There is a flute advertised on the Lark website
http://www.larkinam.com/MenComNet/Business/Retail/Larknet/Flutes
Scroll to the very bottom.
I bought one of those from Elderly awhile back. They are nice flutes. In tune and in tune with themselves. They have a very nice sound and look nice too.
However, I can’t figure out what they are made of! The advertisement for Lark and Elderly’s indicate silver plating. That’s fine but the inside is some kind of beige, powdery looking color.
I’m concerned that they may be made of an unsafe materiel. They are also very heavy.
Has anyone ever had one or heard of them? If they are not unsafe to play then for the ease of play and the sound I would recommend them highly.
My guess would be nickel, just like student model Bundy flutes. Being sold in the states, I doubt Lark would be caught selling a flute made of lead, which is soft, poisonous, impractical and probably illegal to use on an instrument. Nickel has that dull gray color, and is very heavy with a dullish sound; Bundy’s are plated with some sort of silvery chrome (rarely silver, maybe nickel silver, an alloy of both); in this case, it may be a thin layer of silver, which won’t help or hurt the sound. The dull tone, though, may make it sound less metallic and bell-like than a good silver head, and a bit more “wooden”.
Gordon
Thanks Gordon,
I was not aware that nickel had that color. I feel better now. This actually has a very nice bright sound. It’s amazing. I’d heartily recommmend them for an inexpensive metel instrument. The holes are fairly large and I have an easier time half holing.