The Magic Fluke Company Appreciation thread

Which Magic Fluke Company instruments do you own?


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I'm noticing more and more that I can't find what I want locally. Even for all the hate against guitar center, I still prefer buying things directly from them first if I can. But their ukulele accessory collection (tuner upgrades, etc) seems to be pretty thin. Other smaller shops are around but based on what they carry I don't think they know what ukuleles are.

Guitar Center (GC) typically caters to 'the lowest common denominator' for most things. Every time I had gone in there in the past 15 yrs (in any one of the 5 different location within a 15 mile radius) I have heard a salesperson giving not only purely incorrect information, but also saying things that would demonstrate almost a complete lack of customer service training, (rude, impatient and hostile).

It used to make me so frustrated and angry, and I used to intervene, and commandeer the person away from the GC employee and try to help them, and I can't tell you how many times GC offered me a job, which I always declined.

I'd rather clean gas station toilets than work at GC. I hate that place. It's like they have institutionalized ignorance and evil.

I would only buy from them in a dire emergency (like needing something on the way to a gig, with no other alternative, and I'd do so with extreme resistance).

On the other hand, the hometown local music shop (Ritchie's Music in Rockway, NJ) is staffed with people who go out of their way to help, and have no problem saying 'I don't know the answer to that, but let me find one for you'.

Absolutely anything that they might not have in stock that you might buy from an online vendor, they can order it and typically have it within a week, and at prices the same as Amazon or Musicians Friend, without any haggling necessary. Typically if I ordered something on a Thursday, I could go to the store and pick it up on Tuesday. The only online vendor I've seen that actually has the item to your door in less than 7 days for free shipping is with Amazon Prime, but you pay a one-time $80/yr for that privilege of guaranteed 2-day delivery, so it's not really 'free'...

Ritchie's is an authorized Kala dealer and I bought my first ukulele from them back in March 2013, and by the time you added local sales tax, it was only $2 more in price than buying the same instrument from Amazon. I knew that I was going to replace the plastic or nubone saddle with a bone saddle, so I did not bother about having them do a setup.

They now try to keep at least 2-3 of each soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone of this Kala series in stock, and they told me that about every 14 days they are selling out and need to reorder. When I started back in March they had no ukulele strings in stock at all, and no displays for them, and everything had to be ordered.

Now they have a section on the wall with many of the Aquila Nylguts and Aquila REDS, the Martin m600, m620, m630 strings, D'Addario Pro Arte, and a few varieties of the Kala strings. I am trying to get them to keep Worths, Fremont and Oasis strings in stock as well, but they have been telling me that the demand is not there yet. They also have both padded gig bags and the Kala Uke Crazy polyfoam cases in stock regularly too at competitive prices.

It's nice to see them respond to interest in the ukulele, and to have these items available only 4 miles away from me.
 
I confess to being intrigued by them, but they seem pricey for a plastic and laminate uke--and the fact you have to pay an additional premium for a wood fret board. Do most people pony up for the wooden fret board, or are folks content with the plastic one?

I've thought they were pricey too. Though I've had many of their instruments, I've only bought one new from the factory. But, you're not just paying for materials. You're paying for quality and consistency. That's a big deal to me and makes the price worth it, especially since my only practical option is to purchase online. I'd rather pay extra to MFC and know before it arrives, exactly what I'm getting, than (as I've also done) pay the same or more for a uke I had to return. JMO.
 
I've thought they were pricey too. Though I've had many of their instruments, I've only bought one new from the factory. But, you're not just paying for materials. You're paying for quality and consistency. That's a big deal to me and makes the price worth it, especially since my only practical option is to purchase online. I'd rather pay extra to MFC and know before it arrives, exactly what I'm getting, than (as I've also done) pay the same or more for a uke I had to return. JMO.

Worth every penny too! I love my Tiki King collection!
 
I'd like to add that after reading tons of praise about the ukuleles from The Magic Fluke Company here on this forum for 4 months before being able to actually see, hold and play a Fluke made me a bit crazed about wanting one.

