I have this flute quandry. If I were made of money…
I’m on the waiting list for one of Michael Copeland’s new flutes – blackwood, no keys (but with the option for him to put them on for me later, custom. Delivery scheduled for sometime the end of this year. I’ve played the prototype for a session once and liked it a lot.
On the other hand, I have an opportunity to buy a used 8-key boxwood Grinter (lined head joint, tuning slide). About 2 years old, not been played very much. This flute is living a couple of hours away from me and I could (and probably would) go play it for a little while before making a final decision..
Altogether after adding keys to the Copeland, the price of the two flutes is comparable. I love the sound of boxwood, but I’m a little worried about maintaining it. Not being loud in a session is kind of a plus to me right now since I make a lot of wrong notes, but presumably sometime later that might become annoying – I don’t know. Keys are pretty important to me in the long run, since a lot of the tunes I really like have those extra sharps and flats. But I could wait a while for them, and I was originally planning to add them later to the Copeland. Copeland’s shop is about an hour away from me if I need extra help with anything; Grinter’s is obviously not.
Alas, I can only afford one (the combination of the two would be truly perfect, but my husband and my wallet would have something very gutteral to say about that). What would you guys recommend? What else should I be asking and thinking about that I haven’t thought of yet?
I’d go for the Grinter. Boxwood maintains OK.
You can do searches about that, cause we’ve
been talking about it. Grinter’s reputation as
a flute maker is very good. You get what you
want now. Others can tell you whether boxwood
is sufficiently loud. I’d play it and if I liked it
I’d buy it. A bird in the hand.
You say you’ve played the new Copeland flute and you have the possibility to go play the Grinter. I’d say, go try the Grinter, for as long a time as you can. Then you have a comparison.
I’ve tried a (blackwood) Grinter once - very nice flute indeed.
If you like the Grinter, then it’s closer to what you eventually want: a fully keyed flute.
If you ever have problems with the flute, I don’t think the warranty extends beond the first owner anyway - so any good flutemaker could take care of your repairs.
Boxwood is just slightly mellower, the flute carries well in a session. A local fluteplayer plays a boxwood Murray. Can be heard fine, even over a cacaphony of guitars, fiddles and zouks.
Personally I’d go for the Grinter especially if as you say the price for eventually keying up the Copeland would place both flutes in the same price range. I heard that Mike Grinter is in Ireland now by the way for a short time. His flutes are very very good I know that. I’ve tried a keyless Grinter which was very fine. I don’t have any experience of Copeland’s flutes although I’m sure they are fine instruments too. Yes, definitely the Grinter if you really have a use for those keys that is. I’m considering ordering a keyless Wilkes D flute, as I’ve never had much use for the keys on my Williams as I play Irish traditional only.
Go and play the Grinter, inspect it, and if you like it, don’t go home without it. When Copeland calls you later this year, you can decide then whether to sell the Grinter or hang onto it. Should you decide to sell the Grinter at that point, let me know.
I don’t think you should sweat the boxwood. I have two keyed boxwood antiques, both of which are in excellent condition. Except for one key that’s missing its spoon and one missing a spring, the keys work fine. (That is, none of the issues with the keys has anything to do with the flutes warping or the blocks creeping.) And Michael Grinter is a vey meticulous craftsman; I don’t think he’d ever work on a piece of wood that wasn’t properly seasoned.
If you don’t go for the Grinter, PM me, 'cause it might be within striking distance for me, and I’d like to give it a try.
Another job? Geez, I already have 4, I don’t think I could swing that and have any time to practice. Sleep is already just for little nice people who don’t have anything better to do.
If only any of the jobs were steady, permanent or paid worth a darn.
Thanks for your kind offers everyone, but I think I’ll do some practicing of my own. There’s a Yellow Tinker in my future with an F Natural that doesn’t sound like the something cat dragged in.
Think Chinese here. Borrow the money to buy them both, and sell one or both at a nice profit and payub the money back with the longest payment terms possible. Then you don’t need a second job.
Congratulations. Michael Copeland’s whistles
are wonderful–his reputation as a flutesmith
remains to be established, which is no demerit–
as the beasties are just arriving, really.
We await reviews of the new ones with interest.
I’m postively sick with envy.
Definitely I’m not the Superior Man.
