Hello all,
I’m thinking about adding Bryan Byrne to my short list of makers that I will try to visit in the spring as I research getting a flute. Has anyone tried one or bought one from him? I’ve read on a few posts that people have heard good things about his work but there’s not too much from people that actually have them. Specifically I need to know how they are for a beginner to intermediate player since I will be looking for a long term flute and won’t want to have to upgrade. I’m specifically targeting makers that I can drive to in a weekend so the list so far is David Copley and Skip Healey. So if anyone can tell me how Bryan Byrne’s work compares to those makers, it would be very helpful. Also any idea about the price range would be helpful too. His web page pretty much just has a picture and contact info so I want to have an idea before hand what I would be looking at cost wise.
Thanks everyone.
-Jim
Does anyone in Northern CA have a Byrne flute? I talked to Bryan and he’s a very nice guy but I know that a lot of sound/playability is subjective and I’d rather play one before commiting money.
Yes. I know. I should just believe all the postings. 
I’ve talked to Mr. Byrne on the phone. He’s very helpful and goes out of his way to answer any questions you may have. He quoted me $1200 for a keyless blackwood in D. He takes a $500 deposit, $100 of which is non-refundable. Word on the web is that his flutes are excellent. He told me himself that he makes a Rudall style flute. Give him a call.
Cheers,
Aaron
Bryan makes fantastic flutes, easily in the same league as other leading makers (Wilkes, Olwell, Grinter, etc.). He’s not as well known, nor has he been making flutes as long as they have, but his flutes are definitely world-class.
He’s making several varieties of Rudall-style flutes these days, keyless as well as keyed. I have a 6-key on order from him that should be ready in the next few months, and if it’s anything like the other flutes of his that I’ve tried recently I’ll be a very happy man indeed. Bryan’s flutes are special – there’s a richness and complexity in the sound that I don’t hear in many other flutes. If you like subtlety in your playing, you’ll like Bryan’s flutes. If you just want something loud, go elsewhere.
The bottom D on some of his earlier flutes wasn’t as strong as some people like, although I think that was intentional on his part, to have a flute with a more balanced sound. But the flutes I’ve tried recently have all the low end you’d want plus the warmth and richness that is characteristic of his flutes.
Brad’s the one who turned me on to Bryan, and I think I mentioned Bryan to Jim a while back . . . but for completeness . . .
Let me wholeheartedly second Brad’s comments about Bryan’s work. It’s excellent. I have one of the few (I think there are 3) keyless E-flats he’s made, and it’s darn-near perfect. It has a strong bottom end, and is well-balanced throughout. Excellent tone, very easy to play, and easily one of the most responsive instruments I’ve played.
I haven’t ever played a Copley flute, but I have played Skip’s stuff. I’d actually say that I think you need to play a Healy before you buy more so than a Byrne. Skip’s design is idiosyncratic, whereas Bryan’s is more like playing a Rudall. It’s not to say I don’t embrace the fact that Skip’s designed his own flute, it’s just that I think his flutes are MORE different from the norm than Bryan’s.
Stuart
Mine is for sale for $900. No wait time…and cheaper thatn getting one from Mr. Byrne. The flute is blackwood with silver ferrules. D. Excellent like new condition. I am a piper and just have not learned to blow/breathe/position my left hand properly…my wife diod not want to lear as she plays the box and that’s why the flute is for sale. contact me if interested. Lewis
I have played Lewis’s Byrne flute and it is very nice, indeed!
I just recently had my first go at a Byrne at a session Austin last weekend. It belonged to a guy named Jeff Baker from the New England area, who said he’d bought it a couple years back because Aoife Clancy, who he was touring with at the time, for some reason reviled the sound of his main flute, a keyed Healy.
Anyway, it was a great flute, very solid throughout, although, as was mentioned earlier, the lowest two notes were a tad dodgy - though Mr. Baker did say that Byrne had gone a long way towards rectifying that problem in the last year. Very nice, crisp, clean tone, not overly bombastic, for those of us who like that.
Definitely a guy to watch. If I ever replace my Lehart, he’ll be high on my list.
Regards,
Jamey
On 2002-11-07 17:05, glands wrote:
Mine is for sale for $900. No wait time…and cheaper thatn getting one from Mr. Byrne. The flute is blackwood with silver ferrules. D. Excellent like new condition. I am a piper and just have not learned to blow/breathe/position my left hand properly…my wife diod not want to lear as she plays the box and that’s why the flute is for sale. contact me if interested. Lewis
Hi Lewis,
I wish I had the money now but unfortunately I won’t be looking to buy until the spring. It’ll take me that long to get the money together.