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Original Post By:
Wednesday
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Date: 5/5/2008 8:29:03 PM |
...and can I expect my new one to "open up" any? I expected it to sound bigger and more resonant than my concert Fluke (which I play and play and play and play and have had since two Christmases ago) but the tenor's on the plonky side to me, and doesn't carry nearly as well, tho' I like the size and have a very attractive model, if I do say so myself...(not Koa, tho').
What can I reasonably expect out of this thing? Any thoughts? (I've had it for about ten days now)...
Yes, I've gone through old "open up" threads in the search function, but didn't spot any that specifically addressed a Fluke, unless I missed something...I've got Aquilas on mine, by the way, as I like them best so far on my concert and sopranos (also find them most comfy on my fingers, as opposed the strings these babies are issued with...)
Any thoughts? |
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Posted By:
Craig
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Date: 5/5/2008 9:06:55 PM |
| Give it a couple of months of solid playing...but then, don't expect too much. I mean, I love my Fluke for what it is, but it's not a handmade, completely solid wood instrument.
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Posted By:
warndt
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Date: 5/5/2008 10:37:02 PM |
Mine is unbelievably full and resonant with the stock strings. My experience with the aquillas has been that they make an instrument sound thin to my ear. That sounds like your complaint.
Maybe try the original Hilos once again...that will tell you if its the strings or not.
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Posted By:
hoaryhead
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Date: 5/5/2008 10:53:07 PM |
| Some think that laminate tops do not open up. Others think they do. I fall on the side of "do not".
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Posted By:
Dave Means
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Date: 5/5/2008 11:04:57 PM |
| Just speculating... but it may be that the tenor scale, the strings you are using, and the the vigor of your playing are overdriving the soundboard. A tenor scale and some strings will drive the top with a lot more energy than a concert scale with different strings, and this can cause the instrument to "run out of headroom" if the soundboard can't handle the extra energy. Successfully putting a longer scale on a smaller body requires more stiffness in the bracing and top to handle that extra energy, and I don't know if the Flukes make that accommodation. -- Dave
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Posted By:
Wednesday
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Date: 5/6/2008 8:19:47 AM |
Thanks for the thoughts thus far.
Actually, I am a very gentle player, mostly using my thumb (tho' I've been trying to teach myself fingerpicking for the last few days, thinking a harder strike would get more out of this. There are only a few songs currently that I "bang" on.
It may well be a string question, but the Aquilas are just so much more comfy on my fingers than the standard issue -- maybe I do need to see if I can adjust to them...
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Posted By:
Glenn
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Date: 5/6/2008 8:28:07 AM
(Updated: 5/6/2008 8:31:25 AM)
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I've had the same problem. I've tried almost all common brands of strings on my Fluke and came back to the Hilos. I never thought I'd say that, but it's true.
Another difference, the Fluke seems to be for Lyle Ritz type jazz. "Plonkey" is the word, but long fingerboard with plenty of room. The Flea is more crisp, like John King's type or playing and sound. Just an observation.
My most satisfactory compromise - a concert Flea with a wooden fingerboard.
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Posted By:
John Kavanagh
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Date: 5/6/2008 9:16:22 AM |
I've found that with Flukes and other mass-produced instruments there's a lot of variety. I played a (new) tenor fluke last night that was quite nice; I've played others that seemed lifeless. Same with Mahalos, even; some are a lot better than others.
My guess on this: with a hand-made instrument, or even a high-end mass produced one, there's someone testing each top, making the thickness exactly right for that piece of wood. If it's a little stiffer top, they'll reshape the braces or sand it a little thinner, to get optimum response. With a mass-produced top, they aim to make all the tops the same thickness, and it's perfect for one piece of wood and not for another, because of the slight variations in any organic material, even if the source and treatment is consistent and even to some extent with a laminated top.
So, not to discourage you, but you may just have a quiet one. It will break in a little, but I would guess not very much. It's worth experimenting with strings and saddle to get the best out of it, but you can't radically change its character without doing something radical.
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Posted By:
Bob S.
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Date: 5/6/2008 9:17:55 AM |
| Even though the fleas and flukes are very consistant in their build quality and setup it is possible that the "quiet one" has low action.
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Posted By:
Dave Means
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Date: 5/6/2008 11:22:46 AM |
| You've hit it right on the head, John, regarding the difference in approach of hand-builders vs. mass producers. The best factories, though, do as much as possible to control the variability in their materials. -- Dave
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Posted By:
MR Bulk
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Date: 5/6/2008 11:59:46 AM |
I've had both models as you do now - they sounded about the same to me (as there is no difference in soundbox volume between the two since Fluke uses the same body in manufacture) until I strung the tenor in low "G" which made a significant difference in bass response.
Due to the cast plastic fretboard some recommend you not do this using a wound low "G" (although mine was fine for the few months I had it) but a Worth low G solid string might be, uh - "Worth" a try...*ahem*
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Posted By:
Wednesday
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Date: 5/7/2008 6:26:01 AM |
Well, so, I put the Hilos back on, the exception of the wound low Aquila G...
I'm thinking maybe the Hilos actually DO sound better on this baby, tho' they are tougher on fingers. Never tried Worths -- does an unwound low G give all the satisfaction of a wound one? Well, there's another thing to try, maybe. I was interested in experimenting with that low octave, tho' a lot of my favorite tunes really do need the high G to work their best -- well I've got others ukes for those.
Anyway, I played the heck out of the thing yesterday (owww) and it did seem better to me...tho', maybe the fact that I didn't pick up any of the others all day for comparison skewed my thought processes. It's the Celtic green model, by the way, and I really want it to work out for me in some capacity, since it's a looker.
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Posted By:
Wednesday
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Date: 5/11/2008 11:15:41 AM |
Meanwhile, BACK at my tenor Fluke...
I think Worths are the answer, with that unwound low G. It's sounding pretty nice to me since I got them in the mail yesterday.
Thanks for all the ideas again, everybody. No more typing now. Too much strumming this AM and I'm all sore.
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Posted By:
foolish jac
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Date: 5/11/2008 12:26:59 PM |
i have a tenor Fluke.
i've tried several string brands, and i've settled on the Ko'olau Gold w/wound 3rd.
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Posted By:
ichadwick
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Date: 5/12/2008 12:43:45 PM |
| Interesting thread. I've got a Fluke, but have been considering a tenor Fluke as my next purchase (I want to string one of my ukes as a low-G and the Fluke seems the perfect one...).
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