I'm a mandolin and tenor player myself, but my girlfriend played flute for years in school, and has expressed interest in taking it up again. I can't stand the sound of a metal flute, but love the sound of wood flute. She likes the sound of both, so I am thinking a decent wood flute might make a good birthday/Christmas gift. Not looking to break the bank, but something handmade and playable would be nice. I'm talking starter instrument here, but I always advocate buying something decent to start with when recommending mandos to new players, and I imagine the same goes for flutes. In other words, not something so expensive that I'll feel like a fool if it doesn't stick, but good enough not to be discouraging due to undue difficulty in getting decent tone. Any suggestions/advice appreciated. I know nothing about wind instruments. Stores? Makers? I should add that I'm in the States, and the exchange rate stinks as I'm sure you know.
I've heard the sweetheart flutes are pretty good and not too expensive in the instrument world:
http://www.sweetheartflute.com/irishflutes.html
I myself have never played one but I've heard they sound lovely (pun intended). Not sure what exactly your price range is, but $500 for a good wooden flute is a pretty fair deal (I spent about $3,000 on mine when all was said and done! Totally worth it though!)
You could also try looking around on ebay too, but don't fall prey to any flutes that look nice and are only $50 because they will most likely be crap.
Check out Casey Burns. I have one of his "Standard Model" flutes in Mopane and I love it. I've also heard great things about his "Folk flute" which is acoustically identical to the Standard Model flute minus some cosmetic extras. http://www.caseyburnsflutes.com
He is also very helpful as far as answering questions and making sure you have all of the info you need.
I know several people that have Derlin (polymer) flutes from Rob Forbes. They stand up well to temperature and humidity changes, but sound an awful lot like wood.
I'd recommend the "folk flute" from Casey Burns over the Forbes, Tipple, or just about any other flute for the money. Nothing fancy, but a well-made wooden flute that plays in tune, is tuneable (a long enough tenon to accomodate the range in possible pitch at most sessions), and easy to get big, woody tone out of.
Thanks everyone for the replies. That Burns looks very promising. I'd like to go with real wood, so that will probably be it. Still, if you have any other suggestions pass them along.
Anyone have any input into switching from a modern, metal, orchestral flute, to a wooden flute without keys? Instructional material, etc?
The biggest difference going from metal Boehm flute to simple system wooden flute is in the embouchure. Second is using your fingers to close the tone holes (assuming she plays a closed-key Boehm). The finger spacing may take a week or so to get comfortable with.
Another option is to check out Doc Jones' online flute store: http://www.irishflutestore.com He carries all sorts of wooden flutes, new and used, and he's great to work with--offers a grace period for returning a flute if it isn't the right fit, etc.
Another vote for the folk flute. I have a regular boxwood rudall flute from Casey and I love the sweet tone. I also have the mopane folk flute and I love its richer tone. Either one of those woods is a great choice.
It is possible to get wooden head joints for Boehm flutes. I have never heard one played but people who have them say it makes the flute sound like a wooden flute.
Casey Burns folk flute - nothing near it in quality for the price. Only non-cosmetic drawback is the lack of a tuning slide which makes it a bit trickier to make larger tuning adjustments. That said, it is closer to a "real" flute than any of the others.
Real flute, good price, no faff. I have one as my campfire flute.
Wooden headjoints for a boehm flute do not make it sound like a simple system wooden flute. Sounds good, but different. I have one.
And when it comes down to it the player is the real source of the sound quality that comes out of any flute.
Yet another vote for the Burns Folk Flute. And you can even pick between boxwood, mopane, and blackwood.
But--if you have a couple hundred bucks more/think your girlfriend is likely to stick with the instrument, my favorite Burns flute is his Rudall and Rose model.
The nice thing about Burns flutes (excepting the Folk Flute) is that they can be upgraded: start with the all-wood model, and later you can have rings and a tuning slide added, and keys can be added down the road, too, if they're of interest. Don't worry about getting a flute without a tuning slide--the tenon on all-wood flutes is long enough to make it tunable.
Another great flute in the $500 range is the all-wood (no tuning slide) Copley, available directly from the maker or from the above-mentioned Irish Flute Store.
Also--good call on getting a wood flute. There are good delrin flutes being made, but nothing beats the sound and feel of wood. And they're not hard to care for.
The post is pretty fast these days - only a few days airmail for right round the world - but for other reasons it depends a bit not only on your pocket but on how long you can wait. Unkeyed flutes from, say Hammy Hamilton in Ireland or Terry McGee in Australia (quite different feels of flute, btw) are not *too* expensive and you don't have to wait *too* long. Not in comparison to an Eb with 8 solid silver keys, for instance!
