The back of a Ovation guitar is made of the same material that some helicopters blades are made. It resist vibration, which makes it great material for the back of an instrument.
Love my Flight TUS50! Got a damaged box deal from Amazon Warehouse fot $55 (uke was in perfect condition) and mine does have side fret markers. I reach for it a lot, even when I’m not traveling.
I am so happy with my Flight travel ukulele, both the sound and the way it feels (the textured plastic neck and the fingerboard). The action is great. Such a great ukulele for the price.
The friction tuners don’t slip usually. Most classical instruments ie violins & cellos have this type of tuners & many ukes did too. There are available an internally gear tuners from Magic fluke. They look the same as the friction tuners but are internally geared. Cost is $75.00 last I checked. I wrote the supplier years ago, and he supplies them to many classical instruments In orchestras. Magic fluke is a very progressive use maker. Check out what they do.
Great comparison! I have a Flea Soprano and a Flight TUS35 Soprano. It's essentially the same as your Flight TUS50, except that it has a laminate linden top instead of a laminate walnut top. To me the biggest difference between the Flea and the Flight Travel is the profile of the necks. The Flight's neck is pretty standard, but the Flea's neck is boxy which I find a little uncomfortable.. On the plus side, I love the looks of the Flea and being able to stand it up without a stand. I'd be curious to know if these two ukuleles have similar interior volumes. My guess is yes. Am I going to fill mine with water to find out? Nope, not that curious! Side note: The Flea Soprano, with 14 frets and a 14" scale and the Flea Concert with a 15 frets and a 15.5" scale share the same body.
Hi Jodi, I am surprised I only saw this video today. I really enjoyed it. I know you don't do many reviews or comparisons anymore, yet it would be great to see one of you're great comparisons between the Flea Concert and the Flight Travel Concert that came out after you're travel ukulele series was completed.🙂
To me, the Flea sounded better. And I like that it stands since it has a flat bottom. And it's looks are very unique. I like the hole in the head stock. You can hang it there. The price difference is because of where they are made. Although more expensive, I don't mind spending more money to support US companies. Thanks for doing this great review!
Hi, Jody! The fun thing for me is that I had my back turned to the screen the whole time (sewing) and only turned around to check which instrument you were playing. I picked the Flight ukulele every time! I own the Flight Travel uke, and I love it. Only after much research and searching for one to try out, I was close to a decision to purchase the Flight as my first ukulele. Barry Maz of GotAUkulele gave both ukuleles favorable reviews, so once I found the Flea in a store, felt the action, and heard the tone, I knew that the Flight travel uke was the one for me. I'm so glad I got it as my very first ukulele. The action is so much easier to play than the many other ukes I have since been able to try.
Terrific comparison! Another great option: the Flight TUS35 is identical to the TUS50 but with a wiped stain linden top that comes in a bunch of colors. They're currently available on Amazon or eBay for around $50. I've really enjoyed my TUS35 and have had no problems leaving it in the car, something I'd never consider doing with my Flea.
You do such excellent reviews! I like how you do short segments with different playing styles and techniques for the side by side comparisons. Few reviewers do it that way and it is way more effective. I agree. The neck of the Flea and Fluke (and I love their iconic looks!) is just a bit too boxy for my hands. But I still have a concert Flea, concert Fluke and a tenor Fluke! Hahaha! My one Flight is perfect - Sakura by Bernadette Teaches Music! I am into composite ukuleles for travel because I live in such an arid environment and I travel! Thanks for your reviews of travel ukuleles.
Wow ,great comparison. Boy the flight seems like the bests deal . During the blind test I picked the flight only because you had just said it had just a slightly louder voice. Otherwise I would not have known.
Really tempted by the Flight! I'm thinking about a camping uke but I don't like the sound of the Waterman or Outdoor. This is a really nice option! Thanks for sharing.
I love the looks of the flea, but since they sound so similar I wouldn’t be able to justify paying three times the price just for aesthetics (that is understanding that I want a camping uke). If I was in the market for something different and interesting I might consider the Flea.
