Cocobolo flute

Irish Flute
1

Last Saturday I drove down to Johnie Gallagher’s shop in Elkins WV . I was so impressed with his (small embouchure) R &R that I ordered one. He is making it out of cocobolo, with 6 keys. A few questions:
(1) Do any of you have this particular flute?
(2) Do any of you have a cocobolo flute and/or what do you think of the material?

Nelson

2

I love the way cocobolo looks. but it does have a peculiar odor. This might mean it has more oil coming to the surface of the wood. You might do well to play a cocobolo flute for a few hours to determne whether you have an allergy to this exotic wood.

3

I have a set of highland pipes made out of cocobolo myself and I agree with David that it’s quite a nice-looking timber. Seems quite durable. Of course, the mouthpiece is acetal, so I can’t speak to the whole allergy thing. It is quite fragrant.

I don’t think I’ve seen a whole lot of cocobolo flutes! I bet it’s a nice one.

Stuart

4

Cocobolo is a great wood to work with. Very oily, heavy and dense.
You can see a Cocobolo on Grinter’s website, really nice!

5

Oh, yeah. I forgot about that.

(And I own a Grinter cocobolo whistle! Doh!)

Stuart

6

Cocobolo is a beautiful wood, and makes for nice instruments, however it is also one of the most (if not the most) likely wood to cause serious “allergic” type reactions. I’d check with John to be certain you can return it for an exchange, incase you have a reaction. This may take several months to manifest - it took me nearly two months of playing every day before I reacted to Cocus.

Also, be aware that once you are sensitized to Cocobolo (if you have a reaction), you may no longer be able to play flutes made from similar woods: Ever since I reacted to Cocus, I can no longer play blackwood instruments, which was never a problem for me in the past.

Loren

7

I have a cocobolo flute and quite a few cocobolo whistles. The sound seems a bit warmer than blackwood. It’s got a nice, tight grain and finishes up nicely. It’s also dense and oily, but not as much so as blackwood. Plus you can’t beat the appearance – my Schultz flute is probably the single prettiest piece of wood turning I’ve ever seen, and the Grinter whistles aren’t far behind.