I’m thinking about a Sweet Baroque flute in boxwood. I asked Ralph whether they have the bore sealer (tung oil treatment), and they do. Then I got to thinking, maybe one of the things that gives boxwood its unique sound is its lack of oiliness. This is what causes it to swell when you play, and causes the sound to change from when you first pick it up to when you’ve played it an hour or so.
So, whaddaya think? Is it worth it to spring for boxwood, or would rosewood do just as well?
how much more for Boxwood?
All sound considerations aside, boxwood smells wonderful. It smells clean, fresh, and delicious. You can smell it quite a distance away.
Putting tung oil on it would ruin the smell! Phew! You’d lose half the reason you got boxwood in the first place!
Does Ralph Sweet put tung oil on everything he makes??
Probably. It goes on anything porous, anyhow.
Maple, applewood and cherry flutes need to be
sealed, he says, if they are to get a strong tone.
I played a Van Huene boxwood baroque flute a few weeks back, and would consider buying one. Delicious.
M
They’re 395 for maple, 495 for rosewood, and 595 for boxwood. That’s with a corps de recharge for playing at either A415 or A440. I played a few when I visited Ralph this past summer, and they play really nicely. I’ve played a couple of antique traversos, and Ralph’s are by far the easiest I’ve played. That, plus the really inexpensive price, is why I’m leaning toward his.
I think he seals everything he makes from solid wood. I agree, there’s nothing like the smell of a fresh boxwood flute, although a good fresh rosewood flute can have a nice rosy smell. The buttery smell of boxwood does go away after awhile, though. There was one boxwood flute that I got that had been oiled with linseed oil. Boy, talk about disappointment – expecting butter and getting oil paint.