Captain Simian
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Question for Flea/Fluke tenor owners
- Thread starter Captain Simian
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Newportlocal
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I have no idea if all of them are made the same. My flea tenor ukulele has a saddle that is loose when I change the strings it will slide right out. If I am not paying attention it will fall out during a string change. I have a few spare ones just in case. I am not sure if yours is like that. If you loosen your strings you should be able to check and see if your saddle slides.
Newportlocal
Well-known member
Agree. I have called them before as well. They are very very nice.
My concert Flea has a saddle/bridge that is all one single piece of molded plastic (or fiberglass?).
My tenor Fluke has a wooden bridge, with an actual slot, that contains a saddle, that appears to be removable.
The photos on their web site show both kinds on various instruments, depending upon which one you look at.
Curious about this, back in January, I called the Magic Fluke Company and spoke to Betsy, and she told me that when you order one, if you have a preference you should indicate it, otherwise they will use whichever is on hand at the time when your instrument is assembled. I forgot to ask if you can send them your instrument and have them replace one kind with another. (which would require removing the fretboard and the top)
Why? (sorry if the next part is slightly off-topic)
If you want to install an under-saddle transducer pickup, post-purchase, or if you got your Flea/Fluke used and it did not have a pickup installed at the factory, you can NOT do this yourself or with a local luthier with the all-one-piece molded saddle/bridge, but if you have the 2-piece saddle/bridge, then there should be no issues, provided that you take care not to drill through the rivets that hold the bridge on when you make your holes for the ribbon wire of the under-saddle transducer pickup.
For both ukes, my fingers are about an inch too short to reach deep enough inside to the bridge plate from the sound hole in order to attach a surface transducer pickup right in the sweet spot. I know you can put one forward of the bridge plate, and I've done this, but it picks up a tremendous amount of surface and body noise.
My tenor Fluke has a wooden bridge, with an actual slot, that contains a saddle, that appears to be removable.
The photos on their web site show both kinds on various instruments, depending upon which one you look at.
Curious about this, back in January, I called the Magic Fluke Company and spoke to Betsy, and she told me that when you order one, if you have a preference you should indicate it, otherwise they will use whichever is on hand at the time when your instrument is assembled. I forgot to ask if you can send them your instrument and have them replace one kind with another. (which would require removing the fretboard and the top)
Why? (sorry if the next part is slightly off-topic)
If you want to install an under-saddle transducer pickup, post-purchase, or if you got your Flea/Fluke used and it did not have a pickup installed at the factory, you can NOT do this yourself or with a local luthier with the all-one-piece molded saddle/bridge, but if you have the 2-piece saddle/bridge, then there should be no issues, provided that you take care not to drill through the rivets that hold the bridge on when you make your holes for the ribbon wire of the under-saddle transducer pickup.
For both ukes, my fingers are about an inch too short to reach deep enough inside to the bridge plate from the sound hole in order to attach a surface transducer pickup right in the sweet spot. I know you can put one forward of the bridge plate, and I've done this, but it picks up a tremendous amount of surface and body noise.
peaceweaver3
Well-known member
My understanding is that the removable saddle comes with Fleas/Flukes made from the factory with hardwood fretboards. If you originally had a polycarbonate fretboard and later have it upgraded, you won't get a removable saddle but will keep the original one-piece bridge-saddle combo. My walnut-top, hardwood fretboard Flea has a removable saddle. But that's because MFC built it with the walnut top from the start. It doesn't matter whether the Flea/Fluke is a tenor. From what I've heard from MFC, the build is the same regardless of scale.
ScooterD35
Well-known member
Can you post a picture?
Scooter
Scooter