Thanks Jody. I think they sound very similar. I have always wanted a flea or a fluke. Price is what has kept me from indulging. That and I couldn’t decide between the flea and the fluke. When you were holding them, the flight looked almost the same size as the flea. Also, I wasn’t sure about friction tuners. I thought they might slip out of tune easier. Thanks for the demo.
My flight has side markers. I like it, bought it for a long travel and I find myself happy I didn't bring my a bit pricy concert uke with me on the trip, it would not have survived the conditions :). I think flight is perfect for traveling, I mean flea would be good too but for that price it would be hard just to throw it in a backpack.
Great review, Jodi! Of course, having had the Flight, I am most partial to it and in your blind test I picked it out as the Flight immediately. Of course, being so familiar with it, that was not surprising. I have heard good things about the Flea as you expounded on, but the price is just too much. I know it is American made, but still. Also, a travel uke with a wood neck worries me. A wood neck could warp, so that would be a concern on a travel uke. I am also ashamed to admit it, but I hate friction tuners! I know...that is sacrilegious for a ukulele fan, but there you have it! Thanks for a great review!
I modified my flea I just bought as I loved the sound ,I didn't realize I hated friction tuners till got it home (didn't know it has frictions only had geared ukes) and looked into modifying it with geared tuners , I would rather play more than tune more. I know that there are friction tuners , doesn't mean they are not good just different actually really frustrating and I had no patience to keep turning back and forth but they are cheaper.
The Flea sounds better! Warmer and more in tune. As a classical violinist, I don’t find $200-$300 very much for a musical instrument. If it sounds decent, plays in tune, is well built and made in USA, it’s worth it. It wouldn’t replace a Kamaka or Romero of course, but as a sturdy home/outdoor uke, I like it. My only concern is the nut width as I have small hands, I like narrower nut width. I will go try one next week at my local store. Thanks for the review!
Easy enough to modify but you have more option in the us to get the geared tuners. In Australia the music shops mostly had the friction head tuners I swapped out and the plastic fretboard was the only fretboard they ordered in but the intonation is perfect on it , and they want a lot for it but great sound, my music shop discounted the flea from 349 Australian dollars to 249 but sound is so much more rounded than the good pineapple laminates available but almost double the price here. My modification cost me 30 dollars in the end. I did the work myself at home with some help.
Great video, Jodi! For the money, it's hard not go with the Flight. I have a soprano Outdoor Ukulele that I haven't fallen in love with (way too quiet) and I'm considering going with something like this. Did you see that Amahi is putting out a plastic ukulele with a wood top? It looks suspiciously similar to the Flight.
@@girlmeetsuke2980 they posted a pic on Facebook and Instagram but that's it. Coming out this Spring. To my eyes, it looks almost identical to the solid color Flights, albeit with an Amahi headstock.
It’s so delightful to come hone from work and see your video pop up on my TH-cam. Great job on the sound comparison. My first conclusion is that the most important part of how a ukulele sounds is the talent of the person playing it. You made them both sound marvelous and it looked like you were having a good time doing it too. The only sound difference that I could discern was when you were playing up the fret. You had one chord where you barred across the 7th fret. The intonation of the Flea sounded better to me. Went back and played it twice to make sure. Thanks again for the video. .
Flight now has a TUSL model, which is the same plastic body as the Flight in your video with a concert-scale neck. It does have side fret markers, which I really like. The sound hole sticker says it is made in the PRC (People's Republic of China), not in Europe like you say in the video. I agree with you that it is similar in sound quality and playability to the Flea. I bought my Flight TUSL for $45 on Amazon, which is 1/5 of the price of a Flea. Since the Flight is molded plastic, setup is much less of an issue than with some of the other ukuleles that Amazon sells.
Thanks for the comprehensive review. Factoring in the price point difference, it seems a no-brainer. I thought they were similar finger picked but I preferred the Flight on the strumming. I guess that could be because of the size difference.
