I am really interested in getting an Olwell bamboo flute. Where does one go about finding one?
Does anyone know where? And from what I have been reading the flute is a great playing suitable for travelling.
Any thoughts?
-Sean
Maybe I should ask this question too:
How does an Olwell Bamboo compare to a CB folk? Also, what about the Miller bamboo? If I can not locate an Olwell?
Sometimes Doc has some at irishflutestore.com - worth a gander.
By the way, loved your tunes. Nice work. Super music.
Step 1. Catch a leprechaun.
If you get that far, check back for step 2. 
Seriously, they’re getting to be as rare as hen’s teeth. Liney Bear had a good idea. Look there and here on C&F, and occasionally, one comes up on Ebay.
Good luck on your search.
Olwell bamboo flutes are lovely, but they’re going for as much as the CB folk flute these days.
I’d go for the folk flute. While there is no tuning slide, Casey’s flutes have long enough tennons for tuning and you’ll have a nice, conical wooden flute that’ll keep you going forever unless you start hankering for keys…
Eric
Regarding the difference between the Olwell bamboo and CB folk, you might want to browse earlier threads. The bamboo flute uses a cylindrical bore. The folk flute is a well-made but simply appointed conical bore flute. This gives it a more accurate tuning, and the distinctive sound of a true wooden Irish flute.
From what I hear, Olwell’s bamboo flutes are among the best available of their type. The Burns may cost you more, but will put you into true Irish flute territory.
The Miller flutes are very good, by every indication.
Billy Miller is called the new Olwell of bamboo flutes.
I have never played the Miller D, but I have a Bb
and that’s fine. The tuning on these flutes is
excellent, he’s tuning them to a strobe tuner, and I
don’t think the tuning on the CB FF is going to
be better.
However the bamboo flute doesn’t break down,
so it isn’t so good for travelling, IMO.
The CB’s flute will sound more like an
Irish flute, however the bamboo will sound
very good and be fine for Irish music.
And the bamboo price is very good
for what you get. Doc Jones is selling Miller’s
flutes at the Irish Flute Store.
As noted in earlier posts bamboo flutes have
no tuning slide. The FF has a tenon so there is
some tuning capacity. However I’m playing
bamboo flutes in ensemble (I have an A
which I use). It’s fine, everybody else is using
electronic tuners.
If you’re wanting to see if flute is for you,
the bamboo flutes are a good place to start,
as they’re inexpensive and good. Olwells
will be hard to find and priced too high–
the miller flutes are good enough and cost
a fraction of what Olwells are going for.
The CB is a true Irish flute that’s a great
value but costs more than a Miller.
Sweetheart also makes a good starter flute,
check their site (Sweetheart flutes) and these
are available without a wait. I think you
will have to wait till October to get a
new CB FF. But they may be worth the
wait–I don’t think anybody here has
actually played the new model, so there
is considerable interest, as they may be
very good indeed.
Well, maybe if you wave $300, $400, or $500 dollars in the air here, someone might pop up and sell you one if they need the money.
But bamboo for a travel flute? I don’t think so-it would need to be cared for just like a wooden flute, and besides, it doesn’t break down into 2 or more pieces-hard to fit 23" of flute (key of low D) into a suitcase-of course, you could always get a quiver type case and carry it separately.
And if you did get an Olwell bamboo, you probably wouldn’t want to risk it for a travel flute! There the Miller bamboo would be much better just for economics, if something would happen to it. Bamboo isn’t all that strong either when it’s bored out and holes put in it.
If you want to keep costs down, get a Doug Tipple flute in PVC-would be similar to bamboo (cylindrical bore also), and none of the drawbacks for travel.
I’ve had my Olwell bamboo for 5 years and it is very much an Irish flute. Obviously it’s not tunable and it doesn’t look like an Irish flute but it sounds and plays like one. I’m just glad I got one before they went out of production.
I had a Miller Eb flute for a brief time and found it very near in playing quality to the Olwell except for a few things. Obviously it didn’t have the burnished glow of the Olwell and the holes weren’t finished quite as neatly. It played very well though and had a great sound. That was 4 years ago so I’m sure Billy Miller’s instruments have seen some change.
Bamboo is very, very hard and in tube form is very strong even with the holes. It is definitely more damage resistant than wood though obviously not as much as plastic. These bamboo flutes have thick walls which, combined with bamboos natural strength, makes them very crack resistant.
The thick walls probably contribute to their full tone. I think they are thicker than most Asian bamboo flutes.
The other bamboo maker to go to is Chris Dawson of Rhiannon flutes. He doesn’t have a ready supply of alto-pitch length bamboo but his craftsmanship is par to Olwell. I tried a G# and my first impression was that it was an Olwell but it was a Rhiannon.