I am selling a 4-key Hammy black wood flute. When I got the flute it didn’t sound very good consistently. Occasionally it rang out with clarity and power, as a flute made by Hammy should. I thought at first that it was my playing. But other players had the same problem and couldn’t figure out why it sounded good sometimes and not at other times. Some great flute players – and some makers – played it and sometimes it sounded out clearly, and some times not. Nobody knew why.
Patrick Olwell picked it up one day while we were looking over the flutes at hand. It didn’t play very well. “Hmm,” he said. “This flute should play better. It’s a nice old Hammy.”
He took a quick look at all the keys, springs, levers, pads and embouchure hole. After a few seconds he showed me that the C pad was not seating properly. Although the pad looked to be making good contact, it was a bit too short to cover the top of the hole consistently. The imperfect fit allowed a very slight intermittent air leak. This was enough to spoil the sound.
I glued a small piece of leather to the bottom of the pad and now the flute plays perfectly. Patrick did a few other things here and there. About a year ago Hammy put on new pads and brought it up to current standards. And here we are: a flute that has been made by a top-notch flute maker and improved by another. Not much more to say about it. Silver keys, rings, slide. The keys are: long F, short F, C and G#. It’s a great flute. I am offering the flute, with a hard case, for $2,200 (€1,550) or best offer. Shipping will be a bit extra.
