To you all flute players/fanatics/professionals/addicts, I need advice!
I had been looking forwards to buying an Irish flute for some time when I discovered this in my aunt’s cupboard:
[Note: this picture has been changed to a link, as the photo is large enough to cause problems for those members on dialup. - Mod]
On it there is a tag saying “Bauer Tarbes”, I know there was an instrument maker from Austria who settled in Tarbes in the South Of France and was called Bauer about 4 generations ago, (The flute belonged to my great or great-greatgrandfather.)
It hasn’t been played in 30 years (Boehm flutes have become more common lately ) and is completely dry I believe. Neither My aunt nor I could play anything below the G (E and D sound like B or A albeit much weaker, which probably has something to do with harmonics).
The keys seem to work well but need oiling and maybe repading (?)
I couldn’t move the stopper, and a small disc of metal came off the top of the flute(you can see it in the picture).
The corks need to be replaced too, and some of the rings below the corks are somewhat loose.
There is also a crack on the tuning slide but as the inside is made of metal, I don’t think it is a real worry (tell me if it is, I’m new to this).
What worries me however is that there are cracks I hadn’t noticed on the two lowest joints. Especially on the one before last.
Do you have any advice or comments? Do you think it is possible to fill these cracks or do I have to have the joints replaced?
Sorry for this long post, and for the size of the pictures,
Many thanks in advance…
Where are you located? To me, this flute looks quite repairable, and there are several people on this list who can do this kind of thing, both in the US and UK. Also, there is a lot of information on this list outlining DIY repairs, and this flute looks like it is very salvageable. If you are at all “handy” with woodworking, this might be a good one to fix yourself!
Nice looking typical French flute of its type. The odds are very high that it will play at diapason normal (A=435Hz) as do most (though by no means all) of these…worth stopping up enough leaks with plumbers’ tape and blutack to play it sufficiently to determine that before bothering to start work on it, unless you fancy doing it up as a labour of love and for the experience!
The cracks at the socket of the lower body and foot are typical and were primarily caused by the metal lining of said sockets - to fix them properly you need to remove the liners, glue the cracks and (as for head and barrel cracks) enlarge the closed-up socket to readmit them snugly but without stress. Best not to simply glue/fill them as they stand, but definitely no need for complete or partial replacement of the joints. Best also to fix the tuning slide crack as it may leak even if not noticeably standing open and even if the socket is lined - a minute leak through to the crack at the junction between the socket liner and the tuning slide/liner in the upper part of the barrel is sufficient to seriously weaken the low register notes…
All said, not too bad a repair job either to tackle DIY or to have done, but first determine the pitch as that will affect value. If it plays at modern concert pitch it is far more usable and therefore more valuable in the players’ market, though that is not huge for this kind of flute which is most sought after by Charanga players from Cuba rather than ITM musicians or period performance classical folk. (However, it will play ITM very nicely if you want to use it for that!) The cost of having someone else do the necessary work may be excessive vis-a-vis the value even if it is at 440, but for sure if it is Low Pitch. However, if it is a family heirloom and you just want to repair it for the sake of doing so, then cost may not be a determining factor, I suppose.
I have a little short-footed 6-key German / French style flute, and it’s a joy to play. Forgiving embouchure, nice intonation, quite acceptable power, lightweight…
Ya just never know 'til the leaks are fixed. Best of luck!
Hey,
Thank you for your answers.
I found a maker in paris who agreed to fix the flute Sebastien Villoing.
(To jem and Clinton, I like DIY and woodworking but I didn’t feel like risking this flute -or any musical instrument more elaborate than a cheap tin whistle, no offence to whistlers.)
As for the pitch, the flute does play in diapason normal, which is not really a problem to me, I don’t think it’s powerful enough to play in sessions anyway. (By the way a fiddle/violin is easily enough tuned down to A435)
Concerning cuban music, I’ll try and transfer some Buena Vista Social Club tunes to the flute now
) and is completely dry I believe. Neither My aunt nor I could play anything below the G (E and D sound like B or A albeit much weaker, which probably has something to do with harmonics).