"Selling my flute collection due to arthritus in fingers. This particular one was used until recently in irish sessions and plays in D. It is probably ebony and has been recently overhauled, with the keywork lightened and pads replaced with traditional wool and kidskin and the tenons have been rewound with silk to fit tightly together. It has the makers or sellers mark of Boosey (?) of London stamped in the top section (bit feint now) and is also stamped with a number. It plays fairly loudly with a good strong tone. The embouchure and finger holes are all lined as is the top section no cracks are evident. It does not have a case but would be packed well. This is a good solid instrument, suitable for someone of improvers status I should think, and is robust enough to have around in sessions. "
The instrument went for 300 GBP… what do you think?
So far as I understand it, both Boosey and Hawkes before they merged (and after, c.f. recent eBay item) imported both French and German made instruments and stamped them with their own marks. They were not alone in so doing - viz clearly German made flutes stamped “Douglas, London” or indeed this Cloos recently on eBay which looks like a typical cheap German job. (I know Cloos was an immigrant from Germany… but most of his own American-made flutes I’ve seen pictures of don’t look like this one!)
See also for example the clearly German made but Hawkes stamped piccolo in this other recent thread. I am pretty sure that the famous Hawkes Crown AZ band flutes were either made in France for Hawkes or maybe by French trained craftsmen brought to Britain, as the keywork and other metalwork on them is very much French in style.
So what can the buyer (I´ve bought it for a local session pal) expect from an instrument like this? It´s only stamped or a reworked instrument of this brand quality but unusual aesthetics? It seems to be in good shape, and I suppose that it has to be a good instrument if Boosey put their stamp on it.
Without actually playing it I couldn’t possibly say! I think your surmise that Boosey would only have put their stamp to something reasonable in quality is probably fair. If the seller is to be believed, then £300 for a decently playable German-made flute at modern pitch (A=440) is good value for an 8-keyer. Some of these German flutes play very well, others are awful, as has often been discussed here. If it is a good one, it will serve very well as at least an intermediate flute. You will need to check out its intonation through the scale once it arrives as well as see how it speaks for tone colour and strength…
Every Boosey flute was properly stamped on EVERY joint: head/barrel/body/foot … with matching serial numbers. A process begun by John Hudson and the Pratten’s Perfected models. (actually, it was Siccama who began this, with Hudson as his maker)
cheap band flutes were stamped at the barrel and the body only for Boosey.
But this style of flute…loudly says it is a plain flute whose Barrel was replaced.
Pretty simple.