My votes would be Dezi Seery (delrin), which has a very good quality/money ratio, and Martin Doyle keyless Celtic model, which is an extremely good instrument for a modest amount of money. I don't know how's the availability (usually the response is pretty quick in both cases), but you'd need to check the makers.
I wouldn't suggest Doug Tipple only because you said it's going to be a Christmas gift to your girlfriend, and a PVC pipe, no matter how cute, seems slightly unromantic.
Buying in US$ is a very good idea at the moment... Although if you live in US$ land yourself then it doesn't help much, though it does make the non-US alternatives a bit more expensive.
Casey makes the Folk flutes in batches, so delivery times depend on when the next batch is being made after you place your order. I think Christmas is still inside his timeframe.
I bought a traditional Irish flute from a gentleman in London, Ontario. We met at a folk festival in Owen Sound. I spent a few hours at his booth and eventually ordered a three piece one made of ziricote. It was so nice i ordered another one for my sister, hers is walnut because i don't like her that much. If anyone is in the market i would strongly recommend this guy, he's very good. just my two scents. And his prices are very good...
Basic Wood Flute Suggestions
Basic Wood Flute Suggestions
Hi All,
I'm a mandolin and tenor player myself, but my girlfriend played flute for years in school, and has expressed interest in taking it up again. I can't stand the sound of a metal flute, but love the sound of wood flute. She likes the sound of both, so I am thinking a decent wood flute might make a good birthday/Christmas gift. Not looking to break the bank, but something handmade and playable would be nice. I'm talking starter instrument here, but I always advocate buying something decent to start with when recommending mandos to new players, and I imagine the same goes for flutes. In other words, not something so expensive that I'll feel like a fool if it doesn't stick, but good enough not to be discouraging due to undue difficulty in getting decent tone. Any suggestions/advice appreciated. I know nothing about wind instruments. Stores? Makers? I should add that I'm in the States, and the exchange rate stinks as I'm sure you know.
Thank so much. Cheers.
# Posted on August 22nd 2008 by North Light
Re: Basic Wood Flute Suggestions
I've heard the sweetheart flutes are pretty good and not too expensive in the instrument world:
http://www.sweetheartflute.com/irishflutes.html
I myself have never played one but I've heard they sound lovely (pun intended). Not sure what exactly your price range is, but $500 for a good wooden flute is a pretty fair deal (I spent about $3,000 on mine when all was said and done! Totally worth it though!)
You could also try looking around on ebay too, but don't fall prey to any flutes that look nice and are only $50 because they will most likely be crap.
Oh and there's also Dusty Strings located in Seattle WA; their specialty is string instuments (duh lol) but they also make winds as well: http://www.dustystrings.com/shop/winds.shtml#flutes
Good luck with your search!
# Posted on August 22nd 2008 by Glass of Beer
Re: Basic Wood Flute Suggestions
Check out Casey Burns. I have one of his "Standard Model" flutes in Mopane and I love it. I've also heard great things about his "Folk flute" which is acoustically identical to the Standard Model flute minus some cosmetic extras. http://www.caseyburnsflutes.com
He is also very helpful as far as answering questions and making sure you have all of the info you need.
Good Luck,
Jason
# Posted on August 22nd 2008 by jasonlburnfield
Re: Basic Wood Flute Suggestions
I know several people that have Derlin (polymer) flutes from Rob Forbes. They stand up well to temperature and humidity changes, but sound an awful lot like wood.
http://forbesflutes.com/
# Posted on August 22nd 2008 by Reverend
Re: Basic Wood Flute Suggestions
Doug Tipple makes a great sounding flute for short money from PVC pipe.
http://dougsflutes.googlepages.com/home
# Posted on August 22nd 2008 by Greg the Piano Tuner
Re: Basic Wood Flute Suggestions
I vote for the Casey Burns Folk Flute.
# Posted on August 22nd 2008 by Why Bother?
Re: Basic Wood Flute Suggestions
I'd recommend the "folk flute" from Casey Burns over the Forbes, Tipple, or just about any other flute for the money. Nothing fancy, but a well-made wooden flute that plays in tune, is tuneable (a long enough tenon to accomodate the range in possible pitch at most sessions), and easy to get big, woody tone out of.
# Posted on August 22nd 2008 by Will Harmon
Re: Basic Wood Flute Suggestions
Thanks everyone for the replies. That Burns looks very promising. I'd like to go with real wood, so that will probably be it. Still, if you have any other suggestions pass them along.
