http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3747717103
It’s seems a nice flute…but I never tested a Bryan Byrne
who have tried this kind of flutes?
Frank
I’ve got a Byrne E-flat. EXCELLENT flute.
Top-notch quality, very nice nach Rudall instruments. I don’t think you can go wrong with one of Bryan’s beauties.
Stuart
I agree with Stu. But I’d go for a new flute from Bryan. That way you get his latest mods, a guarantee of satisfaction, and you will be directly supporting a wonderful guy who is dedicated to making fine flutes.
Bryan is also a brilliant artist in clay and a fine fiddle repairman. And the price of the flute on Ebay isn’t far off what you’d pay for a new flute. Not far enough off, IMHO, to justify buying a used flute. I’d go for a new one.
The last number I have for Bryan is: 802 433 5536.
That’s what I thought, too.
Mary
i don’t think it’s that unusual for a high quality used flutes to sell for at least the price of a new flute - if not more.
Nobody seems to bat an eye when a keyless Olwell goes for a ridiculously high price that is way beyond what Patrick actually charges. I’m just surprised to see people raise the issue on one of Bryan’s flute. It’s the same deal. Great flute, fairly long waiting list, not a whole of lot of used flutes being offered for sale.
I know that I would never sell my Byrne. I love it! It’s a fantastic flute that definitely compares to the Grinters, Olwells, Rudalls, Wilkes, etc. that I’ve played. Granted they are all different in their own ways, but the quality and sophistication of each of them is equally high.
That said, Bryan has been tweaking his design a little bit recently, so as somebody said, there may be another non-price related reason to want a new flute from him. I have a friend that just got a new flute from Bryan that has the same sweet tone with small holes, but gets a lot more volume than his previous designs. It’s sort of the best of both worlds. Sweet tone, small holes that you can crossfinger, but still a ton of volume that can cut through a big session.
anyway, my 2 cents.
Very pretty flute.
With a starting bid that high, I’ll be interested to see if there are any takers, particularly since you can get a Hamilton keyless for far less than that.
–James
So is it the emboucher he has been tweaking? I am looking forward to playing a Byrne flute in the near future, comparing it to what I have.
And what is Bryan’s wait list like now?
Since you brought it up… 
Mary
Hey Mary -
I’m not totally sure what Bryan did to tweak the flute. The embouchure looked pretty much the same as my flute, but then again, I don’t really know a whole lot about flute making. I would call Bryan and ask him what he did. The flute I’m talking about is Dan Isaacson’s who’s an awesome - make that a sick - flute player who now lives up in Baltimore. You can hear Dan play his old Byrne on a great album he and some folks in Boston put together, the Magic Square (http://www.themagicsquare.com). There are some tracks on the site that you can download.
In terms of the waiting list, I think it generally hovers around a year for a keyless flute. If you give him a call you can ask.
By the way, i just want to say that i don’t have anything to do with the sale of this flute, i’m just saying that it’s not a totally unreasonable price given what other high-end used flutes have gone for recently.
Brendan
It’s not so much that Bryan has “tweaked” his flutes in general, but that he’s developed a few different models to satisfy a range of tastes. The one Danny used to play was similar to my first Bryan Byrne flute: narrow bore, fairly small toneholes, very sweet sound…I believe Bryan modeled that one in part on a Rudall and Rose owned by rama. I think Danny wanted a little more volume than he could get from that first flute, so Bryan opened things up a bit on Danny’s new one and it’s louder.
In addition to that narrow-bore design, Bryan is now also making flutes that are inspired by a Rudall Carte; these have a bigger bore and tone holes, beefier sound in general. I think he has a few other designs available as well. Bryan’s also great about ascertaining the qualities that a customer wants in a flute and building the flute accordingly.
Mary,
Couldn’t help but notice:
and then…
Hehehe.
I do love my Byrne.
Carol
you’re right brad…, bryan did measure my rudall. so probably some of his earlier work was based on it. it’s an interesting flute to play. some flutes that bryan made were pretty close to mine while others were slightly different. as you know, he also measured several other R&R flutes too. so he is able to draw upon those measurements as well. i believe dan isaacson may have first chose a flute from bryan that was actually a little mellower than my rudall. (dan, he’s turned out to be a mighty fine player. glad to hear that he’s still at it.)
the toneholes on the flute being offered on ebay looks about the same size as my rudall. although i do not know that particuliar flute’s history, i would guess it should be capable of projecting fairly well, while at the same time play with a very appealing tone.
brad, is your current byrne flute more along the lines of the rudall carte design?
Yes, my 6-key Byrne is based on a Rudall Carte, in fact a Rudall Carte owned by someone who lives near Montreal so I’ve now had a chance to play the Byrne in duet with the original flute that inspired it. Of course Bryan doesn’t produce exact replicas of these flutes, they’re his own designs, I guess he uses the measurements as a starting point. The keywork on mine is almost identical to that of the Rudall Carte, and the two flutes do look and sound quite similar (though the R-C has a bit more depth and focus, probably due in part to its age). My Byrne is still new, I picked it up in March, and it’s still in its breaking-in period. The tone is maturing as the flute and I get to know each other. Barring any mishaps, I expect this will be the D flute that I play for the rest of my life. It’s a wonderful instrument.
now there’s another testament to byrne flutes !
…or to monogamy !
…or to both !!!
Hey Brad -
how long did it take for you to get your keyed flute? I’ve been thinking abut ordering one from Bryan, so I’m curious about the wait.
thanks,
Brendan
You don’t want to know! (I ordered it quite some time before Bryan even started making keyed flutes, so my wait doesn’t really count.)
You’d have to check with Bryan to see if he’s accepting orders for keyed flutes at this point. Bryan’s a perfectionist and it can take a while for a flute to get out of his shop…but the wait is worth it.
Hi Carol: It’s crazy, isn’t it? I love all my flutes, but you know, the Hammy really does it for me! I am, however, still drooling over the pictures of Jessie’s Noy ~ now that’s a beauty! 
Mary