It was not until I attended the Morristown Ukulele Festival for the Saturday night performance with James Hill, Anne Janelle, Victoria Vox, and Jim & Liz Beloff that I was able to satisfy this goal.

While waiting in the audience prior to the performance (which happened after a series of day-long workshops), there was a really nice guy from Maryland (sadly I can't remember his name) that had a tenor Fluke with the natural top, polycarbonate fretboard and Fremont Blacklines low-g. He was kind enough to let me hold it and strum a few chords. At that moment it was like I had an epiphany and told myself that I must own one some day.

After the concert I was lucky enough to meet all the performers and actually talk with them. James Hill (I'm a HUGE fan of his) was kind enough to discuss with me his nail care routine, and Victoria Vox talked to me about her songwriting process. But what really impressed me was talking with Jim Beloff about his approach to learning new chords, and new songs.

I had already been working my way through his book 'The Daily Ukulele' and was having a hard time. Jim suggested that I take a song that I like, and break it down into smaller parts, and then work on each part, and once I was confident with that part, move on to the next part, and so on, and then when I was ready, to put all the parts together, and once I've done this a few times, learning new chords and new songs would become easier, and the more I did this, it would become easier still.

He was spot on. I have followed his advice and am very happy with the results.

Jim Beloff was just the nicest person in the world. After all day long of giving workshops, and performing 2 sets of shows, he was generous enough to give me his undivided attention about about ten minutes. I felt so privileged to have met him and talked with him. He is one of my 'ukulele heros' BIG time!

In case you are not familiar with Jim & Liz Beloff, Jim Beloff's sister is Phyllis Webb, who is married to Dale Webb (the Webbs are the owners and founders of The Magic Fluke Company - see more here).

The Beloff's are a driving force toward advocating all things ukulele, starting from back in 1992. They have several albums of ukulele music, as well as a whole series of instructional and also song books for ukulele. The have a company called Flea Market Music, and I've copied some text as it relates to The Magic Fluke Company, from their 'About Us page below:

In 1999, Jim and Liz, along with Phyllis and Dale Webb, introduced a unique, colorful, and affordable ukulele called the Fluke and, later, a smaller-sized model, the Flea, that have won admirers all over the world. Jim and Liz regularly perform together at ukulele festivals in the U.S.A. and have also gone on uke tours of Japan and Australia. They truly believe in their company’s motto, “Uke Can Change the World.” You can reach them through the Flea Market Music web site at www.fleamarketmusic.com.

Also, for anybody who's interested here is a picture from when I met Jim Beloff (click to enlarge):
Jim_Beloff_and_Booli_IMG_0675-e1384882606163.jpg

If you are a fan of The Magic Fluke company, you will most likely also find things you like over on the web site for Flea Market Music as well. They sell books, CDs, DVDs, and some uke-realted accesories, as well as having a helpful uke discussion forum and a 'marketplace' similar to what we have here on Ukulele Underground.
 
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I will state my appreciation. When I started out years ago I had a tiki soprano flea. It was a great uke. I have a tenor
Pineapple flea currently. It is great. Take it anywhere without worrying and it is always out to pick up. Love that it stands on it's own. I called them once when I had lost my saddle doing a string change. I offered money to get a replacement. They said not to worry about it, and sent me a couple replacement saddles free. That is great service, and it was exceptionally nice of them. Great company.
 
Booli, I had the same experience with Guitar Center. About two weeks ago I wrote corporate a letter outlining exactly what I thought of them. What fun for me. I'll never shop there again except as you say in a dire emergency.
 
Myself and a friend visited Magic Fluke Company a couple of months ago. He purchased a concert flea which they customized on the spot for him, adjusting the action to his liking and even adding side dots which they normally don't do. I had them change my Firefly neck from a soprano to a concert and I also added the side markers. They were most accommodating and helpful letting us walk thru their shop seeing how the ukes are made. Here are a couple of pictures I took. FM3.jpgFM4.jpgFM7.jpg
 
Here are a couple of pics of my MFC instruments...