Flea concert and soprano ukuleles have the same body, the difference is in the length of the neck. According to who you ask, the longer neck can affect the tone, volume and sustain.
Bought a Flight TUS 50 after review. But my flight is muddy and doesn’t stay tuned for more then a few strums. Tuning constantly for hours now. Mine doesn’t sound even as good as yours. Did you put different strings on it?
I’ve got the flight- it’s really nice little uke for the money. The ‘metal effect’ paint on the frets wears off, though. It would be better to leave the fretboard as plain plastic .
@@girlmeetsuke2980 Getting on for a year. It's particularly noticeable on the lower frets, not surprisingly. I live in the damp climate of old England, which may have something to do with it. It doesn't bother me over much. The sound, playability and tuning stability are all excellent, which are the important things.
The cheapest I could get mine online (TUS 50) was $58 & $17 s & H. But not that impressed and certainly not as good as my Fluke, Nor my Denver soprano which costs $35.00. Plus taking a long time to stay in tune. Looks nice though. Get a kick out of the fake wood grain on back of plastic neck. The part that is most often affected by moisture is not the neck, or the back, is the sound board (top) and would have same issue as Flea. The phenolic fretboard and sealing would eliminate most moisture damage issues to neck. As per several techs. Bugs gear makes a cool plastic uke.
I don't like plastic Fretboards. I like the Flea more than the Flight but it's hard to argue with the price of the Flight, a compensated saddle is good, it makes the intonation better, my Martin S-1 has one. I had a Flight tus-35 they were selling them for $23 last year someone put a post up about it & a lot of us bought them I gave it away for the holidays.
@@girlmeetsuke2980 I believe they were seconds you could see the grain of the wood under the stain or paint so some did not like this & were given more free ukes but for that price what do you expect.
I have a Flight TUS35 and really enjoy it. They all have a "wiped color satin finish" that lets the woodgrain show through, some colors more than others. From the flightmusic.com website: "Linden... absorbs water colors in a very interesting way creating very cool patterns"
Winner - Flea The Flea has a more Authentic Hawaiian Sound to my ears. Both sound good, but there's something about that Little Flea. I play acoustic guitar, and to me the Flight leans more in that direction as far as sound imaging goes, where the Flea just sounds Authentically Hawaiian and conjures images of such when being listened to.
As of 2021 the Flight Travel series now has a line of concert size ukuleles!
The back of a Ovation guitar is made of the same material that some helicopters blades are made. It resist vibration, which makes it great material for the back of an instrument.
Love my Flight TUS50! Got a damaged box deal from Amazon Warehouse fot $55 (uke was in perfect condition) and mine does have side fret markers. I reach for it a lot, even when I’m not traveling.
What a great deal! Is yours the salamander model too?
Yes, mine looks the same as yours
I am so happy with my Flight travel ukulele, both the sound and the way it feels (the textured plastic neck and the fingerboard). The action is great. Such a great ukulele for the price.
I agree. What color is your flight?
Mine is black.
The friction tuners don’t slip usually. Most classical instruments ie violins & cellos have this type of tuners & many ukes did too. There are available an internally gear tuners from Magic fluke. They look the same as the friction tuners but are internally geared. Cost is $75.00 last I checked. I wrote the supplier years ago, and he supplies them to many classical instruments In orchestras. Magic fluke is a very progressive use maker. Check out what they do.
Great comparison! I have a Flea Soprano and a Flight TUS35 Soprano. It's essentially the same as your Flight TUS50, except that it has a laminate linden top instead of a laminate walnut top. To me the biggest difference between the Flea and the Flight Travel is the profile of the necks. The Flight's neck is pretty standard, but the Flea's neck is boxy which I find a little uncomfortable.. On the plus side, I love the looks of the Flea and being able to stand it up without a stand.
I'd be curious to know if these two ukuleles have similar interior volumes. My guess is yes. Am I going to fill mine with water to find out? Nope, not that curious!
