New Gear: Flight Nomad Tenor is a Solid Mahogany Stunner

BY DANIELLE ANDERSON | FROM THE FALL 2025 ISSUE OF UKULELE MAGAZINE

I pulled the Flight Nomad tenor ukulele out of its deep burgundy gig bag to reveal an instrument with classy curves and a glossy shine—the kind you’d expect to encounter in a jazz club. I imagined myself in a corner booth, sipping a cocktail, enjoying warm, smoky tones and the rich musk of mahogany wafting through the air. But whether or not you’re a jazz player, the sophisticated design and practical features make this tenor ukulele feel like an instant classic.

Flight, based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, is big on baritones, releasing five new baris in 2024 alone. This tenor ukulele was released after the success of the Nomad baritone, which was one of those 2024 releases. Both Nomads are part of the Royal Series, built using classic techniques with a modern twist. 

The Details

The Nomad tenor has a solid mahogany top, back, and sides, with a high-gloss finish, comfort edge bevel, sleek cutaway, and black binding around the soundhole, body, and cutaway. The instrument has a rosewood fingerboard and neck, with subtle abalone inlay marker dots on the fretboard, and a high-gloss headstock finish with abalone inlay displaying the Flight logo.

It comes with a nut and saddle made from real bone, which offers more clarity and sustain than plastic, and has a compensated saddle to ensure equal intonation across the strings. The Nomad also features a string-through bridge, with the end of the strings tucking through the bridge, soundboard, and the bridge plate using the string tension to hold everything together. Paired with the wing-like curvy design of the rosewood bridge, these features create a clean appearance. My review instrument came strung in high-G tuning with Brazilian carbon strings.

The Nomad has a built-in truss rod, a feature more common on steel-string instruments, that allows you to adjust tension in the neck to improve playability and adapt to changes that occur over the instrument’s lifetime. Over time, the tension of strings can pull the neck forward, and the truss rod guides the wood of the neck back. The tuners are ornate, with bright gold-colored metal geared posts and plastic buttons in shiny black—very royal looking. The Nomad comes with a deluxe gig bag with backpack straps and a large zipper pocket.

Sound and Playability

The Nomad produced a warm and balanced sound. It was mellow and rich when strummed and strong-bodied when fingerpicked. Dynamically, the volume of the instrument is quite balanced. The even tone of the solid mahogany body was a familiar and comforting sound for my ears. 

Thanks to the cutaway, I found myself playing up the fretboard and fingerpicking with delight. When I switched to strumming, the edge bevel made playing for a long period of time nice and comfortable. The rosewood neck has a satin finish, making it smooth and easy to play. The frets are smoothed and rounded—a nice feature for an instrument at this price point—making slides, barre chords, and playing for long periods of time more fun and comfortable. The Nomad’s rich tone and comfortable scale also added to the delight of playing for long stretches.

Final Thoughts

From the great curves of the headstock to the circular inlay down the fretboard, into the dips of the smooth black cutaway, through the wavy winged bridge, and with a rich and balanced tone, the sound and design of the Flight Nomad tenor presents a harmonious four-stringed experience.

SPECS

BODY Tenor size; solid mahogany top, back, and sides; comfort edge bevel; cutaway

NECK 20″ scale; rosewood neck; satin finish; 19-fret rosewood fretboard (14 frets to the body); 2-1/4″ bone saddle; 1.5″ bone nut; string-through bridge; compensated rosewood saddle; truss rod

OTHER Flight Brazilian carbon strings; humidifier and deluxe gig bag included

MADE IN China, Indonesia, and Japan

PRICE $325 street

flightmusic.com