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munities that exist for ukuleles through our products, so we tried to create something that doesn’t exist yet or is not available to the general public yet,” said Juliana Virant, owner and general manager of Flight Ukuleles. “We constantly talk to players and we gather new ideas, so we’re active in the community, so it helps us keep the hand on the pulse of the community.” That pulse has led Flight in exciting di- rections. In 2020, the company unveiled Jet Guitars, a brand that channels vintage style yet is tailored for a European market eager for fresh options. As soon as Jet hit stores, players wanted more aggressive, metal-ready models and daring shapes like V-style and seven-string builds. Rather than compromise Jet’s vintage identity, Flight pushed further. Enter Spi- ra, the company’s newest family member, introduced in 2024. Where Jet nods to Flight’s traditional roots, Spira thrives in its genre-pushing designs for musicians unafraid to experiment. “We didn’t want to spoil the classic im- age that we had, so we thought, ‘Why not create a sub brand that would encompass what people were asking for, but with to- tally different branding?’” Virant said. “We got successful with our ukulele brand and we wanted to do guitars for a while, but we wanted to make it right and we finally started to work on an electric guitar brand. We saw that there was a niche in the mar- ket, especially in the European market, that other brands were not filling, so it helped us shape the brand vision and something that musicians really wanted.” A NEW VISION Flight is no stranger to reinvention and making sure the next generation has acces- sible instruments. To embody that, Flight experimented with the idea of making uke- keles in the shape of an electric guitar. For many, the ukulele is easiest to describe as “a small acoustic guitar with four strings.”
From its roots in Slovenia, Flight Ukuleles has grown into a global brand thriving on reinvention. What began with accessible ukuleles has expanded into new guitar lines, like Jet and Spira, and cross- over innovations, such as mini basses. With bold new models hit- ting the U.S., Flight is gaining global momentum. — By Kimberly Kapela FLIGHT UKULELES TAKES OFF Flight Ukuleles’ Juliana Virant
A sk any musician what they want from an instrument, and the answers are as varied as the players themselves. Flight Ukuleles’ secret? Actually listening. From its ukulele roots to the bold launch of guitar lines like Jet and Spira, the Slovenia-based
company has built its identity on community feedback and innovative design. Despite being based in a small country, Flight aims to stand out through its offer- ings and portfolio of products. “We built one of the best online com-
12 I MUSIC INC. I OCTOBER 2025
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