NUD: Flight TUS35 ABS Travel Uke

I agree with you, Bill, about the Flight uke vibrating in your hands and feeling as if a part of you. Totally get it. I like what you did with the tuners. My only complaint with the Flight TUS50 are the tuners themselves. They're not very responsive; I need to turn a rotation or so just to get a slight movement in the string. I tried tightening the tuners but there are no screws on the sides of the knobs, just screws on the back of the geared area. It was very hard for me to attempt the tightening which didn't seem to make any difference.
 
Hi Kmehrzad, yes, those Phillips-head screws on the back of the geared area like to be tightened just to the point of a gentle snugness, plus maybe just a tiny little extra. In my experience their function is just to hold the little "gear wheel" in place, so of course they need to be reasonably snug, but you don't want to "bear down on 'em" too hard either. I don't think those screws really have a significant impact (if any) on the "holding power" of the tuners as such. Now, with regard to the issue of getting only a slight movement in pitch with each rotation, did you by chance install a new set of strings? If so, during the process of little-by-little getting those new strings up to standard pitch, it would not be uncommon to find that you'll turn a tuner a couple of times and the pitch only goes up a little; but that'll take care of itself after a while, once the strings have fully settled in. I generally crank new strings up to pitch very slowly, over the course of maybe a half-hour, little by little, until they're close, but not quite there; and they'll stretch and go down in pitch every few minutes, so I very slowly give them a couple more turns, stopping each time a string doesn't seem to want to continue rising in pitch, and coming back five minutes later, so as not to force it into its new job too quickly. In short, it's a very slow process. After a week or so, things will be stabilized and you won't have to "work it" so much. But honestly, being a stickler for perfect tuning, I check and tweak my tuning every time I pick the uke up, so it's kind of an ongoing process. I hope this might help a little!
 
Hi Bill,
No, I've kept the original strings. I'd really love to change out the tuners as you've done on your Flights ukes (you have two, correct?). If it's not too troubling for you, would it be possible to step by step tell me what I'd need and how to change my tuners? I'd order some from Amazon and those front plastic rings if need be. They look so nice on your woodgrain and the black uke that you've tweaked. As you mentioned, the Grovers were an exact fit. That's what I'd be looking for - something very simple to do - just a swap out. Thanks for your consideration, Bill. Kathy
 
Hi Kathy, I can't recall if you mentioned what color your Flight is? Are you considering white tuner buttons/plastic rings, or black?
I must admit, I'm not really very handy. So in making these modifications, I was sort of playing by ear.
The first thing I did was to loosen and remove the strings.
Next, I unscrewed the mounting screws from each tuner and removed all of the tuners (with a properly sized Phillips head screwdriver).
The more challenging part was to pop out the four silver "ferrules" (hope I'm using that term correctly), because they're slightly too narrow to allow the replacement (Grover) tuning posts to slide through. Those little silver guys are stuck in there pretty tightly, however, so I had to very carefully use a combination of pushing a flat-head screwdriver into the hole and gradually popping each one out, or, on a couple of them, using a drill with a fairly large bit, to try pushing them out (careful!). Once the silver things were out, then I had to slightly enlarge the four holes so that the new Grover tuners would slide through them (the silver pieces at this point are of no further use). I did the slight enlargement with a drill (the bit being, just by coincidence, just about the right size to open up those holes just a little bit). The good news is that all you have to do after that is install the new tuners; you'll find that the mounting holes are a perfect match, so no re-drilling of those should be necessary. Once the new tuners are in place securely, slap a new set of strings on there (I would recommend Martin M-600's), remembering to slide a plastic ring over each tuning post before you put a new string on it. So, that's basically what I did!
 
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Bill, thanks for the instructions. Once I saw the word 'drill', I said to myself be happy with the tuners on the uke. I'll keep what I have and make the best of it. Thanks, though, for taking your time to explain; I appreciate that. Sounds very doable but I'd not be happy with myself if the drilling part of the process didn't go well.
 
Lilymo, If the finish is too matte for you, an easy way to move it towards a satin finish is to gently rub the uke down with a cloth.

I used an old t-shirt. Nothing too rough. And just go over the uke a few times. I follow the"grain", but I don't think the direction matters a whole lot. The gentle "buffing" or "rubbing-out" of the finish takes down the matte to a satin pretty quickly. Don't forget to go under the strings. I used a pressure similar to drying my hands. Your experience may differ.

