Hi list,
I got this one very recently from our own Dave Migoya, but ran into some unexpected expenses lately and need to cover them somehow, so the latest aquisitions have to go first…
So here I’m selling my original Pratten flute, made by John Hudson probably in 1852 when he started working with R.S. Pratten to promote his (Pratten’s) Perfected Flute. Serial number #49, which is the second oldest Pratten worldwide (and #27, the oldest one, is lacking a few parts). This one is earlier than all of the Boosey Prattens, and many people say the Hudsons are the best Prattens one can find. It is made from cocuswood and nickel silver, a barrel ring and the crown indicator pin are sterling silver, which was John Hudson’s trademark. This is a very serious flute with loads of power, suitable to blow accordions to the wall…you probably won’t find one like that again!
All eight keys are there, function flawlessly and have been repadded by me a few weeks ago. Even the foot keys work nicely if they’re oiled from time to time. The stopper moves freely. All stamps are readable and intact. Flute plays lovely through all registers. Tuning of C# is a bit flat, which is an usual feature of all Prattens…can be lipped up, or different fingerings do the trick. C#-D# length is 246mm, which puts it right in the 440Hz area. Tuning is very good and a lot better than on any other antique I tried so far.
Issues: the headjoint has a stable crack that runs through its back side, and has been filled years ago. The embouchure is unharmed and original. The barrel has the usual crack, which is also filled and stable. The footjoint socket has a small hairline crack that isn’t leaking air, and has been filled. There are some minor scratches here and there, and two bigger scratches on the back side of the headjoint, but they’re only cosmetical. The bore is absolutely flawless and polished up almost to a mirror-like finish. All metal parts have been re-polished recently when I was doing the repadding.
Unusual features: the right hand tone holes are offset a wee bit to the audience side, which is a common feature with Hudson Prattens. I’m pretty sure that this is a bit of Nicholsonesque spirit…have a look at the Nicholson study at Terry McGee’s site, you’ll understand what I mean. 
Sound sample: here is a sound sample I recorded directly into my phone: http://www.box.net/shared/znbx5x6yf8
Price: I have 4000 euro in this flute and would like to get as much of that back as possible. However, I’m open to price negotiation, so just make me an offer. I’ll also entertain offers regarding partial trades of all sorts of antique flutes or maybe nice uilleann pipes/(flat) chanters and the rest in cash. Just let me know what you’ve got, I’m sure we can work something out. Remember that this flute is a piece of history, there are eight Hudson Prattens known to exist worldwide, and this is one of them.
Photos: below are a few photos, however I’m happy to send you photos of whatever you’d like to see in detail. Just let me know.
