Im about ready to purchase a keyless in D now. Is there anyone seeking to sell a decent instrument soon? I check the lists daily waiting for an opportunity. I have some cash for the brunt of the cost and some nice whistles too. I am looking up to about $550 in cash for now. Please email me off board or PM,
thanks,
have you seen the ones at lark in the morning?
they list at $350 but I’ve got a wholesale account through them and can easily knock $100 off the price if you’re interested.
Goodness gracious - whatever you do, do NOT buy a flute from Lark in the Morning. They sell cheap, out of tune, poorly made Pakistani flutes (which are about as useful for Irish music as a glass bottle) and equally crummy, yet more expensive flutes by an anonymous maker. If the flute maker was proud of his work you’d think he’d put his name on them, wouldn’t you? It is my humble opinion that you ought to avoid Lark in the Morning, their crummy products and their inflated prices like the plague.
Chris
You dont Ever have to worry about me buying a Paki flute or probably too much from Lark either. Thanks though for the warning! Glad Im not brand new on the flute…
I’m leery of Lark, too.
But I did play quite a few
of these flutes
at the shops in SF and Mendocino
and my impression was that they
were in tune and sounded
good. My chief concern was
whether they would last.
Lark also has Casey burns flutes,
and Sweetheart flutes.
But I agree that sending beginners
into that venue is risky business.
Tradman, let me just say that
the Sweetheart maple D at 250 is
quite a satisfying flute to play,
in my opinion. I have one and
play it a lot–(also a good blackwood
and a Seery).
I think the Sweetheart’s are
maybe underrated, especially
for people starting–but
Tradman has experience.
Even somebody who plays flute
already might like them.
The maples in the 250 range
are routinely good, in my experience.
what it comes down to is that you get what you pay for, when you spend $500 on a flute you don’t get a $1500 flute for your money.
I’ve got one in Rosewood that is just fabulous. I’ve gotten many comments from folks at session on the quality of the tone, all good.
Yes, the Rosewood is a hundred dollars
more, I believe.
I’ve played it in passing and was impressed.
Would like to play it more.
Ihave a sweetheart rosewood G flute,
which is quite good.
They have those
at Lark, too. Of course you
can order all of these directly
from Ralph Sweet.
I have a walnut Sweetheart and while it sounds fine the feel is not quite to my liking. It’s a bit light for me. I much prefer the Seery or Copley.
I almost feel like I could use the Seery as a defensive weapon.
Nothing wrong with the Sweetheart, mind you, but you may want to find a way to play one before buying.
I wonder, would the maple or rosewood be noticably heavier than walnut?
Eddie
I traded in my Walnut for the Maple–I bought the
former used for 150. The maple is no heavier
than the Walnut–I liked the sound of the
maple better, it’s louder and clearer.
It’s less good than the seery, which is less
good than the Copley–but it’s still
very good; also different in a nice way.
I don’t mind the lightness, personally.
Sort of is what it is–a folk flute
that exceeds expectations. Very
expressive and enjoyable to play.
It would be nice to get a comparison
of the Rosewood with a good polymer.
I believe the Rosewood is heavier than
the walnut, being pretty dense wood.
The rosewood G has some heft.
Ralph Sweet has a ten day returnable
policy on flutes.
That’s good to hear, I’ve been pondering getting a G, or maybe the F, or the A, or the high-D…
Or I could get 'em all!!! Bwahahahaha!
Sorry, got carried away there. 
Seriously though, at the price he sells 'em for, it’s not as far-fetched as it sounds. The Rosewood F is made in the same style as the Rosewood D flute, and so would match it.
Jim, your onto a little known fact that a few of us already know and chuckle about. Sweetheart (D) flutes can be a steal. It used to be that you had to try a few - sort of like testing a bunch of generation whistles until you find the best one out of the lot. We would chuckle 'cause when we would find a decent one it was really good (for the price) and we were somewhat amazed. I had a (rosewood) honker for a while. Ralph Sweet smoothed out the emboucure for me and it made a nice difference. I don’t know what they are like nowadays but if the price is right its worth a shot.
Well, Aodhan’s got a polymer M&E R&R I’ve touched a few times…
The Rosewood Sweetheart is quite a bit lighter, but I tend to feel the polymer flutes are a bit heavy.
The tone of the Sweetheart seems warmer, mellower than the M&E. It’s a very pleasant instrument to relax with. The M&E seemed a little more focused, and a bit louder.
The Eb key on the Sweetheart is a nice addition when you need it, though I don’t often use it for much more than a place to rest my little finger.
I guess I really ought to see if we can spend a little time with each other’s flutes to get a better idea of the comparison.
Eric, you might also want to consider a Bleazey – a boxwood D with slide is somewhat less than your max price. Last I knew he had at least one left, and I’ve been very pleased with mine. I’m a beginner and have found it very easy to play, which motivates me, although my wife has found it not as versatile as high-end instruments.
Okay, what is the consensus with lined heads nowadays? I worry about cracking being a little more common. Is this worry normal? Also, Ormiston: I know of one that may be available and it’s caught my attention. Any pointers? And of Seery wood flutes. Anyone other than K. Krell here ever bought/played one??
thanks guys! I have FLOAD now that I have a little bit of money!
Hey, not fair to exclude me! BTW, I didn’t really like the Seery I played (Eamonn de Barra’s) - I like the polymer better.
One of the reasons I bought the Hammy is that the head is unlined/half-lined (that is, the lining does not come up under the embouchure hole). I was also intrigued by Terry McGee’s approach to isolate the tuning slide from being a problem in this area. However, I have since found plenty of lined flutes (all Olwells with tuning slides are lined, I believe, and the Copeland I have has not caused any difficulty.
Kevin Krell
“Hey, not fair to exclude me!”
I only said this 'cause I had called you early in the day (from Florida) and spoke with you about the Seerys and other stuff and didnt want to seem ‘harrassing’, that’s all!
So, as far as some of you know for well and sure, a lined head joint shouldnt be a problem if kept well oiled? The flute is pretty new and should be played in by now too, if that helps…
I just would like an overall opinion on G. Ormiston flutes…the site shows some very nice work of his.
Take a look to
http://www.arhpa.com
I play a keykess flute by these makers, pratten model:
Great flutes, very well in tune, powerfull.
Regards.
[/img]
Hi Eric,
I’ve only just received a Keyless Ormiston with the C foot. I’m not a good enough player nor am I familiar enough with the Ormiston yet to be able to make definate statements regarding the flute. What I can say is that I had what I assume was a Pakistani flute (£120 new) Pratten type, I liked it, the Ormiston requires a much more focused embouchure but takes less air and has a nicer stronger tone, hard to describe, kind of buzzy/reedy on the low notes, sort of similar to a Copeland Low D whistle IMHO. The quality of workmanship is first class, the Sterling Silver Rings are Edinburgh Hallmarked and Keys can be retro-fitted if required. There have been recent threads about Ormiston Flutes.
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=12106&highlight=ormiston
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=9573&highlight=ormiston
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=7551&highlight=ormiston
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=8997&start=105
Hope this helps,
Cheers, Mac