Flea and Fake Flea - comparisons

I would think the biggest thing impacting the Flake's sound (or lack thereof) is that huge block of wood that's under the bridge. Not only is it bigger than most reinforcement strips, it's also extremely thick. The one inside a Flea is much thinner, more like a popsicle stick in terms of thickness.
 
I dug out my micrometer and measured my Flea's top this morning. It comes out to 0.065" or 1.651mm. That's a shade over 1/16". Sorry about the focus - my cell phone doesn't do close ups.

FleaTop.jpg

Just for reference, the top on my Ohana SK-35G is slightly thicker at just shy of 0.075". That ultra-thin Australian Pine veneer top on the Flea is what makes it sing.
 
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I dug out my micrometer and measured my Flea's top this morning. It comes out to 0.065" or 1.651mm. That's a shade over 1/16". Sorry about the focus - my cell phone doesn't do close ups.

View attachment 38990

Just for reference, the top on my Ohana SK-35G is slightly thicker at just shy of 0.075". That ultra-thin Australian Pine veneer top on the Flea is what makes it sing.
Thanks , I started painting the top but now I think I will go back to sanding it to get it closer to 1.65mm. Right now its at 2.6mm .
This started out to be fun but now the sanding is a pain in the neck.
If this is how tops were thinned before power tools , I'm suprised anyone bothered to make one.
 
Thanks , I started painting the top but now I think I will go back to sanding it to get it closer to 1.65mm. Right now its at 2.6mm .
This started out to be fun but now the sanding is a pain in the neck.
If this is how tops were thinned before power tools , I'm suprised anyone bothered to make one.

LOL! No doubt. I am debating cutting a new top rather than planing the one it came with.
 
Thanks , I started painting the top but now I think I will go back to sanding it to get it closer to 1.65mm. Right now its at 2.6mm .
This started out to be fun but now the sanding is a pain in the neck.
If this is how tops were thinned before power tools , I'm suprised anyone bothered to make one.

Before power thicknessing machines, which are just powered sanders, people used planes (but they weren't planing plywood). Planes are much quicker than hand sanding. If you have a belt sander, you may want to take a look at WSUkes (Daveg) video on sanding panels (sides or tops with one). One problem you are going to have is that I suspect the Flake top is plywood, just as the Flea's are, but the plys in the Flea are very very thin, whereas they may not be in the Flake. You may end up sanding through a ply with uncertain results. If I were going to go to all that trouble, I would be tempted to just buy a piece of solid mahogany, spruce, koa, etc. off eBay. They usually are about 1/8" thick to start with (to allow for finish planing), but when you are done planing it down, you will have a nice top. Of course, with shipping the wood may cost you more than the entire Flake did.
 
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I picked up a parrot Flake to have another cheap uke for the grandkids to play whenever they come over. I thought the painted top would be something to hook them with. I didn't expect much but I have to say that I was/am underwhelmed. As others have said, the strings are toy or display uke quality and the tuners had to be tightened quite a bit to hold. But ... the plastic fret board had delaminated from the neck (still attached to the body). On inspection, the tape on the box had been cut and retaped so it's likely this had been returned and then resold. I epoxied the fret board down because it would cost more than it's worth to send it back and it was easy to glue. Then I put some Aquilas on it to see if it would sound better. It does sound better but is only a shadow of what my real Flea sounds like. The volume is very noticeably less and the intonation is off a little, possibly due to the fret board issue. I have to remind myself it was $33 and it's for the kids to keep buyer's remorse at bay. If it gets them to pick an uke up then it was worth it. But then I hope they put it down and pick up my real Flea to play. A bunch of the kids are coming over today for Fathers Day so we'll see if the parrot is a good hook.
 
I just got my replacement "stars and stripes" Schoenhut delivered. In great condition - which means needs new strings and tuners tightened.

