jmw
Well-known member
In my quest to have the most "practical" collection of ukes, I had to add a Flea with a pickup as my "I feel comfortable taking this anywhere and if I ever perform, I can plug this one in" uke.
And it had to be purple. With purple Aurora strings.
If I didn't already own a KoAloha, I would say this Flea is loud. And while it has more volume than other sopranos, the KoAloha is louder. That aside, it has a very "traditional" but full uke sound to my ears, and the slightly-larger-than-soprano plastic fingerboard is very comfortable.
I only have one issue with it, and I'm not sure if it's the purple strings or not, but the C string buzzes when I strum it alone (especially when tuning). It doesn't happen often during regular strumming, but it is consistent when I pluck. I've isolated the buzz to the nut, and right now I have a piece of electrical tape over the C string at the nut, which seems to be working. I'm pretty sure this is me and not the Magic Fluke Company, but any other suggestions are welcome! I'm also considering loosening the string, making sure there is no dust or other obstructions in the nut slot, and then tightening it back up again. Unfortunately, I changed the strings almost immediately, so I couldn't say if the buzz was there at the start or not.
But otherwise - hooray! A new purple uke for me!
UPDATE: it was me and not the Flea! I wound the purple strings too many times around the peg, which caused the buzz. Once I fixed that, the buzzing went away.
P.S. Apologies in advance for the sideways photos, which are a result of iPhone + laziness.
And it had to be purple. With purple Aurora strings.
If I didn't already own a KoAloha, I would say this Flea is loud. And while it has more volume than other sopranos, the KoAloha is louder. That aside, it has a very "traditional" but full uke sound to my ears, and the slightly-larger-than-soprano plastic fingerboard is very comfortable.
I only have one issue with it, and I'm not sure if it's the purple strings or not, but the C string buzzes when I strum it alone (especially when tuning). It doesn't happen often during regular strumming, but it is consistent when I pluck. I've isolated the buzz to the nut, and right now I have a piece of electrical tape over the C string at the nut, which seems to be working. I'm pretty sure this is me and not the Magic Fluke Company, but any other suggestions are welcome! I'm also considering loosening the string, making sure there is no dust or other obstructions in the nut slot, and then tightening it back up again. Unfortunately, I changed the strings almost immediately, so I couldn't say if the buzz was there at the start or not.
But otherwise - hooray! A new purple uke for me!
UPDATE: it was me and not the Flea! I wound the purple strings too many times around the peg, which caused the buzz. Once I fixed that, the buzzing went away.
P.S. Apologies in advance for the sideways photos, which are a result of iPhone + laziness.
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