Hi. Can anyone help me locate dealers of hard cases for keyless wooden flutes. I have a Martin Doyle flute and no case for it.
Not the REALLY fancy and expensive ones, but simple, functional.
Thanks
Ketil
These work very well for keyless flutes. Good stuff and inexpensive too. Several other brands of hand gun cases work just as well. Doskocil and Pelican come to mind.
Thanks. I will consider one of those, but i was thinking more of the traditional wooden case.
Ketil
I use these for my 6-key antiques: http://cgi.ebay.com/Flute-Hard-Case-wood-flute-B-foot-New-/170600146848?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27b88fa7a0 Only needed very light modification of interior blocking (removal and reglue of some felt wrapped dividers) to work for me. The hinges are only two layers of thin leather(?), but otherwise I’ve been pretty happy with how securely they hold my flutes. Might be the sort of traditional style you are looking for, but YMMV. Pretty inexpensive, but may not work for Pratten style with long foot (mine are Rudall with short foot), though I think Jem may have posted about using something similar for his.
See this old thread.
If there is a woodworker out there (or even an under-employed flute maker), this would be a good niche to develop. I could certainly use someone making a decent wooden case out there if it was priced reasonably ($40-80) for my keyed flutes.
Casey
These won’t work for the OP’s Martin Doyle, I’m afraid. These flutes are two-piece and require a case at least 16" long. Wish I could find something suitable as well that I could easily humidify. Plastic bags suck.
Casey,
C’mon it is kinda like saying “I wish someone could make a nice flute for $300”. I made this box for my flute and whistle. The materials alone cost me almost $60, my time and expertise must be worth something. Even if I mass produced them and used cheap lumber, it would be really hard to make them for $80.
BTW: The velvet is a beautiful emerald green not the color it looks in this photo.
So then, what would you sell such a case for?
I’ve lusted after some custom cases, such as for my Shelley Park Guitar. A good hard shell case custom fit, and lighter in weight that I currently use with a good fiberglass shell would run me $700-800. One can buy a decent Gitane D255 like my first Gypsy Jazz guitar for $550.
I’m looking for something simple and functional, like many of the old cases. But it would be nice if someone went into production on really beautiful cases. My clients could order these separately.
Casey
Answers to both those questions here, Casey, at least for GB. The source of that link has had quite a few previous mentions hereabouts, though not recently…
I’m sure Andrew makes the - very occasional - nice flute case, Jem. Sadly, since he only rarely answers e-mails, and even then can’t be bothered to give remotely a proper answer (like, say, “Yes”, or possibly “No”) to a simple question, or even say whether he can bring himself to do any work at all … it’s a bit of a moot point.
I sent him an inquiry - thanks for the link. But would hesitate to do business with him if communicating is difficult. But thanks for the link. Those are really pretty cases. Probably more than what I have in mind.
Casey
Those certainly are beautiful cases! I am pretty sure they will be above the $80 figure. I would be interested in hearing the price quote you get.
I do this as a hobby with no intention of selling them, so I don’t really keep track of my hours. Finding materials is time consuming but once they are found you don’t need to do it again. Finishing takes a long time, but not many hours of work. My box has 5 coats of polyurethane finish on it with 24 hours drying and sanding between each coat and then final sanding down to 1500 grit. The dovetails are pretty time consuming, but make a prettier and stronger box.
I would imagine one would have to charge at least $200 to get paid back for the labor. If you could make 100 boxes all the same and set up jigs to “automate” the cuts, Use cheaper hinges, joints and lumber,you could cut your labor and materials costs, but I can’t see that many being needed in a short period of time in this market. I still think it would be hard to get down to the $80 price point.
Plastic pistol cases are cheap and pretty strong, just not very pretty to look at.
Interesting.
Jeff
They start around £300 with options available for extra. I’d buy one in a flash. For what I want (basic case plus room for additional head joint) I’d be willing to pay £500. Actually buying one is, however, another matter. If someone can tell me how, I’ll put my order in today.
Ben, I didn’t know (or not that I recall) that you had tried Andrew Crawford for cases. I have had no dealings of any kind with him myself. I once mentioned him to Chris Wilkes, who knew of him and his work… had had some kind of interaction, but I don’t recall any details, if I was told any. It may have been Chris or someone else who told me about his prices, if there aren’t any (currently - I seem to remember seeing some there in the past…) on the website. I know they are very costly - “expensive” would be the wrong word given the apparent quality.
This page on his website may explain the lack of response to enquiries - but also hints he might be able to suggest other craftsmen if he’s cutting back on his own production.
Two years is kind of long for an instrument case, especially since my wait time is usually a year or less. So its unlikely I would do any business with him, unfortunately. Anybody know of anyone else?
Well some woodworker out there is probably underemployed if not unemployed. Here is something to start making! In this economy, self employment is the bet job security!
Casey
http://www.box.net/shared/k8l0pv2h87
http://www.box.net/shared/16akqkvh1p
http://www.box.net/shared/dhke3prn17
some of my flute cases …
marin
Yeah … problem is … well, let’s just say, why don’t you try asking him to suggest someone else? See if you get an answer. Now, if I had had no answer at all to my queries, then I could believe that my e-mails hadn’t got through. But no … my prediction is you will get a nice, friendly e-mail back … which doesn’t answer any question you may care to ask.
Go on, prove me wrong …
Also, note that he posted that on his website in June 2009. According to what he did tell me when he replied to me, the backlog was more or less clear (summer 2010) and here are the prices for standard cases, let me know when you want one. Followed by a newly worded one with the same message when I e-mailed back saying yes, I want one … followed by one saying I can’t do any at the moment, followed one saying what the first two said, only in new words, followed by complete e-mail silence when I e-mailed back again to say yes, really, I’d really like one, that would be yes, can you do it etc
… oh, and apparently he’s a friend of Chris’. (So Chris told me.)
Yes, I asked Mr Crawford about a case a while ago and he had a waiting list then. Sometime in the last year he got back to me and said that his waiting list was clear - but by then I’d l solved the case problem myself. (Can be found in an earlier thread - Boehm flute case with reworked innards made from cut up Karrimat and covered with velvet by me…)
Yes, this is what I am scratching my head about. He told me - and you - that his waiting list was clear. So what does it take to get him to make one then?