The little parrot one has become my office uke because it's nice and muted due to the thick soundboard (I imagine). It goes over quite well with my employees' preschoolers.

Pics on instagram under username queenfreeda.
 
design copies

I'm amazed at how close of a copy the Schoenhut is to an actual Flea. Sound quality aside - that just ain't right.[/QUOTE]

There are plenty of instruments that have the same design. For one, an Epiphone Viola bass is just like a Hofner Viola bass. There are other makers of Viola basses and they look like a Hofner. Do they play like a Hofner? No, but they're still fun to play. The fake flea does not sound like a Flea. It's a toy. Even with new strings it still sounds like a toy. It doesn't put out anywhere near the sound of a Flea. Plus, the tuners slip and need to be tightened frequently. In my home, it just sits on chest next to a coconut finger piano and a finger bongo. It's a toy. No one should be worried about it. If anything, people will be infatuated by the design and try a Flea and then be stunned by the sound it produces.
 
I was excited to get my Schoenhut Flea to learn on while I wait for my custom Fluke from Magic Fluke. Sounded good out of the box. Sad to report, it will no longer stay in tune after only one week of playing!! No, really, won't even hold a pitch on the A string at all. Let this be the lesson...you get what you pay for!
 
My post is obviously way after the fact- but being that I just read it all, it is very possible someone will come behind me soon and do the same, so I might as well offer up some food for thought.

I bought my first cheap uke a month ago, and am so hooked I want to upgrade to a mid level model. I have researched into pretty much every manufacturer, and am ordering a Fluke in the next few days, when I decide on color and extras.

Cost of parts aside, patriotism aside, I've talked to the people who are going to make my new uke. They were VERY efficient and friendly. I have NO doubt at all (both between my impression and many reviews I've read) that if I have a single problem from my Fluke for years to come, they will bend over backwards to make me happy. I haven't even bought mine yet, and they've made me smile more than once with simple GREAT customer service. That is something that is nearly impossible to find anywhere these days, and I will sleep very soundly at night knowing I don't have to worry about that. THAT is worth the cost to me. One post mentioned that they are "sterile, plastic, assembly line produced with no soul". I've talked to the soul that will be birthing mine per my exact specifications after my order is received, so I don't get that at all.

I've played guitar for 13 years. For the last 11 years I owned only a "sterile plastic backed" Ovation. I will not buy another guitar until it breaks, and it refuses to do that no matter how much I abuse it. I've put the character and soul into that instrument and when it is finally on it's deathbed, I will replace it with the newest version of the most similar model I can find. I am expecting a very similar result from my Fluke, and do not object in the least to encouraging a profit so that the folks that came up with this little instrument can experience my thanks.

That all being said, I think I'm gonna try to find a Flake, in case I want to take a uke somewhere on a day it's probably going to rain. ;)
 
I think I'm gonna try to find a Flake, in case I want to take a uke somewhere on a day it's probably going to rain. ;)

How about an experiment:

Someone leave a Flake and a Dolphin out in their garden for 12 months. Come back here in 365 days and post a video of you playing [what's left of] them.
 
That all being said, I think I'm gonna try to find a Flake, in case I want to take a uke somewhere on a day it's probably going to rain. ;)

Sounds like you have UAS pretty bad. I have a flake and I will tell you that you will start to see visible fret wear after playing a couple of weeks. That made me very frustrated at the time, and I immediately refit mine with a flea fretboard and bridge. Refitting isn't really an option anymore at this time.

If possible you should keep an eye out on a used flea or call FMM occasionally for a blemished soprano flea.

I used to have a concert flea but sold it, keeping my concert fluke. The peanut gallery (wife and kids) said they liked the sound of the fluke better and I finally found a comfortable way of holding my fluke while standing without having to use a strap.

For rainy days you'll just have to pick one of the full plastic ukuleles. I don't like the plastic sound and I haven't found a plastic ukulele that doesn't sound plasticky (go figure).
 
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