I am going to sell a flute which belongs to a student of mine. She asked me to sell it for her to fund her new keyed Aebi flute. It’s a blackwood Seery flute I believe. Maybe Talasiga can confirm the make? It’s probably one of the earlier flutes Desi made. These days, Desi Seery is better known for his lower-priced Delrin models.
My student’s father bought this flute three years ago for the equivalent of about 575 EUR (~700 USD), so I was told. To me this first seemed a bit overpriced, but I tried it out last night and recorded a few tunes (see below) and now I’ve changed my mind; this is actually a very good player! The bore is thinner than what I’m used to, so the fundamental tone is not as loud as it is on my Aebi flute. But it has very nice (and strong) overtones and it still produces a good blasht. It requires only litte air but a well-focused embouchure. If I had the cash I would just keep this flute! Listen to a few tunes I played on it last night:
Given the older design, I believe it was already a second-hand instrument when they bought it, but I could be wrong. For the last three years, this instrument has been played almost every day and it has been well cared for. There are no visible cracks in it. The tenons and the tuning slide fit perfectly. It comes with a very small rock-solid wooden case.
Here’s a picture of the flute’s end. I guess these are the initials of Desi Seery…
I don’t really know yet how much to ask for this flute, but it’s not going to be a bargain. I’d rather like to ask for a decent price for a more-than-decent instrument. But I don’t know how much that should be. Does andybody know how much Desi charges for blackwood flutes these days?
Anyway, please PM me if you are interested. And you are also welcome to tell me (PM) how much you would be willing to pay for this flute
A ten-year old Desi Seery wooden flute which reached £680 on eBay recently, but I’m not entirely sure the sale was completed at that price looking at the feedback entry for the ‘winning bidder’.
That eBay sale was discredited (the “winning” bidder had ruined several options). I assume it went to the highest legitimate bidder in the 300’s pound range. I think Desi’s new wooden flutes are going for 700-800 USD range, but I can’t find them at the Irish music shops online anymore (last I saw they were 720 euros if my memory is correct).
Desi’s design certainly has changed - those big rings and the “foot” area attached to the RH section are something I’d not seen before. It looks to be in perfect shape, and your playing is wonderful as is the sound of the flute itself.
The fellow who won that bid may be a “complete nutter” as it say is his feedback, but at least one bidder thought that it was worth 660GBP and her feedback looks pretty good. Since Seery’s delrin offerings are going for Eur400 that number might be about right.
Ebay is always a bit risky, but quality items presented knowledgably attract serious bidders. A decent presentation and a reasonable minimum should do well.
