Has anybody bought this flute? Any reviews out there regarding it?
It really is cheap so i am thinking about purchasing it.
theres a soundfile on the ebay listing as well as pictures:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2512225540&category=10183
Calmont is a frequent seller to eBay.
Don’t rush to bid thinking it’s a one-of-a-kind item (especially if you have questions), there will be others available.
Calmont is a new member of the C&F board too and has posted on the Uilleann pipe forum several times. So you might get a response here if you have specific questions.
From what I’ve heard, the “gold” and “silver” on those flutes are actually a foil tape that comes off pretty easily. That’s not to say it’s not a decent flute – I have no information about that either way – but don’t expect anything quite as fancy as the pictures may seem.
Steven
Chaudan; he has a web site and you can always get one of his flutes. There is another flute maker on this forum who makes a real nice pvc flute which is a two peace tuneable and easy playing instrument. Alan is a fine guy and you can usualy talk to him in the chat room. His web site is: http://www.geocities.com/zozm/ There are a few sound bites on his site as well as a few tunes in the chips and clips forum. They cost a little more (50 bucks) but they are well worth it. It usualy takes him about a week to make you one but you will not be disappointed.
Tom
yes, i’ve been to Alan’s website and the sound bites sound really good!
I emailed him asking whether he ships outside the US but he has yet to reply.
Yes, I’d definitely say the Almount would be a good one to go with, since you can adjust the headjoint, which is useful for tuning, and for positioning the embouchure hole at a good angle. I intend to get one as soon as I’m able.
I happen to have a flute made by John Calmont and picked it up 2 weeks ago. I think it is a very good flute for a beginner. It is cheap in price but well made. Mine is in tune and easy to play and I just had one at random from the batch he was working on. I was really suprised how easy it played and had a good full tone and is louder than expected. From what I gather they are all tunable, mine certainly is. Granted the tone does not compare to the Grinter or the Clementi that I have but this flute I can take take out into the woods whatever the weather without worrying about it. Infact the day after I got it I played outside in the cold at a party which I would not have done with the wooden ones I have. John seems to be a really nice guy and would not hesitate to put people onto him.
Hope this helps
Colin
well seems like i’ve got a dilemma here
almount or calmont?
well, i still haven’t gotten a reply from alan as to whether he will ship outside the US so its not much of a problem. But i do have a cousin in virgina i can send it to…
Chaudan, I have received no e-mail from you. Please check your Private Messages.
Thanks!
Hi there
I am the maker of these flutes and would be happy to answer any of your questions.
Regarding the gold bands someone mentioned these are made from Metalised Poylester tape. At least thats what the people who sold it to me call it. It is quite thick stuff and not like sellotape. It has a shiny metallic look to it on the reverse side. I dont know if it has real metal in it. It is purchased in sheets and has like a card backing. I was told it is used in the printing industry. Once the backing has been removed it can be stuck in place like normal sticky tape. It is cut into strips to the size you need.
The main advantage is that you do not need to polish or clean it and when it gets tatty or it gets damaged it is easy enough to replace as you can order some new stuff from me. I can post it in an ordinary envelope.
I have a number of colours that I use usually gold or silver. i recently been using imitation gold leaf on my irish quena which looks quite convincing. I will be trying some of it out on my flutes fairly soon.
I use this stuff to brighten the flutes up a bit as they can be a bit boring plain black. Although if prefered the bands can easily be removed.
all the best
John
John, Where do you get that lovely black tubing you use for your flutes. I’ve scoured the net and have yet to find its like. Any help would be greatly appreciated
Thanks,
Colin
Dear colin,
as you live in the states i would not really know as i am in the uk. You could try diy shops. It is only a type of pvc its nothing special. However it is very hard material and if bent will break or shatter . You can also heat form it . That is how I make the sliding joint on my two piece. This makes it ideal for making flutes. It is a bit of a pig to drill holes in it. The drill bits tend to snag on it. Although it might appear a bit of a contradiction you actually have to deliberately blut your drill bits on the leading edge to prevent this from happening.
All i know is that it is not used for plumbing. I think in the states it goes under the name of High Density Fiberous Polymer. There are other trade names for it depending on which part of the world you are from. If you get stuck and cannot find any locally.I will send you enough over to make your self a flute
all the best
John
A recommendation like that from Goldie is good enough for me to try one. GOnna order on payday
Dear ron
thanks for the vote of confidence. If you try it and dont like it for any reason you can send it back.
all the best
John
I purchased a tuneable Calmont flute via e-Bay and received it very quickly a couple of days ago. I’m very impressed by it. It is attractive (including the metallized tape) but more importantly it plays very well. It is bang in tune throughout (I have an electronic tuner). For the price, it certainly exceeded my expectations.
I would certainly recommend this instrument to anyone interested in exploring the Irish flute at a very reasonable cost.
John McCalmont is an extremely personable chap with a sense of humour and replies quickly to e-mails.