I’ve already made myself look like a complete dunce over at the whistle forums today (Peter Duggan’s topic on laziness and indecisiveness, read at my expense) so I don’t suppose one more naive question would hurt. 
I plan on getting an eight keyed flute sometime (you know, when I have the money) from either Burns, Ward, Copley, or Sweet, and was curious about hard flute cases. Sweet has some soft cases that you can purchase with your keyed flute, however the other three do not appear to make any mention of cases, hard or soft. So excuse me if I’ve missed something, but where exactly would I go about getting one of these things made to fit my flute? Do they come with the flutes from the maker?
I’ve got a few years of saving ahead of me, hence I’ve got a lot of time to learn about the market so feel free to make alternate suggestions in terms of makers to purchase eight keyed flutes from.
There are plenty of options in pistol or camera cases that a lot of fluteplayers use. Some people make nice hardwood boxes.
Looking around case maker’s site can yield some suitable stuf like : this one maybe (inside height may be a bit tight but the price is good)
If you search around, you’ll find previous threads on other hard case options. Personally, I’ve had good luck with these cases.
http://www.vanguardworld.com/index.php/en/pv/products/photo-video/detail-1-2-35-194.html
In addition, if you are actually planning on investing in a fully keyed flute, I would encourage you to look beyond the makers you list. Some make flutes that are more geared towards beginners. If you are going to spend money on keywork, it’s worth getting an instrument that will hold its value and stay with you long-term.
B
Don’t know about the others, but Dave Copley supplies cheap plastic pistol cases (functional, do the job) and I can’t imagine anyone ships keyed flutes without some kind of appropriate packaging…
Surely you’re not suggesting that Copleys etc. are just ‘beginner’ flutes? 
I think his comment was most likely directed at Sweet flutes, which are essentially beginner flutes. In any case, there’s no good reason to limit yourself to the makers OP mentioned, except possibly for budgetary considerations (since keyed flutes from those makers are quite a bit cheaper than the Wilkes/Olwells/Aebis of the world).
Anyway, talk about putting the case, err cart, before the horse. 
Thanks for the suggestions everybody. I was considering getting a six-keyed flute but decided I really wanted those two lowest keys. I’m leaning toward a Copley eight key flute, I like Casey Burn’s large holed flute but he only makes flutes in up to six keys.
I think now I’ll browse some flutemaker lists, although many flutemakers only go up to six keys I’ve noticed.
Not really the case. Of the top makers only one who seems to stop at 6 is Olwell, AFAIK, and I think even Olwells are starting to do more… Pretty sure the vast majority of makers who offer keys are willing to do the full 8.
Thanks, that’s a helpful bit of information. Perhaps I will be getting one from him (someday, it’s gonna take a lot of saving).
Also, Fascinated Wanderer, you wouldn’t really consider Ralph Sweet’s eight keyed flute a beginner’s flute, would you? It costs just as much as a Copley, for what that’s worth.
I’m mighty fond of Pelikan Cases.
Rugged, expensive, and heavy.
http://www.pelican.com/case_category.php?CaseSize=%25&New=%25
Here is another opiton in the elegant direction;
http://www.northwindcases.com/Flutes.htm
I don’t know that price has much to do with it, really (although many excellent 8 key flutes sell for 1-1.5K more than the Sweet). I’ve no basis to comment on the keyed Sweets. I’ve never heard them spoken of- badly or otherwise. Are they fully hand manufactured? If so, they might be better than the (lack of) attention would imply.
And to have a go at actually answering the question, I’m ordering a case from Northwind once my flute shows up in a month or so.
You REALLY should put John Gallagher on your list!
He has an arrangement with Northwind cases - you can get one fitted to any of his flutes. I have one for my 8-key, actually.
Northwind cases are great, btw.
Pat
Based on what I’ve seen in Sweet’s shop tour I think he uses machinery to a greater extent than maybe some of the other makers do, and also might have several other people working on the flute with him. I’m not sure though. I haven’t heard anything about his keyed flutes either.
John Gallagher doesn’t appear to have a website. It’s kind of a big negative for me when people don’t have a web page showcasing their stuff. While looking him up I did happen upon Seth Gallagher’s website, so I’ll at that one to my list. He offers $250 (approximately) French style cases for his flutes. In the end the price of an eight keyed flute from him would be nearly $5,000, perhaps worth it but if I can get a large holed standard flute with eight keys from Casey Burns and a pistol case I just might prefer that, especially considering waiting periods. Anyways it’s nice to have a good list to think about while I save up, and I have a beginner flute to play on in the mean time.
You might consider that the best flute makers may simply not need to advertise via a website.
Yeah, I’ve heard that said before. Probably also helps keep the workload manageable by making it less convenient for people to order their flutes, because without a website showcasing the instruments and their prices a lot more communication is involved. But yes I agree what you stated is probably the main (or only) reason, I’m just speculating.
Once again thanks everybody for all the information you’ve given me regarding cases. I’ll keep it all in mind (or rather in browser bookmarks) for future reference.
John Gallagher’s flutes are hard to “beat.” The Northwind case I got for my 6-key is beautiful. J. Gallagher doesn’t need a website. His work speaks for itself. Same goes for Bryan Byrne–absolute incredible craftsmanship, but no website. There are still a few Luddites around, for which I’m glad at times. 
I was just about to post “Breandan De Faoite doesn’t have a website either, but his drums are the best i have played this far”
I wouldn’t consider a web site as a ‘sign of approval’ even though of course it is nice, and may make it easier to decide being able to see what the product looks like beforehand.