Hi there,
Good suggestions here in europe, …Hogobling flutes crap or…
some info please.
phil bleazey from the UK…also depends on what you call a reasonable price…could also add marcus hernon
http://www.bleazey.co.uk/
http://www.piping.se/marcushernon.htm
maybe others have some more suggestions.
berti
Somebody needs to mention Michael Cronnolly, so why not me?
http://www.irishflutes.net
and oh I forgot:
ormiston http://www.ormistonflutes.fsnet.co.uk/
hamilton http://homepage.tinet.ie/~hammie/
both regarded highly…first easier on hands and smaller holes, the other bigger holes and big sound!
berti
Yep! Those are all good. You have some fun research to do! 
Contact these gentlemen, see what they have to offer.
One more and i’m done:
Eamonn Cotter
Work: 353-65-683-9141
E-Mail: cotter2 at eircom dot net (unconfirmed)
Balleen, Kilmaley, County Clare
Ireland
Note: Call around 5pm Irish time
I myself have a Cotter and a Cronolly (aka M&E). Both relatively inexpensive and excellent flutes. I also have a Hamilton piccolo.
Let me add: Martin Doyle, in Bray, Ireland (south of Dublin), and Giles Lehart (Brittany/France).
Kevin Krell
Does not Desi Seery make wooden flutes still?
The price of his blackwood was reasonable when I bought it in 1993.
The website http://www.whistleanddrum.com has some flutes of Arie DeKeyzer in stock for a reasonable price ($550). I don’t know much about these flutes, but they look nice. Maybe someone on this board has some experience with these flutes?
Someone “gave” me a flute by De Keyser about 3 years ago. I have played it non stop for that time . I can honestly say that it has been a solid instrument. Not exceptional, but good enough and for nothin’ who can complain?
I have heard his flutes can be a mixed bag either very good but I think he may have produced some shockers!
In my experience his flutes are well worth the money.
Better then some much more expensive instruments!
Yes, I tried a 6-key in Mopane that was for Eamonn de Barra. I don’t know what Desi’s prices are for wood flutes, as he custom quotes them, so wasn’t sure if it fit the original poster’s request. Even so, I thought the other possibilities had not been covered.
Kevin Krell
OK, OK I guess I will have to do it again; I know its my fault for not having the gonads to make a mp3 of how good this flute sounds but Tony Dixon makes a wounderful wooden flute. I just ate a candy bar so I have to wait a few minutes before I can start playing with mine but realy it is a nice flute. I am learning so much about my now two favorite flute woods. Rosewood is so dark and almost forboading in its timber but this one is also crisp and responsive if I ask it to be. Boxwood is so much different , well anyway the Dixon 3 piece rosewood that I have is very nice. I actualy emailed him to tell him that this was the best flute he had ever made, in hopes of making him wish he would have kept it. But he is to nice a guy to fall for that. Anyway I didnt want to see him left out. Does anybody know what the temp in Ketchikan Alaska was today??? Well I ll tell yo u…94 degrees Fair. 10000 tourists 
Tom
[quote="Blackbeer Does anybody know what the temp in Ketchikan Alaska was today???
Well I `ll tell yo u…94 degrees Fair. 10000 tourists
Tom[/quote]
No WAY, Tom!!!
How’s it going up there?
Mary
I`ll do a post about it Mary as soon as I come out of my coma.
Tom
Doing my bit to wrap up more than one comment, and with an interest in this since I am going to Hobgoblin in July to have a look at their “crap”, I wonder if anyone can fill me in on four other makers which Hobgoblin currently sell (and not including their secondhand selection, which always seems to have a few on offer):
- Hobgoblin sells a 3-piece Dixon Rosewood. Is this the one you mean, Blackbeer??
- Hobgoblin also sells Ray Sloan flutes
- Hobgoblin also sells John Rutzen flutes, with an interesting innovation, the headjoint is made out of polymer, whilst the rest is wooden, as “normal”
- Not for sale on the website but in the local shops are D flutes by Dave Williams (i.e. the pipemaker) in both keyless and 4-key versions.
Link for items 1.-3.: http://www.hobgoblin.com/local/cartflut.htm (all at the bottom of the page).
Link for item 4.: http://www.hobgoblin.com/local/shops/pricesup.htm#FLUTES%20&%20WHISTLES
I’m gonna try them all anyway, but I’m especially interested in the Williams 4-key. Any opinions at all on his flutes would be very very welcome indeed.
Thanks!
I’m gonna try them all anyway, but I’m especially interested in the Williams 4-key. Any opinions at all on his flutes would be very very welcome indeed.
I have a four key Williams blackwood flute with a short foot and it’s been a very good flute. It’s modeled after a R&R from the 1840’s Dave told me. I had it a long time, many years, before I started to play it on a regular basis, as I was learning the pipes. The mouth hole is very like that on a Wilkes (mine anyway), not an oval, sort of a circle with elongated sides. Not one of these so called “easy-to-play” squarish mouth holes I’ve been hearing about that you can find on Olwell and McGee flutes. Like the Wilkes the Williams can play loud if you want it too, it’s well made and in tune.
Just got a couple of clips up for the DeKeyzer. Also, one up for the Polymer Dixon that you can access in our new audio player.
http://www.whistleanddrum.com/Irish+Flute+by+Arie+Dekeyzer.html
Thanks so much for the review – I have now more than one vouch for the Williams. Can’t wait! I played an Ormiston with the squarish mouthhole recently, and wasn’t too impressed with it. That is, I wasn’t too impressed with ME on it. I’m used to the two-semicircles-joined-by-straights kind of embouchure, so it should be fine.