What is the hype around Flight?

[therealsimon]

Hey all,

At least in my local area, (Vancouver/Langley, B.C,) Flight ukuleles specifically have been blowing up.


These are the ukes i'm talking about, specifically the EQ-A models. I know 10 players who have gotten these in the past 6 months, what's the deal Is it the look/headstock? I personally don't find the tone nice, or anything special, and I find the headstock inpractical if anything.

Any of you experiencing the same in your ukulele player circles?

Simon

 

[man0a]

I know a couple of local retailers have dropped Kala and Ohana and are now selling Flight instead. Quality control on the Flights that I have seen is better than Kala and Ohana, which reduces the retailer cost (for setups and returns) and improves their profit margin. Flight makes a wide range of models (not just different varieties of laminates that seemed to be most of Kala's product line for many years) so they are more interesting to customers as well. Not all Flight models work for everyone, but I can see how they are easier for retailers to sell.

Regarding sound quality, I haven't played very many of them personally, but I see that Got A Ukulele gives them generally very good reviews.

 

[ukudancer]

They're not the highest end of ukes, but I think you get a lot of bang for your money. They generally seem to play better than their list price, from what I hear.

I'd honestly buy a Flight, but I don't need any more instruments unless it offers something unique or forces me to play differently.

 

[therealsimon]

They're not the highest end of ukes, but I think you get a lot of bang for your money. They generally seem to play better than their list price, from what I hear.

I'd honestly buy a Flight, but I don't need any more instruments unless it offers something unique or forces me to play differently.

Interesting...

 

[rainbow21]

Interesting...

What I find most interesting is that you know ten people who recently purchased an ukulele, much less the same one.

Are they (and you) part of a group where they share their enthusiasm and one got the ball rolling? If they are coming from a laminate ukulele and do not know what to upgrade to, I can see one would get the ball rolling and everyone would follow. Add a good stock at the local store with a great sales pitch (and a palette of colors) and that may explain some of what you are experiencing. I doubt if ten readers here have that model.

 

[therealsimon]

What I find most interesting is that you know ten people who recently purchased an ukulele, much less the same one.

Are they (and you) part of a group where they share their enthusiasm and one got the ball rolling? If they are coming from a laminate ukulele and do not know what to upgrade to, I can see one would get the ball rolling and everyone would follow. Add a good stock at the local store with a great sales pitch (and a palette of colors) and that may explain some of what you are experiencing. I doubt if ten readers here have that model.

Yeah, we're the Langley Ukulele Ensemble. One member got one and at that first practice some guy was like "what uke is that?"

Yes, the headstock and the colors. One guy in the group has black on shining turquoise???

It confuses me but yes, looks like someone got the ball rolling

 

[Neil_O]

The specs seem pretty good on these, maybe that's why. I don't like the way the headstock looks, but it looks very easy to access the machines.

Why does it seem inpractical to you?

 

[DJ Mango]

.
I think Flight is taking off in part due to positive social media influencers .
I believe they are mfg'd. in China by Bright Sun to Flight's specs .

 

[ukeclass]

Well, it’s either flight or fight

 

[Aline]

I have a Flight Fireball baritone and a Kala acacia baritone. I replaced the Kala because the tone projected inconsistently across the strings when I played classical music. The Fireball does not have this issue plus I can plug in for more sound. I have heard clips of the Anuenue Moon bird baritone and that is far superior but more than I wanted to spend.

 

[Altrove]

To be honest I really like the look of the headstock, but I never saw this specific model for sale in my country.
But Flight as a popular brand is spreading even here in Europe.

I heard too that Kala generally lowered the quality control on their cheap ukes. Probably Flight is more consistent even on low-end instruments, as is now Leho here in Europe.

 

[Eggs_n_Ham]

Hey all,

At least in my local area, (Vancouver/Langley, B.C,) Flight ukuleles specifically have been blowing up.

View attachment 166456
These are the ukes i'm talking about, specifically the EQ-A models. I know 10 players who have gotten these in the past 6 months, what's the deal Is it the look/headstock? I personally don't find the tone nice, or anything special, and I find the headstock inpractical if anything.

Any of you experiencing the same in your ukulele player circles?

Simon

I don't own a Flight personally but they are amongst the uke brands I recommend when folks ask. They have a good reputation, look great and generally sound good. Plus, they generally get high marks from Gotaukulele @bazmaz and that's always a double plus good in my book!

 

[merlin666]

Do you have a local store that sells those? We used to have a guitar and uke store and the owner used to go to NAMM show each year and sign up as dealer for different brands. So people here just play the ukes that he had dealer contracts with, for example many people here play Amahi ukes. So may just be that the local store got good arrangement with Flight, as I doubt that there are any substantive differences between ukes of mass production brands.

 

[hands_on_lanzon]

I think Flight is taking off in part due to positive social media influencers .

One might ask our very own UU Forum members, Flight artists, and social media influencers/uke teachers, @Jiggywithviggy and @4stringboy ! These two make their Flights shine for sure. If those 10 folks are playing artificial harmonics and cursing a lot, you might focus on the latter of the two.

You could also ask the 10 people you know who got 'em "What made ya get 'em?"

It might be that they're new and colorful and different than what other people have. I know that the Southern Ukulele Store (SUS) gives high praise to Flight ukes. I also just watched a video of @bazmaz on an Ohana custom and he mentioned the historical sameness that Ohana had with other brands in the past like Kala and Lanikai... and that Flight was the only brand doing something a bit different.

 

[Voran]

All the more for meeeeee

 

[Voran]

Well, it’s either flight or fight

I do a little of both when I sing.

 

[hendulele]

Do you have a local store that sells those? We used to have a guitar and uke store and the owner used to go to NAMM show each year and sign up as dealer for different brands. So people here just play the ukes that he had dealer contracts with, for example many people here play Amahi ukes. So may just be that the local store got good arrangement with Flight, as I doubt that there are any substantive differences between ukes of mass production brands.

That’s a reasonable guess. A local shop that doesn’t carry a lot of inventory may stock a single, consumer-friendly/bargain brand because it’s easier to deal with one distributor. I went to a small uke festival a couple years back and all the locals were playing Oscar Schmidts because that’s all the store in town carried.

 

[Voran]

To get back on topic...I respect your right to your opinion but I must disagree. I LOVE Flight's ukes and look forward to a few more some day. Right now I'm saving money so no new ones.

 

[Jerryc41]

Hey all,

At least in my local area, (Vancouver/Langley, B.C,) Flight ukuleles specifically have been blowing up.

View attachment 166456
These are the ukes i'm talking about, specifically the EQ-A models. I know 10 players who have gotten these in the past 6 months, what's the deal Is it the look/headstock? I personally don't find the tone nice, or anything special, and I find the headstock inpractical if anything.

Any of you experiencing the same in your ukulele player circles?

Simon

Nice looking, nice playing, nice pricing, and nice cases.

 

[bazmaz]

My take (the positives)

Flight are constantly developing ideas and looks (some not their own, it must be said), but they really started doing that probably about the same time, if not before aNueNue did - in a uke world where a lot of the far eastern stuff was largely generic (same woods, same decor) they became a bit of a breath of fresh air. And... quite a bit cheaper than the upper end aNueNue models. All the ones i've seen have played good and sounded decent too for the money.

Negatives - their QC is on a bit of a nosedive recently - you will be fine if you buy from a reputable store, but I have seen images of the amount of work that shops like SUS and WOU are having to put in before sale. It's an irritation you won't see if you buy from the right place, but i'd avoid the lure of going through a big box shipper that won't check them over