Flight, 4-String Travel Series Soprano Ukulele, Arcana (TUS-40

The short: Built like a tank, great features, VERY disappointing flat sound, this is NOT an alternative to the Flea ukulele. Nor even a Dolphin to be honest.The long: For the last year or so I've been watching a lot of Youtube videos where people drool all over this Flight Travel ukulele, and how for the money you get a phenomenal instrument capable of challenging instruments that are way more expensive. I actually had no need for it as I am happy with my current uke collection, but since I got a couple of Amazon gift cards, I thought it might be a fun little thing to have around.It came fast and looks pretty cool. The packaging is definitely guided to beginner players filled with documentation referencing various ukulele web influencers. None of which I would considered authorities on the field, but then again that is not the price range of this instrument.It is incredibly well built and I was impressed at the materials. Yes, the ABS plastic back looks and feels like it was made by the Magic Fluke Company, the neck-- although plastic, it is seriously sturdy...and heavy. Perhaps too heavy, but it is not something I would count against it. The tuners although cheap, work just great. But to me the star of the whole package has got to be the fret board. It looks and feels too close to the one in my Flea ukulele. The zero fret, the action, the ease of play, even the fret paint seems to be holding great even though I've never seen paint hold on plastic frets for long. The markers are a bit childish, but again, these are intended for a more playful audience. I really, really was looking forward to play and keep this ukulele.Then, I played it. Flat, dead, really, disappointing in every ways. Now, maybe I got a dud, but I still can't come to grips how such a well put instrument can sound so...meh. To give you an idea, I went comparing the sound to each of the ukes I own. Not even close to any solid wood (which is OK for the price). Not close to my Flea (which I think is over price, but great nevertheless), not close to the solid top laminate sides/back Ohana I have, I had to go in the box of old ukes in the attic and found that the Makala Dolphins even sounded better than this--BY A LOT! The best I can describe it's sound is like a less boomy Waterman and that's not something to be impressed by.I tried several string: A new set of Aquilas, Worth browns, and D'Addario Nyltechs. The best sound I've gotten from it has been with Martins M600s. Yet, a Dolphin I have strung with Ernie Ball black Nylon (which I think are awful) still edges out this Flight ukulele when it come to sound. And that Dolphin is there just for decoration purposes.Again, I might have gotten a defective dud, or it is just that other people are being influenced more by it's construction than it's sound. If this was my first ukulele ever I can see why would someone be impressed by it. After all it is a well put instrument with a lot going for it, but not one I would recommend at the $40-something price range I got it for. I wish I could have tried this in person first to figure out if this is the exception or if they are all just this flat sounding.Hope this review helps some of you when making a decision.

I bought this for my daughter and she loves it. It has great size, sound, and playability.I like the plastic ukulele neck because there are no problems with sharp fret ends. I bought and returned other wood Flight and Donner ukuleles because of the sharp fret ends.

This ukulele sounds great and it holds its tune very well once the strings have been stretched and tuned for a while. I was surprised at how nice the sound was for plastic, it does sound a tiny bit 'watery' compared to my wood ukulele but just barely, the sound is still very good! It's very sturdy and does not warp or get fret sprout in more humid/warm climates, the only thing is it the front of the headstock and front of the body is pretty easy to dent. Also just to be aware, the strings on both the flight travel soprano ukuleles i've gotten are VERY close to the fretboard, so if that's something you don't like then just be aware of that :)

I bought this as both a starter Uke and a beater. I toss it in the backseat of my car whenever I get an order (I Doordash) and trust it'll be just fine. It has two primary flaws. One is that the tiny frets make it hard to play certain chords cleanly. Two is that it goes out of tune in a matter of hours or a few minutes of extended practice. It's good for the price and familiarizing yourself but after getting a 200 dollar Fender Uke, I recommend spending a little extra. I basically just want to play my Fender whenever I play my Flight which shouldn't be a big surprise but the difference is significant. My Fender stays in tune for days where as my Flight stays in tune for hours. And the chords hold true thanks to the more substantial frets. I can recommend travel guitars but I think a travel Uke is just not worth the money. Ukes are already so cheap, you might as well go for the real deal.I might as well end my review with the pros because it's not a piece of junk by any means. It's good because I don't have to worry about anyone stealing it. It's cheap. And I can toss it around without worrying about scuffs or scratches. It's a good starting point to learn chords and basic technique. I just worry that it might discourage some players from getting better. If you're newer, you might get discouraged by the dull sound of some chords when it would just play easier and sound better with a "real deal" Uke.

