Are there serial numbers on Olwell’s?
I’m especially interested in flutes with lined heads.
I have an unlined boxwood Olwell, which only
has his name on it–no number. What identifying
marks are there on the lined flutes? Thanks
the flutes number is seen when one removes the cap from the end of the head piece. its marked into the end grain so to speak…
Thanks!
This is true, but only if Patrick has put the serial number on the flute in the first place. He hasn’t always done so, although he does have a sequential record of every flute he’s made and who its initial owner was. I’m not sure when he started putting the serial number on the flute itself, but it was sometime after I got my Olwell in 1992, since mine doesn’t have its serial number on it. Actually, he probably started doing this sometime after 1997, since that was when I got my keyed pieces which necessitated me returning the headjoint to him for a few days so he could measure it for the new pieces. If he had been engraving the serial numbers on headjoints then, I’m sure he would have put it on my headjoint while he had it in the shop. He will retrofit serial numbers onto flutes that don’t have them if you want - he has offered to do mine but I haven’t yet taken him up on his offer. I probably ought to do that - it would provide a good excuse to visit his shop, which I have heard is a pretty interesting place…
I sent my all-wood tenon Olwell flute to him for corking. He put his number on it, 37 I think, so it shows you how old it is! J.
Wow, that’s a good idea. I’ve asked my name to be put into the list for a keyed flute, however, I may ask him if it’s possibe to just buy a new body joint.
Unless he’s changed his modus operandi, that should be possible. I got my keyless flute from him in 1992 and got on the waiting list for keys. When my number came up five years later, he gave me a choice: trade back the two lower pieces of the keyless flute for two new keyed pieces, or pay him several hundred bucks extra and keep the keyless pieces. Since I didn’t really see much use for having a keyless body of a flute with no headjoint, I traded the keyless pieces in for the new keyed pieces. Patrick then built a new headjoint and re-gifted my used keyless pieces on to a new owner. IIRC, I believe he told me at the time that the new owner was to be one Cathal McConnell. Since that’s pretty cool, I’m choosing to believe that. :->