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Luna Guitars have made a big name for themselves with eye-catching designs at attractive prices – whatever the instrument. With the Flora Series Concert Ukulele, they bring you a uke with solid performance and features, along with a design that truly exudes the essence of the islands. Time to check it out!
As many people may know, ukuleles are intertwined with the culture of Hawaii. Luna has taken that as the main theme with the Flora Series by having a figured soundhole crafted with both hibiscus (the state flower of Hawaii) and plumeria (representing the birth and life of spring) inlays. This gives a distinct visual appearance that’s boosted by the trans-purple flamed maple top.
While the appearance is certainly striking, the actual construction of the Flora can’t be overlooked. The rest of the body is also made from maple, and features a cutaway design for easy reach to all of the 19 frets.
A mahogany neck with walnut fretboard completes the package, and the fret markers have a unique mother-of-pearl moon phase motif, developing from a full moon at the 12th fret to an almost full eclipse at the third fret.
The hardware you’ll find on the Flora is right in line with a uke in the sub-$300 price range. The open-gear tuners are chrome-plated with pearloid buttons that blend well with the rest of the theme. A graphite nut also helps with tuning smoothness as well as helping to improve the overall tone.
The Flora comes installed with a Luna UK-T2 preamp system, which features a 2-band EQ along with a volume control and onboard chromatic tuner. The included gig bag is a nice touch, but it would have been nice to see strap buttons that were installed from the factory.
All of the tonewood components (maple body, mahogany neck, walnut fretboard and bridge) give the Flora an unamplified tone that is lively, sweet, and full of sustain. Notes are well-defined and chords sound full without mushing together. Another key factor here is that Luna strings the Flora with high-quality Aquila strings. This alone can give a huge improvement over the types of strings that other manufacturers use right out of the box.
The UK-T2 preamp (which is coupled with an under-saddle piezo pickup) provides a wide tonal range thanks to the 2-band EQ, making it easy to dial in the sound that’s best for you. It also lets you make quick changes based on the acoustics of the room you’re playing in.
The Luna Flora Series Concert Ukulele is a visually attractive uke, but it also has the right functional features and higher-end tone that places it well above a beginner’s model. With the Flora you can take a trip to Hawaii without ever leaving home!
For more info about the Luna Flora Series Concert Ukulele, click here.
For more of the best ukuleles under $300, click here.
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