Fluke - can someone explain the point of them to me ?

The Big Kahuna

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I don't mean my question to sound mean in any way, but I'm just wondering why someone would buy one, and how they compare, from a beginners perspective to a similarly priced traditional Uke' ?

Only a week to go 'till New York, and if I happen to see one in a store, it would be nice to know if I should take a look or just walk straight past.
 
They are pretty much indestructible. I have a flea. Truth be told -- I really hardly ever touch it. Why do I have it? It was a steal at $99. I'm not a fan of the sound at all. But I keep it in case I need an ukulele that can go anywhere. I wouldn't recommend buying one if you really want a good sound. BUT somebody else will tell you how great they are. It's a personal thing.
 
They are very comfortable to play and have good action and intonation. I like the sound, but not with the strings that they come with. Switch to Worths and they are really nice. They are also a great instrument for travel. I probably like the flea better than the fluke.
 
I have a fluke I bought used at a great price.
It has a deep rich voice with Orca Low G's.
It is my take anywhere ukulele. Great camping uke as I don't have to worry about the weather.
For the most part I agree with the other posts, look for a great price used.
 
I'm guessing the intonation is 100% if you buy the moulded fingerboard version (if it isn't, someone is doing their job wrong) but how low is it possible to go with the action ? I know everyone says that you lose tone and volume with a low action on a Uke', but 90% of my guitar playing has always been of the "shredding" variety, and I'd quite like to bring some of that to the Uke'.
 
I'm guessing the intonation is 100% if you buy the moulded fingerboard version (if it isn't, someone is doing their job wrong) but how low is it possible to go with the action ? I know everyone says that you lose tone and volume with a low action on a Uke', but 90% of my guitar playing has always been of the "shredding" variety, and I'd quite like to bring some of that to the Uke'.
I would expect that "shredding" would require higher action than average. Low action + vigorous strumming may cause buzzing. It's just physics. I haven't tried "shredding" on my Flea. Be aware that the soundboard of the Fleas and Flukes are usually a soft wood, and a lot of shredding will leave strum marks pretty quickly.

Fleas and Flukes are great if you expect to have to pass the instrument around to curious friends and strangers. The plastic molded backs are not bothered by shirt buttons, bulky pendants, or other hazards. They are sturdy, and that can give you a more relaxed attitude if you want to pass the uke around.

–Lori
 
I love 'em.

1. Indestructible. You don't need to worry about keeping it in a case, monitoring the humidity, or babying it in any way.
2. I like the sound. I know it's never going to sound exactly like a solid wood trad uke, but it's tone is beautiful in its own way. The sound is balanced, punchy, and clean and it lends itself to accompanying vocals.
3. Intonation. Spot on.
4. You never really need a hanger or a stand.
5. Made in the USA by a small, family-owned company.
6. The folks who run that company are super-nice. I was told they once replaced the top on a Fluke because someone left it in a chair and sat on it - and the company considered it covered by warranty. I've been told by them "we want our customers to play these instruments, to love them, and to be happy. We'll do what it takes to make that happen."
7. I like their sense of style. I knew a guy who wanted to collect one of every printed Fluke available.
 
I have a fluke and the neck is thick, however I like the big sound...it's a fun uke no doubt....I am very happy with mine...worth every cent I paid...
 
In addition to everything RevWill said, you can get a nice big sound out of a Fluke because that plastic bowl is big and resonant. I got a concert Fluke six years ago to be my backup and travel uke. It's been to Hawaii with me and been thrown in the trunk for several car vacations. I've played it so much I wore the position marker dots off, and had to use my daughter's suncatcher paint to paint new ones on. I'm not a fan of high action, and I've never had any problems with the Fluke in that regard.

I expect one of these days, I'll probably get a tenor Fluke with a wooden fretboard so I can string it to low G. Many people here have warned that a wound string may wear out the plastic fretboard fairly quickly.
 
My Fluke was the first nice uke I got. At the time, pickins' were pretty slim in the $200 price for nice sounding instruments. Like others have said, it's basically a no fuss uke. Great for travel, camping, leaving in the car or at the office. I think it has a great sound and very adaptable to many string choices. I have Martin concerts on it now and I really like them.

I definitely have a couple nicer instruments, but my Fluke will never leave the collection. And I'm yet another advocate for the folks associated with the company, they're good people.
 
i really love my fluke, all of the above posts describe the instrument well, i have had to stop taking it to the ukulele club because it is too loud and everyone can hear my mistakes it also drowns out their ukes, this uke is a loud brash evil son of a bitch, i used to take it to my fortnightly lesson but it blows my tutors uke into the weeds, the frets are quite wide as well so if you have long or thick fingers this uke will fit you like a.......er.......glove, it comes camping, hiking and to work and is my go to tenor uke
 
Give them loud and they'll be happy. A Fluke is loud. It doesn't have that rich complex sound you get from a nice all solid koa or mahogany ukulele but it is still a good instrument. I learned to play on my Fluke. The Flea is a good little ukulele too. I've sort of moved on in some ways. My Flea had the bridge pop off (the company said they'd fix it but I just haven't gotten around to send it to them) and I really love soprano so the Fluke doesn't get played much. Plus I like the sound of my other solid ukes better these days. If I need something loud though I reach for the Fluke!
 
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I'm glad this thread came up. I have scratched my head over Flukes ever since I started window shopping for ukes. I just didn't get why people loved them - to me, they are just about the ugliest uke I've ever seen.

This thread has clarified it for me. Toughness and spot-on intonation are certainly selling points, so when shopping for my travel uke I'll play a few to see what I think. (I must admit, I still find them pretty ugly, however...)
 
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4. You never really need a hanger or a stand.

This needs to be re-emphasised. The flat bottom means you can just leave it sitting, like if you're noodling away at some tabs at your home office desk and get called away - just sit it on your desk and it's waiting there when you get back. It's a surprisingly convenient feature.
 
I've played a couple of Flukes and don't care for the body shape, although they sound great. I have a Flea that I LOVE. The Flea feels more like a ukulele to me, and the body is much more comfortable to hold. Maybe that's as much because I like sopranos as anything else. I think the Flea and Fluke sound similar (from my limited time on a Fluke, at least). The Flea sits next to my computer desk and is pretty much the first ukulele I reach for when I want to figure something out. My other ukes are close by in the same room, but they're in their cases so I have to dig them out. I can honestly say that the Flea is the one uke I own that gets played pretty much every day. Not for LONG, maybe, but I probably do pick it up at least once per day. It's also the uke I take camping. If I were really tiny, I could even use it as a raft!
I actually just talked a friend into buying a used one on eBay... I'm kind of hoping he won't like it all that much so I can buy it from him! He got the mango (orange) one, and it looks really nice. I've got the natural finish, and it's kind of boring-looking, but it's what was in the store the day I went there.
 
The Flea sits next to my computer desk and is pretty much the first ukulele I reach for when I want to figure something out.

Same here. It's my go-to uke.

They might not be the toppest of the top-end, but they sound fine to me. Plus, they're well-priced, reliable and built like tanks.

They're the Peavey of the uke world.

JJ
 
I've got the Fluke and Kiwaya K-Wave close at hand. For some reason, as it has aged a few years the Fluke now holds its tuning best of all my ukes while it's put away. I can pull it out, and it's usually already in tune. They constantly do limited edition designs. Mine is just a natural color, with a sunburst pattern around the soundhole.

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