I swapped the strings out on mine with Martin Clears, and filed down the saddle, to lower the action some more. Plays and sounds like a dream now. Tuned to A.
Hey, Rich! Welcome to the world of Flight. It took me a while to accept my first Travel Soprano (TUS-35LB) as a quality instrument, and it took a change of strings and exposure to a Magic Fluke flea to know how good they are. It is a laminate top (solid wood) with plastic body and neck. The head plate is laminate, too. I’m not a fan of the stock strings, but I always prefer fluorocarbon. And the gig bag isn’t very useful, but it is all it needs. Also, the ukulele isn’t unbreakable, as it can be broken. But it is durable overall; sounds great, plays great, and is affordable. There are cheaper or similar priced laminate instruments. The great thing about these is that after they are a “first” instrument, they can change their purpose into a ukulele you can travel with more easily than a wood model. I still wouldn’t leave it out in a hot car. The girl with the purple hair is a UA-cam personality named Elise Ecklund, who has a big following and grew her channel with ukulele, establishing a relationship with Flight along the way. I have reviewed these models on my channel and have another Flight coming soon as a review in the future.
Ah, Elise Ecklund! She had over a million subscribers last time I saw one of her videos about five years ago. I have posted six times as many videos as her but have considerably less subs! It's got to be the hair. As far as Flight ukuleles go, Chris, and lots of other music-related things, I consider you the expert and am glad you checked in on this. Thanks so much. Rich
Yay! That's MY uke! It's a travel uke, hence the "T" in the T(ravel)U(ke)S(oprano)L(ong). That's why the abs plastic. The top is wood. Had mine for about 6 months, and once the strings settle in, they stay I tune. I ended up changing to aquila Sugar strings, which I think sound better. The purple haired lady on the brochure agrees with me... I think her signature uke comes already strung with sugars lol. Enjoy!
Thanks for explaining this ukulele's name! I'm also pleased to hear your experience with this one, since my experience has been only two days now with it. I will post another video about it tomorrow. Rich
It took a couple of days for it to grow on me, but I love mine now. It has a nice, loud sound, and it fits my voice nicely. It will last forever, too. That ABS plastic is tough! I HATE the strings, too! I changed mine to flourocarbon strings and it sounds excellent! Scott.
I've never tried Flight's entry level models, but my workhorse uke I do most of my practicing on is a higher end Flight concert. It's a really great uke. I respect that brand a lot.
Yep that was the first ukulele I bought for £40 uk pounds, strings took a couple of weeks to bed in. After 14 months I still play it as it has been the travel uke that I keep in my motorhome for holidays as it is so robust and not as far as I can tell not affected by temperature changes. Easy to play and has a very acceptable sound with good action. That said the plastic frets are starting to wear a little. To be honest I do prefer my Aklot ukes BUT would not be as keen to let them face the rigours of travelling. look forward to hearing your review playing it.
I'm glad you like it. Thanks for the tip about plastic frets. It's always great hearing other people's experience with ukuleles that are new to me. Rich
Hi Rich, I have had one of these Travel Ukes and didn't like it. I gave it away in the end. I found the sharp edges around the headstock hurt my hand when I was playing. However, I have two other Flight Ukes, one a Gemstone and the other a Flight 'Art' Concert Uke. Infact you have seen the latter one. I shared a photo of it a while ago on Facebook. Those are very good instruments. Would be interested to see what you think of this travel Uke later. The gigbag on your Travel is just a dust cover as I call it.
I'm afraid, Wendy, my relationship with this Flight uke is going nowhere! It's too strange, won't keep it's tune after a week. I don't need an indestructible ukulele! I need one with warm wood and pretty looks. I like this about as much as I like Enya Nova U pro tenor. Thanks. Rich
I have the soprano and concert versions. Yours being the long neck soprano version has the same neck as the concert version. You will notice that it is flatter on the back of the neck than a typical Chinese ukulele which feels more comfortable. Yes change the strings to Martin 600 or another good fluorocarbon set. They are fun, play well and are durable. The frets are moulded plastic but like the Fleas seem to hold up well.
I bought a TUSL 35 (soprano with concert neck) for my wife and I found the sound pretty dull. Also I really do not like the ABS back and the plastic fret board. As far as I am concerned there are lots of far better ukuleles for the same price.
For $55 you could get an Aklot mahogany concert on eBay with complete bundle items. That's a solid top beauty that could provide a lifetime of pleasure. Flight TUSL-50 is a cool uke, though, and it's outdoor hardy. I expect I will like it. Thanks for sharing your experience. Rich
I swapped the strings out on mine with Martin Clears, and filed down the saddle, to lower the action some more. Plays and sounds like a dream now. Tuned to A.
