amongst the lower cost ones 2 makers have caught my eye
one is advertised as being based in Donaghadee in N Ireland and there are quite a number of his/her flutes and fifes for sale regularly
another one i saw recently was i think based in spain - the listing said that the price was relatively low because they were a new maker who was in the process of establishing themselves - i’m not sure if any of their flutes are currently for sale
does anyone know anything about flutes by either of these makers? - i’m a bit vague on the second one i know and i’m not sure if it definitely was a spanish maker
I have a fife from Davy Angus, which is his main line of instruments. It sounds good, although I have to say I’m not a great fifer. The first octave is not quite in tune, but as I understand it this is a compromise for the 2nd and 3rd octave, which sound good. The fife also sounds a little flat of the pitch it’s supposed to (D), but I’m honestly not sure if that’s the fife’s problem or my embouchure (again, not a great fifer).
Angus is a nice guy to deal with, and everything was smooth and arrived on time. The only question I’d have for his flutes is whether he uses the same calculations for hole placement and size as his fifes. I’m sure he’s got it figured out, but obviously you can’t just scale up a fife. Something that could be found out with an email.
I have a couple of Fifes from Angus as well and I agree the middle and upper octaves are in tune as they should be, the lower notes are rarely used in fifing tunes, but saying that I haven’t noticed any big issues with the lower register. I would love to try one of his D flutes and maybe when Iam over in Feb, I’ll call down and try one. I would reccommend his fifes as good as many others out there who normally charge twice the price.