Side note: The Flea Soprano, with 14 frets and a 14" scale and the Flea Concert with a 15 frets and a 15.5" scale share the same body.
Hi Jodi,
I am surprised I only saw this video today. I really enjoyed it.
I know you don't do many reviews or comparisons anymore, yet it would be great to see one of you're great comparisons between the Flea Concert and the Flight Travel Concert that came out after you're travel ukulele series was completed.🙂
To me, the Flea sounded better. And I like that it stands since it has a flat bottom. And it's looks are very unique. I like the hole in the head stock. You can hang it there. The price difference is because of where they are made. Although more expensive, I don't mind spending more money to support US companies. Thanks for doing this great review!
Hi, Jody! The fun thing for me is that I had my back turned to the screen the whole time (sewing) and only turned around to check which instrument you were playing. I picked the Flight ukulele every time! I own the Flight Travel uke, and I love it. Only after much research and searching for one to try out, I was close to a decision to purchase the Flight as my first ukulele. Barry Maz of GotAUkulele gave both ukuleles favorable reviews, so once I found the Flea in a store, felt the action, and heard the tone, I knew that the Flight travel uke was the one for me. I'm so glad I got it as my very first ukulele. The action is so much easier to play than the many other ukes I have since been able to try.
I found it easy to play too. Also, I failed to mention but the flea’s neck was a little too boxy for my taste.
At 12th fret on my tenor fluke, 2/16ths on my flight it’s 3/16ths, my Peavey composer is 4/16ths.
Jodie, thanks for your sunshine... I’m following the path so far!
Terrific comparison! Another great option: the Flight TUS35 is identical to the TUS50 but with a wiped stain linden top that comes in a bunch of colors. They're currently available on Amazon or eBay for around $50. I've really enjoyed my TUS35 and have had no problems leaving it in the car, something I'd never consider doing with my Flea.
That’s great to know. Having a car ukulele is the best!
I like how both sounded. I appreciate your details about each of them. I'd have likely gone for the pineapple shape one if it weren't so much more.
You do such excellent reviews! I like how you do short segments with different playing styles and techniques for the side by side comparisons. Few reviewers do it that way and it is way more effective. I agree. The neck of the Flea and Fluke (and I love their iconic looks!) is just a bit too boxy for my hands. But I still have a concert Flea, concert Fluke and a tenor Fluke! Hahaha! My one Flight is perfect - Sakura by Bernadette Teaches Music! I am into composite ukuleles for travel because I live in such an arid environment and I travel! Thanks for your reviews of travel ukuleles.
Wow ,great comparison. Boy the flight seems like the bests deal . During the blind test I picked the flight only because you had just said it had just a slightly louder voice. Otherwise I would not have known.
There are beautiful Concert size Flight travel ukes in the meantime! Thank you for the Sound comparison!
Really tempted by the Flight! I'm thinking about a camping uke but I don't like the sound of the Waterman or Outdoor. This is a really nice option! Thanks for sharing.
Stay tuned for my upcoming video where I compare it with the waterman and the OU. This might help to finalize your decision. 😊
GirlMeetsUke will do! Thanks!
The flea uke is so unique and cool looking! Now I wanna get one!
Love to see an update with a flight Tus 50 concert. To the flea...
I love the looks of the flea, but since they sound so similar I wouldn’t be able to justify paying three times the price just for aesthetics (that is understanding that I want a camping uke). If I was in the market for something different and interesting I might consider the Flea.
Thanks Jody. I think they sound very similar. I have always wanted a flea or a fluke. Price is what has kept me from indulging. That and I couldn’t decide between the flea and the fluke. When you were holding them, the flight looked almost the same size as the flea. Also, I wasn’t sure about friction tuners. I thought they might slip out of tune easier. Thanks for the demo.
I am a big fan of the flea for sure.
My flight has side markers. I like it, bought it for a long travel and I find myself happy I didn't bring my a bit pricy concert uke with me on the trip, it would not have survived the conditions :). I think flight is perfect for traveling, I mean flea would be good too but for that price it would be hard just to throw it in a backpack.