Anyone have any input into switching from a modern, metal, orchestral flute, to a wooden flute without keys? Instructional material, etc?
# Posted on August 22nd 2008 by North Light
Re: Basic Wood Flute Suggestions
The biggest difference going from metal Boehm flute to simple system wooden flute is in the embouchure. Second is using your fingers to close the tone holes (assuming she plays a closed-key Boehm). The finger spacing may take a week or so to get comfortable with.
Another option is to check out Doc Jones' online flute store: http://www.irishflutestore.com He carries all sorts of wooden flutes, new and used, and he's great to work with--offers a grace period for returning a flute if it isn't the right fit, etc.
# Posted on August 22nd 2008 by Will Harmon
Re: Basic Wood Flute Suggestions
Another vote for the folk flute. I have a regular boxwood rudall flute from Casey and I love the sweet tone. I also have the mopane folk flute and I love its richer tone. Either one of those woods is a great choice.
It is possible to get wooden head joints for Boehm flutes. I have never heard one played but people who have them say it makes the flute sound like a wooden flute.
# Posted on August 22nd 2008 by sbhikes
Re: Basic Wood Flute Suggestions
Casey Burns folk flute - nothing near it in quality for the price. Only non-cosmetic drawback is the lack of a tuning slide which makes it a bit trickier to make larger tuning adjustments. That said, it is closer to a "real" flute than any of the others.
Real flute, good price, no faff. I have one as my campfire flute.
Wooden headjoints for a boehm flute do not make it sound like a simple system wooden flute. Sounds good, but different. I have one.
And when it comes down to it the player is the real source of the sound quality that comes out of any flute.
# Posted on August 22nd 2008 by Crackpot
Re: Basic Wood Flute Suggestions
Yet another vote for the Burns Folk Flute. And you can even pick between boxwood, mopane, and blackwood.
But--if you have a couple hundred bucks more/think your girlfriend is likely to stick with the instrument, my favorite Burns flute is his Rudall and Rose model.
The nice thing about Burns flutes (excepting the Folk Flute) is that they can be upgraded: start with the all-wood model, and later you can have rings and a tuning slide added, and keys can be added down the road, too, if they're of interest. Don't worry about getting a flute without a tuning slide--the tenon on all-wood flutes is long enough to make it tunable.
Another great flute in the $500 range is the all-wood (no tuning slide) Copley, available directly from the maker or from the above-mentioned Irish Flute Store.
Also--good call on getting a wood flute. There are good delrin flutes being made, but nothing beats the sound and feel of wood. And they're not hard to care for.
# Posted on August 22nd 2008 by mcswiss
Re: Basic Wood Flute Suggestions
The post is pretty fast these days - only a few days airmail for right round the world - but for other reasons it depends a bit not only on your pocket but on how long you can wait. Unkeyed flutes from, say Hammy Hamilton in Ireland or Terry McGee in Australia (quite different feels of flute, btw) are not *too* expensive and you don't have to wait *too* long. Not in comparison to an Eb with 8 solid silver keys, for instance!
# Posted on August 23rd 2008 by Alex Wilding
Re: Basic Wood Flute Suggestions
My votes would be Dezi Seery (delrin), which has a very good quality/money ratio, and Martin Doyle keyless Celtic model, which is an extremely good instrument for a modest amount of money. I don't know how's the availability (usually the response is pretty quick in both cases), but you'd need to check the makers.
I wouldn't suggest Doug Tipple only because you said it's going to be a Christmas gift to your girlfriend, and a PVC pipe, no matter how cute, seems slightly unromantic.
# Posted on August 23rd 2008 by Janek
Re: Basic Wood Flute Suggestions
Buying in US$ is a very good idea at the moment... Although if you live in US$ land yourself then it doesn't help much, though it does make the non-US alternatives a bit more expensive.
Casey makes the Folk flutes in batches, so delivery times depend on when the next batch is being made after you place your order. I think Christmas is still inside his timeframe.
# Posted on August 23rd 2008 by Crackpot
Re: Basic Wood Flute Suggestions
I bought a traditional Irish flute from a gentleman in London, Ontario. We met at a folk festival in Owen Sound. I spent a few hours at his booth and eventually ordered a three piece one made of ziricote. It was so nice i ordered another one for my sister, hers is walnut because i don't like her that much. If anyone is in the market i would strongly recommend this guy, he's very good. just my two scents. And his prices are very good...
# Posted on September 23rd 2008 by canada123
Re: Basic Wood Flute Suggestions
For above post Forgot to give his name.
His name is Richard Cox and his website is www.richardcox.ca
# Posted on September 23rd 2008 by canada123