Flutemaker David Copley has entrusted me his long-time 5-key David Williams flute (Pratten model) to sell.
After some research, apparently Williams isn’t making keyed flutes for now, handling much of his backlog of pipes orders (5 year wait?).
Copley played this flute as his own for some time. It has one repair, a nicely done replacement of the upper tenon with delrin.
It’s a pretty good player and feels much like my own original Hudson-Pratten. Large holes, block mounts, easy embouchure. Good strong tone.
Comes with a hard plastic foam-lined case.
Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll quote price and provide photos.
David,
The Williams inofrmation is pretty much correct but I would guess if somebody asked him to make a flute he would slot it into the waiting list. He built me a Bb flute a couple of years ago.
To fill out the background to the Pratten model flute. It is based on a Boosey 1860s model (as modelled by Matt Molloy on the cover of the Stoney Steps album), owned by a friend of mine. Dave copied it in around 1986 in return for some repair work on the tuning slide barrel. Dave himself plays the same model (6 keyed) and it is a beauty.
Ken
I wrote David M and asked which is the ‘missing’
key. He says it’s the long C natural key.
I don’t know much about keys, and
I wonder what it’s absence means..
This does seem a lovely flute.
Thanks much, kenr!
That bit of background helps a great deal. I was working off the info Copley provided (and he contacted Williams direct on the making of instruments just last week).
Anyway, thanks again. Makes a couple things clear.
I should add that the tenon repair was Copley’s work.