The new cricket violin, my prized pineapple flea, my fluke and firefly...

In good company with the KoAlohas, and a 1929 Lyon & Healy soprano.

By the way the photos are some of the favorites I've taken, and the posters behind the ukes are Jake, his set list, Victoria vox, and some other local artists all autographed. Up on top is maestro Pepe Romero who I met a month ago in NYC ....

A music is so rewarding! :eek:ld:

image.jpg image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpg

I guess you can count me in as an MFC fan :cool:
 
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I have a little collection - hibiscus red soprano Flea (FredBird), purple concert Fluke (Hayes), tie-dyed tenor Flea (Janis), and a soprano Firefly. If I played the violin, I'd have a Cricket. Maybe I should take up the violin.

 
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If I played the violin, I'd have a Cricket. Maybe I should take up the violin.

Kathryn,

I think you are not alone with that thought. Violin was my first instrument when I was 5 yr old, but sadly I did not stick with it, but want to return to it. As I had said in Olarte's review thread (linked in his post above), When i take up the violin again, there is no long and painful searching for me - I'm getting a Cricket Violin and never looking back, and I'm not going to worry about what else is out there. I simply don't care what else is available right now. The Magic Fluke Company has won me as a customer of first choice for any category of instrument they make.

-Booli
 
I was the first outsider to visit the Magic Fluke Company when they moved the Sheffield, MA. The building wasn't quite finished, but very homey. Most of the products were in the front hallway - actually, with the exception of the solid body Fluke (which was too heavy for me), and two prototype Firefly banjo ukes, everything in the hallway was a Second (for various reasons).

I picked up a Fluke Tenor (Mahogany top, rosewood fingerboard, peghed tuners, and the old style B&B pickup) and played it. I played every Fluke and Flea in that hallway - all seconds, as well as the two prototype Fireflys for nearly 3-1/2 hours. Dale brought the solid-body Fluke to me to ty, and Phyllis brought me back into the shop to play new stock - And I kept going back to that Tenor Fluke.

I bought it and a hard case, and back then the bag was included (I have since sent it to Ivan Olarte, since I didn't need it), and I tried to talk Dale into letting me buy one of the Firefly prototypes then and there - but he said no. Then he showed me the new tailpiece and neck he had just designed, and that was all it took - I ordered one that day. (I have S/N 22).

I still have the original Aquila strings on the Fluke - it just sounds great, the intonation is superb, and the peghed tuners are exactly what I wanted. I now have 3 instruments with Pegheds.

I have 14 ukes - my Flukes are in the top 5 of my favorites.


-Kurt​
 
Kathryn, I was going to reply here about the cricket and violin in general but felt it belonged more In my cricket thread. You can read my comment #13 here http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?93533-The-%93Cricket%94-Violin-by-the-Magic-Fluke-company-A-Personal-Review%85/page2&highlight=Cricket

I have a little collection - hibiscus red soprano Flea (FredBird), purple concert Fluke (Hayes), tie-dyed tenor Flea (Janis), and a soprano Firefly. If I played the violin, I'd have a Cricket. Maybe I should take up the violin.
 
Hi Kurt, yes I remember your kind gesture. I still use it anytime I take my fluke and flea on the road...;)

It always makes me smile,when I reach for it, as I can't help about the Aloha spirit and the fact that you gifted it to me...:shaka:

And yes, out of all my ukuleles, my flea and fluke are the ones I reach for the most... Even more than the Mya-moe, if nothing else because they are also so durable and less prone to dings and scratches. Although I must say the mya-moe survived a 5 day workshop with barely a scratch.

And in fact I chose the pineapple flea out of all my ukes for my mr bojangles instrumental. It felt perfect for it.

I bought it and a hard case, and back then the bag was included (I have since sent it to Ivan Olarte, since I didn't need it), and I tried to talk Dale into letting me buy one of the Firefly prototypes then and there - but he said no. Then he showed me the new tailpiece and neck he had just designed, and that was all it took - I ordered one that day. (I have S/N 22).

