Flight Aviator CE - Solid Flamed Maple/Mango Slimline Electro Baritone Ukulele w/Gigbag #8011

As expected, with the success of the original Flight aviators, an electro version came along and erased its predecessor. With that it seems the floodgates are ready to open with a stained flamed maple version hitting the pegs here at SUS.

The Aviator was a big step in a contemporary direction for Flight. Offset and contoured for body comfort, drawing the sound out of the instrument in an upward motion towards the player. The addition of a maple top to the range has given a little extra snap to the sound of this slimline model, bringing a bit of brightness to the top end. Never fear mango lovers however as Flight chose to switch out the okoume body for mango with this model, filling out the sound with warmth and richness. This combination is throwing out a lot of projection, depth and sustain, and let's just take a moment to appreciate that dramatic figuring brought out by the stain on that quilted maple, it's striking to say the least.

The Aviator baritone ukulele has an extra element of interest as it was the first of its kind to reach the ukulele world. With the exception of the long established Kala travel series baritone; there simply has never been an option for those wanting a form fitting, slimline baritone until now.

The Elephant in the room?

This particular design will undeniably draw comparisons to the long established Revelator and Night Owl ukuleles by Kala. At a glimpse, it can actually be hard to tell these ukuleles apart but there are quite a few differences that need to be pointed out as I imagine most people seeing both will be keen to compare and hopefully purchase either a Night Owl or an Aviator. The closer you look at these instruments, the more important differences can be seen. The main thing here of course is that at the time of launch; Kala are yet to announce or launch a baritone version of the popular Night Owl ukuleles.

The Shape

The Aviator shape is more conventional than the Kala Night Owls/Revelator with a body that curves around like a normal ukulele on the shoulder and has a more traditional Florentine style cutaway for access to the upper frets. The offset soundhole is stylish with a unique flourish splitting the soundhole into two. 

Bolt-on neck

The Aviator has a bolt on neck with three bolts that is quite an unusual thing on an acoustic ukulele. My assessment is that this does have a slight effect on the ukulele itself, creating a slightly snappier and crisper attack when you pluck the strings. It also takes some of the meat out of the middle of the instrument which makes the uke lighter in your hands but does take some of the depth out of the sound and gives the ukulele a more petite feel up the neck.

The Aviator has some of the vibe of the Night Owl/Revelators when you look at it but it definitely serves up a completely different playing experience when you play it. If you are a Flight fan already, you'll love how this feels and the sound is wonderful albeit, a bit more filtered, direct and less creamy than the Kala Night Owl Revelator ukes. The use of Aquilas new B-Black strings that imitate the response of Fluorocarbon along with a wound low D and G is a great choice and brings a fresh element to the sound of these ukuleles.

Listing shows the actual instrument that you will receive, which includes the Flight passive undersaddle pick-up upgrade.

Specification:
Solid qulited maple top
Solid mango body
Solid okoume neck
Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge
Flight passive undersaddle pickup
Tie on bridge
Offset blue fret dots
Bone nut
38mm nut width (30mm string spacing at nut)
Black front binding
Flight padded slimline gigbag