Just back from post office with my precious..sss 
Unkeyed Sam Murray D-flute, ordered May 15:th delivered today!
(to tell you the truth, Sam had a change of order so i guess i skipped the que somwhat)
Anyway, except for my totally crap embouchure it’s a belting flute, when i do get emb. right i can feel the flute hum/buzz between my fingers! All in all i couldn’t be happier
Is that blackwood? Is it that light in person? Looks great, I’m a big fan of Sam’s flutes.
Yes at least it is ordered as a blackwood flute I suppose they darken with time. I have vague memories from a friends Murray blackwood flute in the 90’s also appearing almost like rosewood or cocobolo before darkening during the years.
The unkeyed flute here also appear rather brownish for a blackwood flute. http://www.murrayflutes.com/news-photos.html
Yep, the blackwood darkens pretty quickly, to, well, black. It’s like with kittens, take pictures NOW!
A little sound sample from new flute:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQI9jjIIUHY
[New link. Mod.]
Nothing wrong with that embouchure! Great sound.
Wow! Nice flute! 
That’s because i am filming, and Markus Tullberg is playing He is a pretty darn good player - i am not..
Well, that was sneaky to have him play and you film…you’ve made me feel a tad better. Lovely sounding flute…I really like the sound of Murrays.
A fine flute you have there Lars. Sounds great. We were in Sam’s workshop last week and left my Murray there. Sam was working on a boxwood barrel at the time.
Thanks Thomas! Is there anything wrong with yours? (Murray flute, that is)
How many flutes do you own btw? : ) Last i saw you you played an Olwell, yes?
“Thanks Thomas! Is there anything wrong with yours? (Murray flute, that is)
How many flutes do you own btw? : ) Last i saw you you played an Olwell, yes?” Blackwood.
Needs a new barrel. Bought this Murray secondhand from a lady in El Cerrito, Calif. in 2008, but the climate change to the dry Swedish winter proved too much. The barrel cracked and I taped it. Last week at his workshop Sam measured the flute bore with his reamer to check for shrinkage, and played the flute and pronounced it fine, but considered a new barrel using the old rings to be a better option than repairing the old barrel.
Sam advised strongly to keep the flute inside the case when not playing so that the flute doesn’t dry out. Not a problem so much in Ireland which has a naturally humid climate, but in say Sweden which can get very dry during the winter months coupled with central heating inside. Sam also said don’t oil the bore of his blackwood flutes as blackwood is already in itself loaded with natural resin/oil, and oiling can cause the inside of the flute to swell/expand at a different rate to the outside which in turn can lead to cracking. I had kept my Murray in a simple cloth roll and instead used the Murray case for my Williams flute. Not adviseble in Sweden. I also left the Murray dissembled out on the table all night and during the day when I was at work, not a particularly good idea 
Sam has loads of stories and anecdotes, and is walking encylopedia of Irish Traditional music and musicians. Funnily enough I mentioned a lady, a very good player from the North, who we met a few years ago at Willie Week who had a pristine boxwood Rudall with patent head, orginal box, the works. She had two of them. Turned out Sam had sold the flute I saw to her, and her other boxwood flute was high pitched. He remembered her, she was very striking, but couldn’t recall her name. We had to pry ourselves away otherwise we’d have been gabbing all afternoon.
Have five flutes now, a Dave Williams four key, a Martin Doyle purchased in 1997, but the head joint cracked the winter of 1998 so I just put it away and went into denial. Didn’t start to play the flute properly or regularly until around 2002 as the pipes needed my full attention. Then over the years I’ve purchased at different times, when I’ve had the money, a Wilkes, a Murray & an Olwell, all three secondhand. These last three flutes are the instruments I play regularly at home and out. They are all fine, very responsive instruments with different characteristics.
Geez, I thought this was going to be about camping with a flute. I just got back from camping with my Copley Delrin, and that was a very nice camping flute indeed.
And your Murray looks and sounds great. There are times when I wish that the rosewoods didn’t darken so much with age. New blackwood and cocobolo are so beautiful.