Hello!
I’d like to get myself a marching band flute, in the key of F or, if there’s no option, in Bb. I want it to be polymer, it should have at least 5 keys and a sliding head joint. Also, it should be low pitched. What are my options?
I know, this may seem unreal, but i found “mullen flutes” and they produce ( or used to produce) exactly what I want. The thing is, i cannot order a flute, the site doesn’t work and they don’t respond on the Instagram.
Miller Browne is an option, but it is high pitched…
Hi Vlad
Is this Mullan F flute what you are looking for?.
Erne Music Supplies of Enniskillin are the ones that sell them. Mullan is their brand. I have bought from them, both on eBay and directly using their website, with no problems.
There is a maker from Northern Ireland who makes aluminium keyed band flutes. But I cannot remember the name and I don’t know if they wre shard pitched or not. I hope somebody else remembers that maker. It was posted here not long ago. They were available in a number of different colors, blue, red, green, etc. Looked rather cool.
Many makers seem to have problems keeping up with their email-correspondence . I hope it works out – I’d be really interested in seeing pics of an alloy keyed flute in F.
So, i have just called Mr. Rea…
Long story short, he does not produce F flutes, and he didn’t answer the question about low pitch. And, i guess he wasn’t happy about my call… Maybe , it was my fault, like, a stranger is calling, asking weird questions about flutes, weird accent… I don’t know
Some makers seem to see the customer as a “necessary evil” .
I’d have recommended David Angus – very friendly and makes affordable flutes and fifes, however, unfortunately he doesn’t make keyed ones.
Some makers seem to see the customer as a “necessary evil”
Wonder why that is and take into account most makers run small single person workshops, often from home.
You’d be surprised how many ‘customers’ turn up at makers’ doors expecting to be welcomed with cups of tea and a tour of the workshop, call and demand attention without much regard for ‘office’ hours or time differences and generally wasting time that could be spent working, actually making the things.
I have seen a maker run away down the street when he saw a ‘customer’ approaching, another one replied when I told him a man who bought one of his instruments second hand was looking for him ‘Tell him I am dead’. Another instance was a couple who knocked on a maker’s door unannounced early on a Saturday morning enquiring about instruments and were particularly pissed off when he gave them a brochure and pricelist and told them ‘goodbye’.
Yep, well – if they don’t want any customer-contact, they should sell their stuff through a third party, not post their phone-number online if they don’t wanna be called or maybe consider another job altogether. Sorry, but that’s how it is. If any maker reacted pissed off when I’d call him during NORMAL hours, I’d certainly take my money somewhere else.
All the extreme cases you listed are not much more than a rhetorical trick because obviously that wasn’t the case here. If people don’t wanna be called on their private phone line – simply don’t post it on your homepage. Or get another phone for business purposes.
I’m self-employed too and believe me, there’s ways to avoid annoying your customers.
All the extreme cases you listed are not much more than a rhetorical trick because obviously that wasn’t the case here.
It was a response to your remark quoted in my post. Nothing to do with the OP. The cases were not extreme at all, just a few from an abundance of possible examples. It’s very entertaining getting a few makers together exchanging customer horror stories and it’s perfectly understandalble why they would consider some customers or a particular type of customer a necessary evil.
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. I hope it works out – I’d be really interested in seeing pics of an alloy keyed flute in F.
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