It is exactly the same process and effect that you get after playing a uke with a matte finish for a while. You wind up with a satin or semi-gloss area where you've been strumming or handling it a lot. You can accelerate and protect the satin you like by using an instrument cleaner/wax product made for satin finishes. It won't produce a satin finish on its own, but it will help maintain the one you have buffed out. It's optional in the process.

I actually did this with my Martin T1 IZ tenor. I hated the matte finish. It made the wood grain hard to see, and I didn't like the harsh hiss it made when clothing or my hands went across the surface. I gently rubbed it down with a rag a few times and then applied a little Music Nomad Guitar Detailer for Matte finishes. It improved the looks of the mahogany and the tactile feel is much nicer. Test it to make sure it's OK on the plastic.

It's easy to do while watching TV or waiting for water to boil. (The extent of my cooking abilities.) Be gentle so you don't rub through the finish. Do the rub several times and voila! No refinishing needed.
 
I have toyed with idea of a light coat of satin lacquer on the sound board and headstock of my light blue TUS35.
I went so far as to inquire with Flight, they responded in a very timely fashion but wouldn’t give a definitive answer if applying lacquer would lift the light existing finish.
So I haven’t been able to bring myself to take the risk.
 
Saw a bunch of auctions on eBay today that could save anybody pondering a purchase some money.

From a seller in the US: $59.99 including shipping with a BEST OFFER option - I'm curious how low they're willing to go.

From a seller in the UK: just under $50 including shipping to the US.

I bought mine in November, still love it, it's not just a temporary infatuation!
 
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I played again yesterday with my soprano TUS50. The only thing I don't like are the plastic frets. The sound I like.

They are probably ok for most even these days, but I hate that some day my uke will become plastic waste, just because of the fingerboard.
 
I played again yesterday with my soprano TUS50. The only thing I don't like are the plastic frets. The sound I like.

They are probably ok for most even these days, but I hate that some day my uke will become plastic waste, just because of the fingerboard.

I was playing my Flight this morning in my car before going into work, and am still enjoying it. Yes it is plastic, and eventually the frets may wear out, but it was so inexpensive that I consider it disposable.
 
Lilymo, If the finish is too matte for you, an easy way to move it towards a satin finish is to gently rub the uke down with a cloth.
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I love your low tech, noninvasive suggestion. I've gotten used to the super matte finish but I just might try this. Thank you!!
 
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How did you get the nicer padded gig bag? I bought the same Flight uke from Amazon and they it came with a lightweight crappy bag with no padding, not the one you have in the picture. I don't get it???
 
How did you get the nicer padded gig bag? I bought the same Flight uke from Amazon and they it came with a lightweight crappy bag with no padding, not the one you have in the picture. I don't get it???

The Flight are remarkably good instruments, especially for the price. If you have a few bucks this is a really nice gig bag

https://www.amazon.com/Kaces-KUKS-3...prano+ukulele&qid=1564015011&s=gateway&sr=8-7

https://cargo.ukerepublic.com/product/kaces-ukulele-bag
 
I’m planning to get this uke for travel overseas. Any kind soul wish to share their experiences if the ABS frets are holding up well against wear out? ABS is some pretty tough plastic according Google.

“The impact strength of ABS is in the range of 10 to 60 kg.cm/cm notch. This value is higher than most of the engineering thermoplastics like acetal resin, nylons etc. It also exceeds that of metals like magnessium alloys, tin bronze alloys etc.

The ultimate tensile strength of ABS is generally in the range of 350 to 550 kg/cm2 at normal temperature. This tensile strength is retained over a wide range of temperatures. The retention of a fairly high tensile strength at forming temperature makes ABS sheet a good vacuum forming material.


The hardness of ABS is rockwell R 80 to R 114. This is a measure indicative of scratch resistance. The higher the number, the harder the material.


Thus ABS offers a good balance of impact strength, tensible strength, flexural modulus, and hardness, while creep at stress level below 150 kg/cm2 is negligible. This characteric imparts high resistance to dimensional changes under loads and enables different parts of the assembly to retain tolerances and tight fit.”
 
I would imagine the frets are similar to those on a Flea or Fluke. People have used those for ages with no problems
 
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