Flea Ukulele
The Flea is the little brother of the Fluke and is constructed in much the same way. The top of the uke is solid wood (Australian hoop pine is standard and mahogany and koa are available) and the back and sides are molded plastic – the theory being that the top of the ukulele is what makes the sound and the back and sides have little influence.
There are some options you have with the flea. It comes in both soprano and concert sizes (with 14 and 15 frets respectively) and you can have either a plastic or rosewood fretboard. I have a plastic fretboard on my Fluke and I’d highly recommend you saving up a few more pennies to get the rosewood fretboard.
Then, of course, there’s the range of colours and designs that are available: check the bottom of the page for the full list.
The Flea has to be the most celebrity endorsed ukulele around. The world’s most famous Flea player is Bette Midler who has a few (often very sparkly) Fleas and endorsed this bejeweled Tiki Flea for sale in Vegas. It’s also rumored that she gave a pair of ukes to Sasha and Malia Obama. Other celebrity flea players are William H Macy and Tony Danza.
On eBay US
On eBay UK
On Video
Bette Midler bust out her Flea for Ellen.
Concert Tiki Flea Review
JTPokie reviews his concert Tiki Flea
Flea and Fluke Comparison Review
Todd discusses his Flea and Fluke ukes.
Flea Colors and Designs
Colours
Poiple (purple), Bubblegum (pink), Ukelyptus (green i.e. eucalyptus), Lava (black), Mango (orange), Natural (cream), Hibiscus (red), Moonlight (metallic blue), Macademia (metallic brown).
Natural Wood
Koa, Mahogany.
Designs
Denim – designed like a pair of jeans.
Camp – moon and stars.
Pineapple – a sparkly update of the classic pineapple flea.
Tiki – a gaping mouthed Tiki God.
Surf – a Tiki surfboard type design.
Bark Cloth – another Tiki inspired design.
6 Comments
Got mine recently – it’s a hoot!
Not a toy – but OK to knock around…
Maybe I got a bad one, but mine won’t stay in tune even for one song. Completely un-useable.
to gdw3
Ukes take a good week or two to stabilize before they stay in tune.
There are no bad Fleas. If it still doesn’t stay in tune after practicing a good 10 days, try a gentle screwdiver…
Had my Flea for 8 months now…its BRILL. For me its a go any place and play anything… kind of a good sweet little buddy.
well I guess I got a bad one too. Never stays in tune. I tightened the screws but it still does not stay in tune. The most minute touch to the pegs moves the strings very flat or sharp. So disapointing and frustrating. I don’t think it sounds especially good either.
I got a soprano size Flea with a plastic fret board about six weeks ago, and it has quickly become my favorite instrument. I’m a general music teacher and ukulele is my main classroom instrument, so it’s literally my job to play this thing ALL DAY.
It’s loud, has a beautiful tone, holds it’s pitch very well, and all the frets are perfectly in tune; better than any of my other ukes. The action is much lower than my other ukulele (a Kamoa), and I really like the feel of it. I find that it’s a lot easier and more comfortable to hold than my traditionally shaped ukulele.
It did take quite awhile to ship; I think I waited almost a month, but when I emailed them and asked what was up, they responded within ten minutes (they were waiting on gig bag materials). When I told them I was hoping to get it before an upcoming concert, they rushed the order for me. The customer service was wonderful; I was very pleased.
I just can’t put this thing down. I take it to my lunch duty almost every day now and play quietly at the table while supervising the kids. I bought it so I wouldn’t have to take an instrument to and from work, but I like it so much better than my other ukulele…maybe I should just buy another one.
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