I still have the original Aquila strings on the Fluke - it just sounds great, the intonation is superb, and the peghed tuners are exactly what I wanted. I now have 3 instruments with Pegheds.

I have 14 ukes - my Flukes are in the top 5 of my favorites.


-Kurt​
 
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On a different note a fellow UU member pm me about my interest in selling my fluke.... I'm sure you can guess my answer.

In any case what I did do is share what I did, and thought I would paste and share it here for your benefit...

Sorry, but the MFC instruments I will never get rid of, besides they have rosewood fretboard, and pegheds which ended up costing around 400 but well worth it.


Two things I definitely recommend though is to get all the options, rosewood fretboard, pegheds and a pickup. You will either keep it for life, or should be able to get a good price for,it even with all the options.

Also, which is what I did... Is call them and see what seconds they have...

I got lucky. I wanted both the pineapple and the surf patterns for a flea and fluke respectively and they had both... And the defect was some fading on both which as you can see looks fine with this particular designs.

The bleached look is fine for the surf and the pineapple is faded a tiny bit on top. I would not even consider it a second.

Anyway they sent me photos of both before I ordered and got $45 off each which I used to fund the pegheds.

I like the fluke a lot but the flea is one of my favorites... I even picked it from a dozen ukes to do mr bojangles.

So sorry I won't be selling either but at least you know what I did and what I recommend...
 
there is the inevitable tendency to go apples to apples and simply compare price. if you want to buy american you have to be flexible and just hand over the money.
i have a fluke concert with the australian pine top. i'm going to take it in and have them do the wood fretboard on it and not worry how much i have into it. it is a keeper and a unique piece of work.
they actually come close enough to offshore pricing which is not a fair comparison at all.
 
I've got a concert Fluke with a sunburst pattern on a natural background that I bought in 2006. I've been using it for my travel uke. It's been on many car vacations with me, and has been to Hawaii. I've had to repaint the position marker dots on the fretboard; other than that, it's still in good shape.

I mostly play a tenor with a low G, so eventually I'd like to get a tenor Fluke with a rosewood fretboard that I could string for low G. That way, my travel uke would better fit the way I usually play. I'd probably get one with a pickup, because I recently learned how to run an electrified uke through the effects processor module on my synthesizer, to add distortion, chorus, etc.
 
I keep coming back to this thread while I so impatiently await my Flea! :eek:

So on the pickup thing, I know Booli and Barry (Bazmaz) have installed soundboard pickups in a Flea and Fluke respectively. I plan to install a JJB Electronics pickup in the Flea too.

And I must be the only one who doesn't like PegHeds. :) I wouldn't say I hate them, they weren't bad at all. I just don't like the feel, how they stick out so much. And I like to install strings by going twice through the hole in the post. PegHeds didn't allow that with a nonwound low G. I like fluoro low G's regardless of fretboard material. Anyway the PegHeds just weren't a good fit for me either time I tried them. Variety is the spice of life, or something like that. So I saved myself the price and ordered plain got friction tuners on the Flea.

FTR I also tried the colored Lucy's tuners they had on the Flea Market Music site. Again, the post wasn't long enough for my usual string installation. Oh well, so I had 3 colored tuners and one original. It was fine.

I also have to say, I realize installing tuners isn't a big deal for many. Neither is fitting a pickup. But I'd be much less comfortable doing either if we were talking about another uke. Solid wood, pretty inlays, less durable and so on, a uke you have to baby, and/or that costs more. But that Flea took everything I put it through with no complaints and nothing but the fret ware I mentioned as "evidence". Kudos to Magic Fluke!
 
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I just found this short video clip on youtube that MGM MusicGuyMic (RIP) put up with James Hill playing a Firefly banjo Uke from NAMM 2011:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLR3_Ob_MSk

Yeah, that's one of the prototypes I played at the Magic Fluke Company. I think it still had Mr. Hill's mojo, 'cause I sounded better that I thought I had a right to, when I played it.