Great review, Jodi! Of course, having had the Flight, I am most partial to it and in your blind test I picked it out as the Flight immediately. Of course, being so familiar with it, that was not surprising. I have heard good things about the Flea as you expounded on, but the price is just too much. I know it is American made, but still. Also, a travel uke with a wood neck worries me. A wood neck could warp, so that would be a concern on a travel uke. I am also ashamed to admit it, but I hate friction tuners! I know...that is sacrilegious for a ukulele fan, but there you have it! Thanks for a great review!
I’m with you on the friction tuners. 😊
Good point on the wood neck possibly warping.
I modified my flea I just bought as I loved the sound ,I didn't realize I hated friction tuners till got it home (didn't know it has frictions only had geared ukes) and looked into modifying it with geared tuners , I would rather play more than tune more. I know that there are friction tuners , doesn't mean they are not good just different actually really frustrating and I had no patience to keep turning back and forth but they are cheaper.
The Flea sounds better! Warmer and more in tune. As a classical violinist, I don’t find $200-$300 very much for a musical instrument. If it sounds decent, plays in tune, is well built and made in USA, it’s worth it. It wouldn’t replace a Kamaka or Romero of course, but as a sturdy home/outdoor uke, I like it. My only concern is the nut width as I have small hands, I like narrower nut width. I will go try one next week at my local store. Thanks for the review!
There both nice ukulele, I think the flea would be the best!
thank you! I think I will buy the flyght as my first Uku
Price is steep, but like the option to customize the flea to my liking. Maybe save up and treat myself for my birthday:)
Easy enough to modify but you have more option in the us to get the geared tuners. In Australia the music shops mostly had the friction head tuners I swapped out and the plastic fretboard was the only fretboard they ordered in but the intonation is perfect on it , and they want a lot for it but great sound, my music shop discounted the flea from 349 Australian dollars to 249 but sound is so much more rounded than the good pineapple laminates available but almost double the price here.
My modification cost me 30 dollars in the end. I did the work myself at home with some help.
Seems as though the he Flight has more personality over the flea. And that is amazing considering the price difference.
Great video, Jodi! For the money, it's hard not go with the Flight. I have a soprano Outdoor Ukulele that I haven't fallen in love with (way too quiet) and I'm considering going with something like this.
Did you see that Amahi is putting out a plastic ukulele with a wood top? It looks suspiciously similar to the Flight.
Hi tony. It’s great to see you here! No, I did not know this about Amahi. Have you seen one yet?
@@girlmeetsuke2980 they posted a pic on Facebook and Instagram but that's it. Coming out this Spring. To my eyes, it looks almost identical to the solid color Flights, albeit with an Amahi headstock.
It’s so delightful to come hone from work and see your video pop up on my TH-cam. Great job on the sound comparison. My first conclusion is that the most important part of how a ukulele sounds is the talent of the person playing it. You made them both sound marvelous and it looked like you were having a good time doing it too. The only sound difference that I could discern was when you were playing up the fret. You had one chord where you barred across the 7th fret. The intonation of the Flea sounded better to me. Went back and played it twice to make sure. Thanks again for the video. .
Thanks for pointing that out. I did not notice it myself.
Flight now has a TUSL model, which is the same plastic body as the Flight in your video with a concert-scale neck. It does have side fret markers, which I really like. The sound hole sticker says it is made in the PRC (People's Republic of China), not in Europe like you say in the video. I agree with you that it is similar in sound quality and playability to the Flea. I bought my Flight TUSL for $45 on Amazon, which is 1/5 of the price of a Flea. Since the Flight is molded plastic, setup is much less of an issue than with some of the other ukuleles that Amazon sells.
Thank you. I was not aware of this model. What a great deal!
@@girlmeetsuke2980 Flight TUSL went on sale earlier this year. The Flight TUS that you reviewed is also selling for under $50 on Amazon right now.
