Flight leaned into that comparison, intro- ducing the Rock Series, a line of solid-body electric ukuleles inspired by iconic guitar silhouettes. This naturally led to the ex- pansion of its mini basses. “We also expanded into mini basses that are essentially short scale mini basses,” Virant said. “Of course, there were mini basses made before, but we made them even smaller, so they are actually a cross over between ukulele and the bass, size- wise. We had tremendous success with those in Europe and in the U.S. We ex- panded and have different colors, and we are now trying to crossover into the bass player market.” Among Flight’s most popular offerings is the Travel Series that has become a favorite for musicians on the move. De- signed for portability, the series recently went through its own reinvention, emerg- ing in a fully polycarbonate version that pushes durability. “Now we have them in this version that you can throw in the water,” Virant said. “You can do anything you want with it, because nothing will happen to it and it will still sound great. There are lots of cheaper-made instruments that have high action and have a very empty sound. Our Travel Series has been featured in You- Tube videos of people comparing them to much more expensive ukuleles and they concluded that they sound very similar and it’s four times the price tag.” While Flight’s instruments push bound- aries sonically and visually, the company’s values are just as forward-thinking behind the scenes. A key part of that vision is empowering women in an industry where representation is still catching up. “As a woman myself, I take great pride in the fact that we work with many, many talented female designers who produce graphics for our ukuleles — something that’s still rare in this industry,” Virant said. “What makes this even more mean- ingful is that a large part of our Flight community is made up of female ukulele players. Many of our designs resonate so strongly with them because they’re cre- ated by women, for women. It’s not just about aesthetics; it’s about representation, creativity, and giving women a stronger voice in a space where they haven’t always been as visible.” TAKING FLIGHT This year, Flight introduced the Royal Series, a line crafted entirely from solid mango wood
in a sleek slim-line design. The series pays homage to the pedigree of luthiers over the last century who have crafted high-end instruments. “We are pretty excited about this design. We launched it in Europe a few months back, and now it has finally arrived in the States, and I think it’s one of our most popular this year,” Virant said. Over on the guitar side, Jet is gearing up for one of its biggest rollouts with 11 new models featuring fresh finishes and colorways, all hitting U.S. stores now. By maintaining open forums and
asking players directly what they want from their instruments, Flight ensures its designs stay aligned with the needs of its audience. “We want them to feel like they’re part of a community,” Virant said. “That’s why we pay this much attention to different social media channels. Every ukulele that we sell has a little booklet that says if you want to be featured on our Instagram, please use this hashtag or tag us. We have people who want to be part of this big family that we’ve built, and we want them to feel excited.” MI
OCTOBER 2025 I MUSIC INC. I 13
Powered by FlippingBook