-Kurt​
 
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I keep coming back to this thread while I so impatiently await my Flea! :eek:

You are ALWAYS welcome here! No worries!

So on the pickup thing, I know Booli and Barry (Bazmaz) have installed soundboard pickups in a Flea and Fluke respectively. I plan to install a JJB Electronics pickup in the Flea too.

I've heard good things about JJB, as well as K&K pickups, but if you are looking at their offerings for ukulele in ~$30 range, you are probably getting items that are almost identical in composition and function (I have not used either brand myself, but from the pictures and specifications, they seem to be very similar). The one thing to remember with soundboard transducers is that your going to pick up lots of surface noise from the instrument, you have to hold very still when you play, otherwise anything and everything that rubs on the top, back and side, as well as if you slide your fretting hand on the strings, will get amplified. Most folks would not want this.

I had to remove the pickup that I built & previously installed, since I have an improved model that I plan to install after I complete a bit more testing. The pickup version that I am testing right now, is such that it has signifcantly less surface or body noise than most other pickups. But I am not ready to share the details yet.

And I must be the only one who doesn't like PegHeds. :) I wouldn't say I hate them, they weren't bad at all. I just don't like the feel, how they stick out so much. And I like to install strings by going twice through the hole in the post. PegHeds didn't allow that with a nonwound low G. I like fluoro low G's regardless of fretboard material. Anyway the PegHeds just weren't a good fit for me either time I tried them. Variety is the spice of life, or something like that. So I saved myself the price and ordered plain got friction tuners on the Flea.

When I restring, I too, ALWAYS put the string end twice through the hole in the post, and there is a NEW model of PEGHEDS out now, which I have on my Fluke where the hole is of a wider diameter, specifically for this purpose. (Peaceweaver, you might want to verify if your new Flea has the option for the NEW PEGHEDS with the wider string holes, if it has not shipped yet)

In fact my currently installed Worth Brown Medium Low-g (BM-LG) all the strings are through the hole, around the post half-way and then through the hole again. I've NEVER had a string slip at the peg from installing them this way, not in 30+ yrs on guitars of all types, and not in 11 months with the ukulele.

In fact if the tuner peg hole was not wide enough for me to do this, well then out comes the dremel with the 3/32"(or 1mm) tungsten-carbide drill bit.

The PEGHEDS came with my Fluke, which I bought used. If they were not on there I would have probably either tried the Grover 4B friction tuners, and if did not like those, then the Gotoh UPT-L would be the next choice. I already have the Gotohs, and all that's necessary to install them is to ream the tuner holes in the headstock wider than the existing 8mm diameter to approximately 10mm diameter, and then the Gotoh UPT-L planetary geared tuners with 4:1 ratio will basically screw in tight, and that's it.

The reason I chose the Gotoh (in my head) over the PEGHEDS is because like Peaceweaver3, I thought they stick out too much also, and they kinda looked like Frankenstein's neck bolts to me.

However, once the PEGHEDS are in use, they are SO MUCH better to tune with than the Grover 2B friction tuners. I mean for my Flea to hold, either the friction tuners had to be too tight to be able to turn them to tune, or else they would slip from string tension, there was no middle ground. I'm not going to bother with removing/replacing the PEGHEDS on the Fluke.

When you are playing the Fluke, you do NOT SEE them as you do from the front. I see the neck and the koa top, and both please me, and I forget about the tuners because THEY WORK SO WELL. All the hype about how easy they are to use is true. I'm just glad that I did not have to install them myself (have to buy the proper TAPERED violin peg reamer, if I wanted to do that.)

I have not yet quite got the knack of the push/pull function for adjusting the resistance, and they are a little tight now, but the strings are settled, and for the past 5 days I've not had to adjust them when I pick up the Fluke, since now it stays in tune.