Thanks for the comprehensive review. Factoring in the price point difference, it seems a no-brainer. I thought they were similar finger picked but I preferred the Flight on the strumming. I guess that could be because of the size difference.
Yes, it really comes down to how much do you want to spend, which body shape you like better and what scale you prefer.
Flea concert and soprano ukuleles have the same body, the difference is in the length of the neck. According to who you ask, the longer neck can affect the tone, volume and sustain.
Bought a Flight TUS 50 after review. But my flight is muddy and doesn’t stay tuned for more then a few strums. Tuning constantly for hours now. Mine doesn’t sound even as good as yours. Did you put different strings on it?
Someone gave me this Flight so I do not know if it has the original strings. They are Aquila Nylguts though.
how can we order
I’ve got the flight- it’s really nice little uke for the money. The ‘metal effect’ paint on the frets wears off, though. It would be better to leave the fretboard as plain plastic .
I have wondered about that. The paint wore off on my waterman frets almost immediately. These haven’t yet. How long have you had yours?
@@girlmeetsuke2980 Getting on for a year. It's particularly noticeable on the lower frets, not surprisingly. I live in the damp climate of old England, which may have something to do with it. It doesn't bother me over much. The sound, playability and tuning stability are all excellent, which are the important things.
The cheapest I could get mine online (TUS 50) was $58 & $17 s & H. But not that impressed and certainly not as good as my Fluke, Nor my Denver soprano which costs $35.00. Plus taking a long time to stay in tune. Looks nice though. Get a kick out of the fake wood grain on back of plastic neck. The part that is most often affected by moisture is not the neck, or the back, is the sound board (top) and would have same issue as Flea. The phenolic fretboard and sealing would eliminate most moisture damage issues to neck. As per several techs. Bugs gear makes a cool plastic uke.
Thanks for the comparison. I like the Flight better. However they both sound like toys to me. I guessed flight. Yay, I was right!
Which uke do you prefer playing?
I don't like plastic Fretboards. I like the Flea more than the Flight but it's hard to argue with the price of the Flight, a compensated saddle is good, it makes the intonation better, my Martin S-1 has one. I had a Flight tus-35 they were selling them for $23 last year someone put a post up about it & a lot of us bought them I gave it away for the holidays.
$23 would be an incredible deal! What a great holiday gift!! (You can order fleas with a wood fretboard but that is $70 extra.
@@girlmeetsuke2980 I believe they were seconds you could see the grain of the wood under the stain or paint so some did not like this & were given more free ukes but for that price what do you expect.
I have a Flight TUS35 and really enjoy it. They all have a "wiped color satin finish" that lets the woodgrain show through, some colors more than others. From the flightmusic.com website: "Linden... absorbs water colors in a very interesting way creating very cool patterns"
Wow, the action lower than a Flea? I’ve never seen any uke do that. I must get a Flight then.
I've got the exact same Flight Ukulele and it does have fret markers on the side.
I love flight ukes and I thought you were great
I won't buy a ukulele without side fret markers again. The omission on both is inexcusable.
With my eyes closed I would have guessed wrong. The soprano sounded richer to me. I would have guessed the larger one would have been that one.
Flight now do a concert scale soprano travel uke
I have it!
@@indykatley10317 as do I :-)
@@craigdowns5247 🎶🎶
$200 dls for the Flea, hell nah, you could buy almost 3 Flight Tus50 or 4 Flight tus35
Winner - Flea
The Flea has a more Authentic Hawaiian Sound to my ears. Both sound good, but there's something about that Little Flea. I play acoustic guitar, and to me the Flight leans more in that direction as far as sound imaging goes, where the Flea just sounds Authentically Hawaiian and conjures images of such when being listened to.
Knew it was the flight!
The Flight wins.
The flight.....
Today I bought a flight. in our country is worth 37.95 $. And I do not know how to play so cool.
That’s great!! I wish you well on you ukulele journey. Have fun!!
@@girlmeetsuke2980 i hope 😂