor ohana so far, for what it's worth.

if anyone could help me or even ask me questions that may help me decide for myself, that would be simply amazing. please ask for any details that i have undoubtedly left out.

tyty<3
 
Get the concert fluke. The tenor is the same body with a longer neck, not so much a tenor, but more like a super-concert.
 
Don't know if this helps but I put a deposit on a TK 75 CG back in July of 09 at a very big well known music store. It just arrived there and the guy at the store told me by phone that he noticed a couple of obvious drips in the finish and that the action was quite high. Their techs are going to see if the action can be lowered tomorrow. I asked about just getting another one and they told me perhaps in another six months and it will likely have some finish issues as well. They tell me Ohana has some quality control issues on these ukes. I don't know if I'll actually end up with this one after waiting this long. They are pretty hard to find. Haven't seen one in the ebay stores since June and I look every day! The guys at the store offered to knock off $80 for the drips so it's still tempting but the action worries me. Tomorrow will tell. Good luck!
 
Can't the action be lowered though? What is wrong with the uke that makes the action not adjustable?

But yeah, it's a shame that Ohana gives one to Ken so that he can show us how great it looks and sounds, then they proceed to not make it available anywhere. When I was looking for one, I gave up and went with the Kala spruce/lacewood concert, which turned into a plucky cheerful little fellow.

As for the poll, my vote goes to Fluke concert, Ohana tenor.
 
That's disappointing to hear about the Ohana. With a full UAS infection raging, I have been looking at all sorts of tenors and the TK75CG is the one that I keep going back to. The looks and the sound from Ken's video review just grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I wonder if anyone else has one with a different experience than what 44fanatic shares above.
 
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TK75 CG Update

Got a call back from the store's repair shop. No issues with the neck and they will lower the action and ship it out in the next day or so. I'll keep you posted.
 
For sure let us know. It is on my shortlist, but I'm thinking of getting one of those Kala tenor travel ukes to hold me off from it for a while!
 
I orderd an Ohana CK 75-CG from Elderly on the 16th and it is on its way now. I can hardly wait. This is my dream ukulele....for now...

They called today to tell me about two dark smudges that were under the finish on the back side. Now, instead of feeling sad when I see these defects, I will remember the honesty and generosity of Elderly. I was (am) impressed. I am sure that my playing will have a lot more defects than the two they found.
 
i ended up the fluke concert and absolutely love it. i really feel like i made the right decision. like most of the people here, i've still been looking for this one everywhere. where did you get yours from 44fanatic? also, how much did you end up paying for it?
i don't mind being patient (it's giving me a chance to save up!) but ya, i too look at ebay every single day for one.

if anyone wants to post pictures or videos of theirs, do it! i'm sure none of us here will mind :)
 
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I have a Fluke tenor I bought from a friend who was never playing it. It has a rosewood fretboard and a pickup.
It is my carry anywhere ukulele. As posted previously the body is the same as the concert, but the tenor neck and scale give a slightly louder/deeper voice.
I have played in high G, low G and DGBE all work and sound good. Aquilas seem to do the trick quite well.
When you have more than one uke it really does give you some tuning options.
 
ya, i'm waiting to try low g tuning until i get a tenor. after years of playing guitar, i don't really like playing melodies and riffs on the high g and oftentime find myself wanting to go lower. for the times that i will prefer high g (probably still the majorityof the time) ill have the fluke for that!

i don't mind the plastic fretboard on the fluke at all. as my first foray into friction tuners though - well, let's just say i'm never doing that again :p i'm glad i got the concert size fluke since it's more of my travel/take it with me in the car, to a friends, etc. uke, and the slightly shorter neck is fine with me for that. i'd like to play a tenor model though.
 
thank you very much :) i basically know nothing about friction tuner brands since, as i said, these are my first. i don't really have a problem turning them, per se - ive just recently tightened them actually as they were loose enough as it were - theyre just so freaking sensitive. i understand that you have to get used to them, etc, but i've been using geared tuners all of my life and have been spoiled/stubborn :p
 
I ordered a Mango Flea on Thursday with the Peg Heads...

As an aside, you will shortly see that Fluke/Flea players/owners are among the most satisified people out there and why.

A familiar pattern is those who thought they had to go solid wood (jumping into UAS heaven/hell) only to rediscover how that Fluke/Flea is really quite fine.

I've also noticed that among You Tube postings of covers, etc. Fluke/Flea folks are among some of the best players. Maybe there's a connnection?

Most discussions of which solid wood is better (esp in tha $200-300 range) resemble debates between fans of Jim Beam and Jack Daniels. Neither one is high-end bourbon.
 
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luvdatuke said:
I ordered a Mango Flea on Thursday with the Peg Heads...

As an aside, you will shortly see that Fluke/Flea players/owners are among the most satisified people out there and why.

A familiar pattern is those who thought they had to go solid wood (jumping into UAS heaven/hell) only to rediscover how that Fluke/Flea is really quite fine.

I've also noticed that among You Tube postings of covers, etc. Fluke/Flea folks are among some of the best players. Maybe there's a connnection?

Most discussions of which solid wood is better (esp in tha $200-300 range) resemble debates between fans of Jim Beam and Jack Daniels. Neither one is high-end bourbon.
Click to expand...

Are you just trying to find threads to troll? What's with the insulting attitude? "I will shortly see.." Yeah, ok. I've had a Fluke and a Flea, so enlighten me about the instrument because I can't possibly know from experience. Me or so many others here.

Why do you assume you know everything about ukes and everyone else here knows nothing? That's the attitude most of your posts take. I don't know why you feel the need to be like that.
 
There's a review of the TK-35G on Uke Hunt. Issues with high action. Not the 75G, just an additional point of reference.
 
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Plainsong said:
Are you just trying to find threads to troll? What's with the insulting attitude? "I will shortly see.." Yeah, ok. I've had a Fluke and a Flea, so enlighten me about the instrument because I can't possibly know from experience. Me or so many others here.

Why do you assume you know everything about ukes and everyone else here knows nothing? That's the attitude most of your posts take. I don't know why you feel the need to be like that.
Click to expand...
Plainsong, I'm not sure where you see that he is trolling? All I can see here is an opinion about a uke he likes. Calm down.
 
@plainsong ya, i've thought about ordering some geared tuners and replacing them myself, but fortunately, i don't have to tune too often, so while i've learned my lesson as to what i personally like, i'll probably just stick with the friction tuners.

@lovetaduke , ya i really enjoy the sound of the fluke. i know from experience it's all too easy to get wrapped up in spending, whether it's uas or anything else, and i'd say it might be lucky that i have so many bills to pay right now, or i might be buying a uke a week. as i stated, i really enjoy the sound of the fluke, but the tradiotionalist part of me says i'm not going to be completely happy until i get a uke that's not made out of plastic. ill always be taking the fluke with me to the beach or in the car, but i want a uke that i can tweak perfectly how i want it - strings, tuners, action, pickup, etc. i actually don't like the look of solid koa, non cutaway, slotted stock, friction tuners. i definitely fell in love with how the tk75cg looks and sounds. it's a simple fact that you're more willing to play an instrument you love, and i'd argue would play it better as well. that's what i'm going for with this. the action is fixable, and i'm perfectly comfortable with that - but thank you sincerely for the heads up.
 
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