On my Flea I've also been able to successfully modify the stock friction tuners with the addition of several small washers on each side of the wood, in between the metal parts of the tuner assembly, and the wood of the headstock. I looked at lots and lots of photos of the higher end friction tuners, Waverly, Sperzel, and others, and they are all with a fixed metal to the wood, and then the tuner peg ON BOTH SIDES is metal-to-metal.

The washers I'm describing above are maybe a nickel or 10-cents each, I do not know why they are not made this way in the first place.

This 'upgrade' has both greatly improved the grip at lower screw tension, as well as improving the 'slip' of the tuner when you need to adjust the strings. The improvement is significant enough that I'm now on the fence about replacing them with the Gotoh UPT-L planetary geared tuners.

Q: So HOW, or WHY does this 'upgrade' work?


A: The addition of the washers increases the surface area where the 'friction' takes place, which also make the friction function of metal-to-metal, ALL THE WAY through the mechanism, instead of the default metal-to-wood, where the metal part IN FACT turns against the wood of the headstock and when tight enough to NOT slip, it is chewing a circle cut into the wood like a circular hole saw.

I tried about 25 different iterations of 'assemblies' using washers and such from my parts box, and the addition of these washers now obviates the upgrade to better friction tuners.

If I had to go out to the hardware store and buy a 12-pack of washers in each of the 2 sizes needed, MAYBE it would cost like $3 at the hardware store, if that much, and each tuner takes about 5 mins to remove, modify and reinstall and then retune the strings.

So if you dont want to bother with tools, then get the PEGHEDS upgrade option for $69 when you buy you instrument.

Otherwise, get a proper tapered hand reamer for violin pegs (from StewMac or LMI) for ~$50 and put in the Gotohs - I got my Gotoh UPT-L set of 4 for $59 from that 'H' vendor everybody loves.

Otherwise, you can spend only like $3 at your local hardware store, and add washers to your existing tuners, and not have to modify the headstock at all, and if you already have a #1 Phillips-head screwdriver, you do not need to buy any tools.

For the record, I also tried out a set of cheapo geared machine heads sold by C.B. Gitty (for cigar box guitars) and held them fixed in place with nylon zip ties for testing, but there was anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 of the turn rotation of 'play' in the tuner when you would turn the button, and this drove me insane, and I was constantly over-tuning beyond the desired pitch. It's like the grooves in the worm gear were cut with poor precision, i.e., too wide a groove for the teeth on the little wheel.

I am glad that I did not screw them in, because that would have blemished the headstock with holes when I removed them, that I would only have to fill later on to make it look nice, and I admit, that I'm lazy and would like to avoid extra work if possible.

The other thing about these and also the classical guitar style tuners that I temporarily fitted to the headstock for testing also with zip ties, is that there's a significantly greater amount of metal showing on the headstock, and it kills the aesthetic of the Fluke/Flea headstock for me, and aside from that, these kinds of tuners are like 3x the weight of the factory friction tuners, and made the concert Flea significantly overweight and unbalance at the headstock, even with a guitar strap tied at the nut and then attached with velcro to the flat bottom.

You could try the Gotoh STEALTH ukulele tuners (which are TINY) [EDIT: previously I had written that they cost $149 for a SINGLE tuner, which was incorrect as detailed by fellow UU member ScooterD35 in the post below, when in FACT they can be found at LMI which has the ukulele tuners listed at $89 of a full set of four. -Thanks Scooter]

So the standard guitar style tuner machines are just a bad idea all around as far as I'm concerned, and I know first hand why The Magic Fluke company did NOT use them by default: WEIGHT and LOOKS.

You might ask why I bothered with hacking around on the original Grover 2B friction tuners?
Well it took a lot longer than expected to receive the Gotoh UPT-L tuners than I had hoped. In the time span when I was waiting I started thinking about 'what if'...and one night when I could not sleep and my mind was filled with a flurry of ideas, I had to test them out...of course when I actually solved the problem I was very pleased, but then I was both dismayed and surprised to look up and see daylight when I realized that I had been working through the night like a mad scientist, yet again...

But alas, I love a 'project' :)
 
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