Flight CARABAO LITE-M Solid Mango Top Electro Acoustic Baritone Ukulele w/Gigbag #5687

The Flight Carabao series are Southern Ukulele Store exclusive Mango themed Ukuleles produced by Flight. Available in an all solid Carabao model, a Carabao Lite model with a solid spruce top and now this very special Carabao Lite-M model with a figured solid Mango top. 

The Carabao Lite-M incorporates many of our favourite features on other models to create a super-lele. Working with Flight has been such a joyous experience, with literally hundreds of consistent and inspiring ukuleles arriving and finding new homes that we wanted to do it again with a third model that is more accessible to everyone. 

This is our 11th SUS exclusive ukulele and over the years we have always tried to find the thing players are asking for but unable to find. This time, the most important thing was creating a solid Mango top, electro acoustic ukulele with a pickup, wide nut and a gigbag for under £300. I feel with this model like not only have we done that but we have actually produced a uke that massively punches above its weight in the same way as our last carabao all solid wood model and the slightly cheaper Spruce topped Carabao Lite.

The staff at SUS have always primarily been baritone ukulele players. We have struggled for years to find consistent stock of good baritone ukes. The size is so firmly embedded in modern ukulele culture and yet we find ourselves having to take matters into our own hands... I feel here that we have an extremely accessible baritone ukulele fit for anyone who wants to give it a go for the first time, a seasoned player who wants something they can perform with on stage and everyone in-between.

The carabao lite-m has a solid Mango top and laminated mango back and sides. The difference between the two models is that the solid Mango top gives players a rich and dynamic acoustic tone. Darker but still very tropical with some gorgeous undertones. Mango tops are perfect for a fingerstyle player or a strummer who likes to be able to play with dynamics. The laminate mango used is unstained and differs wildly from one uke to the next. This ukulele is not built to be over the top and colourful like its popular sister uke - the Iris. Instead, this is a uke for those players that don't want something that looks ultra modern and quirky but do still want the higher quality instrument that Flight do so well at this price compared to many others.

The model is named after the carabao mango - a Philippine style mango known for its sweet taste, after going back and forth on several prototypes of this model I was happy that this ukulele still had the sweeter character to it that we are known for with our custom ukes at SUS. It is a common misconception that we use Carabao mango trees but Mango is abundant in many parts of the world and more sustainable than most trees with its natural fruit bearing lifespan signalling the end of its life... We love how the mango can differ wildly from some ukes to the next with some ukes remaining on the plainer side with an almost mahogany like appearance and then some are whacky and unmissable from a distance. We kept this model as a satin finish as we find it tends to sound better on more affordable ukuleles than a thicker high gloss finish and it ages in a more unique way as it get played in. 

The ukulele has a wider 38mm nut width and a nice wide 30mm string spacing, a slotted headstock (with a discreet SUS logo on the back) and an Indian rosewood fingerboard and tie-on bridge. It has some cool and quirky offset pearloid side marker dots so you know where you are playing on the fingerboard when you glance down mid song. The trim is subtle with front and back cream binding (a selfish choice because I love the look of mango and cream binding together) and a simple ivoroid rosette. The most unique thing about this ukulele is the matching wooden pickguard which is made of either a wafer thin slice of mango or rosewood depending on the model. We include a photo of how the pickguard would look fitted but these will arrive with you detached giving you the option to install them if you choose. 

The pickup is one of our favourite pickups - this double system has a hidden soundhole mounted volume and tone control connected to an undersaddle piezo. This has long been one of the best things about Flight Ukuleles at this price. You don't have to use the pickup but if you wanted to; its ready and waiting to go.

The carabao lite comes in a simple blue padded gigbag. It's a real triumph and we are so proud of this limited run of ukuleles that Flight have produced for us.

Specification:
Solid mango top
Laminated mango back and sides
38mm nut width (30mm string spacing at nut)
20.75'' baritone scale length
Slotted headstock
Open Gear Prowell tuners
Offset side markers
Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge
Bone nut and saddle
Black nylon strings with silverwound basses
veneer Mango or Rosewood pickguard
Double C1U pickup
Front and back cream binding
Ivoroid rosette
Padded gigbag included

A video of the Carabao Lite-M's will follow in mid October 2024.