Flight DUC445 Glossy Acacia

The Flight DUC445 is a beautifully crafted concert ukulele with a rich, warm tone. The glossy acacia body not only looks premium but also delivers that classic island sound. The okoume neck and walnut fingerboard feel smooth and comfortable. It stays in tune well, thanks to the gold-plated tuners, and the included gig bag is a nice bonus. Great value for anyone seeking quality and style in one instrument.

This was the first 'proper' ukelele I bought. Two years later I still love it to bits. It looks and sounds beautiful. Like dripping honey and the sun reflecting on the waves. The final soft strum at the end of the Thomann video represents the sound best, I feel. To my ears it matches ukeleles with a significantly higher price point. The concert size is great for leisurely strumming or picking when you're lying upside down on the couch, while still delivering a deeper, more mature sound. I'm glad I went for the glossy coating, it's a joy to look at.

Then some downsides. The biggest is the nut height. I found it was too high for comfortably playing on the top fret, let alone barring it. I adjusted the gauges with a file, but that's certainly not a job for the fainthearted. The glue of the nut recently let loose, but it slotted back in perfectly and is now neatly kept in place by the strings. Besides the nut there are only some minor 'flaws'. Although it looks nice, changing the strings in the pin bridge is finicky. The pins themselves and the tuning pegs look plasticky and cheap in comparison with the rest of the instrument. Finally, it's great at sounding like an authentic ukulele. It's not particularly bright or loud. if you secretly just want a mini-guitar, this is not for you.

I tried it with some different strings. In the end I feel the Nylgut strings that come with it are the best allrounders for this instrument. With that typical sound they do come at the cost of some individuality and a slight lack of sustain. Clear fluorcarbon overpowers the laminate a bit, losing a lot of those characteristic mids and lows. Thick clear nylon strings sound absolutely beautiful: sweet and rounded. I felt I could truly hear the voice of the instrument for the first time. But only when fingerpicking: strumming with them sounded like a mush. Lastly, it does not sound well with a Low g-string – but maybe this goes for all concert ukeleles. These are just my thoughts though, in the end it's mostly nice that you can experiment a little.

So, if you're looking for a first proper ukelele, I would recommend it 10 times out of 10. You will have to become a pretty good player before you feel it's holding you back!