I'm glad you set your ukulele up to your liking! Little details can make a big difference. Rich
Hey, Rich! Welcome to the world of Flight. It took me a while to accept my first Travel Soprano (TUS-35LB) as a quality instrument, and it took a change of strings and exposure to a Magic Fluke flea to know how good they are. It is a laminate top (solid wood) with plastic body and neck. The head plate is laminate, too. I’m not a fan of the stock strings, but I always prefer fluorocarbon. And the gig bag isn’t very useful, but it is all it needs.
Also, the ukulele isn’t unbreakable, as it can be broken. But it is durable overall; sounds great, plays great, and is affordable. There are cheaper or similar priced laminate instruments. The great thing about these is that after they are a “first” instrument, they can change their purpose into a ukulele you can travel with more easily than a wood model. I still wouldn’t leave it out in a hot car.
The girl with the purple hair is a UA-cam personality named Elise Ecklund, who has a big following and grew her channel with ukulele, establishing a relationship with Flight along the way.
I have reviewed these models on my channel and have another Flight coming soon as a review in the future.
Ah, Elise Ecklund! She had over a million subscribers last time I saw one of her videos about five years ago. I have posted six times as many videos as her but have considerably less subs! It's got to be the hair. As far as Flight ukuleles go, Chris, and lots of other music-related things, I consider you the expert and am glad you checked in on this. Thanks so much. Rich
Yay! That's MY uke! It's a travel uke, hence the "T" in the T(ravel)U(ke)S(oprano)L(ong). That's why the abs plastic. The top is wood. Had mine for about 6 months, and once the strings settle in, they stay I tune. I ended up changing to aquila Sugar strings, which I think sound better. The purple haired lady on the brochure agrees with me... I think her signature uke comes already strung with sugars lol. Enjoy!
Thanks for explaining this ukulele's name! I'm also pleased to hear your experience with this one, since my experience has been only two days now with it. I will post another video about it tomorrow. Rich
It took a couple of days for it to grow on me, but I love mine now. It has a nice, loud sound, and it fits my voice nicely. It will last forever, too. That ABS plastic is tough! I HATE the strings, too! I changed mine to flourocarbon strings and it sounds excellent!
Scott.
Thanks, Scott, for sharing your experience with this ukulele! Rich
I've never tried Flight's entry level models, but my workhorse uke I do most of my practicing on is a higher end Flight concert. It's a really great uke. I respect that brand a lot.
I've heard many good think about Flight ukuleles and appreciate your sharing your experience. Rich
Yep that was the first ukulele I bought for £40 uk pounds, strings took a couple of weeks to bed in. After 14 months I still play it as it has been the travel uke that I keep in my motorhome for holidays as it is so robust and not as far as I can tell not affected by temperature changes. Easy to play and has a very acceptable sound with good action. That said the plastic frets are starting to wear a little. To be honest I do prefer my Aklot ukes BUT would not be as keen to let them face the rigours of travelling. look forward to hearing your review playing it.
I'm glad you like it. Thanks for the tip about plastic frets. It's always great hearing other people's experience with ukuleles that are new to me. Rich
Hi Rich, I have had one of these Travel Ukes and didn't like it. I gave it away in the end. I found the sharp edges around the headstock hurt my hand when I was playing. However, I have two other Flight Ukes, one a Gemstone and the other a Flight 'Art' Concert Uke. Infact you have seen the latter one. I shared a photo of it a while ago on Facebook. Those are very good instruments. Would be interested to see what you think of this travel Uke later. The gigbag on your Travel is just a dust cover as I call it.
I'm afraid, Wendy, my relationship with this Flight uke is going nowhere! It's too strange, won't keep it's tune after a week. I don't need an indestructible ukulele! I need one with warm wood and pretty looks. I like this about as much as I like Enya Nova U pro tenor. Thanks. Rich
I have the soprano and concert versions. Yours being the long neck soprano version has the same neck as the concert version. You will notice that it is flatter on the back of the neck than a typical Chinese ukulele which feels more comfortable. Yes change the strings to Martin 600 or another good fluorocarbon set. They are fun, play well and are durable. The frets are moulded plastic but like the Fleas seem to hold up well.
Enya Nova U concert has wrecked my mind on plastic frets. I appreciate you bringing up Flea ukes! Rich
Interesting!
Thanks, Steve. Rich😊
I bought a TUSL 35 (soprano with concert neck) for my wife and I found the sound pretty dull. Also I really do not like the ABS back and the
plastic fret board. As far as I am concerned there are lots of far better ukuleles for the same price.
For $55 you could get an Aklot mahogany concert on eBay with complete bundle items. That's a solid top beauty that could provide a lifetime of pleasure. Flight TUSL-50 is a cool uke, though, and it's outdoor hardy. I expect I will like it. Thanks for sharing your experience. Rich