Love it perfect

I've been playing concert size, which works best for me, but I wanted to try a soprano and ordered this because of the price and because of favorable comments by members at Ukulele Underground, many of whom recommend it as a durable but respectable sounding "beater" uke for travel, camping, the car, the beach, etc. I chose the yellow color simply because it had the lowest price at the moment. I like the color better (it's duller) than shown in the listing and Flight ads.I am amazed at how good the intonation of the little TUS-35 is and how easy it is to play. It comes with Aquila Nylgut strings. I'm not a big fan of Aquila Nylguts, but they work very well on this uke. Surprisingly, the sound and the intonation are good all the way down to the 12th fret, where the fretboard meets the top of the body.Flight travel ukuleles are known for their durability. This would great starter uke for a kid, but really for anybody who wants to get the ukulele game with a real instrument at a ridiculously low price. I have a feeling that I'll be playing it a lot more than I had anticipated.

este ukulele es una maravilla pero lo que mas me gusta es el brazo, definitivamente es el ukulele mas cómodo que he tocado, siendo honesto el brazo si se mira un poco grande para el cuerpo pero de lejos casi no se nota y por la comodidad que brinda lo vale totalmente, el sonido suena un poco diferente al de un ukulele de madera pero sigue siendo un muy buen sonido, es el ukulele que siempre le recomiendo a mis alumnos!

This is not a toy, this is a great little soprano ukulele with a plastic back and neck, laminate wood top. It plays well above its price range and should be on every players list as a Uke you can take everywhere and not worry!The bridge has change and is I believe the same as used on the concert size, its no longer compensated but is removable if you need to lower it, you wont though, out of the box it is set up well.Now a quick word on strings and tuning, I have change the strings , this is a personal preference, I find the Aquilas a little boomey especially the c string so I replaced with fluorocarbon.Tuning, when strings are new they ALL take a while to settle, don't expect to set and forget, it just isn't going to happen, they will settle and will stop needing as much tuning but it is very good habit to tune before you play every time, some poor reviews will tell you this ukulele doesn't stay in tune, it does once the strings settle but even then changes in temp or humidity will mean a slight retune, ever seen a orchestra, first thing they all do, tune up there instruments!!Take home message, pick a colour and get one!!

I love this thing. Noticeable quality improvement on the basic ‘cheap’ ukuleles.I was unsure as to the plastic nature of this but it sounds great. It looks very sturdy and is light and easy to play. The blue wood front panels look great and have a premium feel to them.The zero fret gives a nice sound on open strings and the low nut makes playing the chords at the top of the neck nice and easy. Once the strings have stretched it holds its tuning well.If you’re after a decent first ukulele or something you can travel with without having to worry too much about damaging, look no further.I bought one for my daughter to learn on after having a poor experience with a cheaper brand, but I liked it so much, I bought another one for me. Highly recommended.

this ukelele is surely the best you can buy if your looking for a beginners instrument. Sturdy construction ,easy to play once youve got the basics. It consistently gets top reviews and i can see why. A nice addition is the strap button, Earlier versions didnt have one. For under 40 pounds you cant do better.

Take it to the pub with me and its so pretty!

This is a great travel ukulele!! It looks very sturdy and well-made. I was planning on getting the Slovenia one but it wasn't available on Amazon, then I saw this yellow one, which was half the price of the other colours, so I bought this instead. I ended up really liking the yellow colour. The sound is also really loud when I play it. I have only had it for a couple of weeks and don't play daily, so I am still re-tuning the strings quite often. I am not a fan of its Nylgut strings since getting acquainted with fluorocarbon strings, but it's not a big deal. It weighs a little heavier compared to my pineapple soprano ukulele. Don't expect this to sound like a wooden ukulele because it's made of plastic, as the description states. I just thought it absurd when I read some reviews stating that it sounds like plastic or it sounds different from the Flea ukulele, which is like over $200. Overall, I think this is such a huge bang for the buck and I am very satisfied and happy with it!! I'd totally recommend this!