I L O

Irish Flute
1

Heard this yesterday from one of my suppliers, who provide me with the springs I use on my keys and occasionally other wind instrument supplies and tools when I need them.

According to their primary clients, the wind instrument repair technicians, WallMart has begun selling cheap, Chinese or ??? -made band instruments like modern flutes and clarinets, usually running around $100.

These usually work poorly or not at all. Thus people bring them to the repair technicians, hoping they can get these things to work - and are shocked to learn that servicing to playability will run $400 or more per.

The wind instrument technicians have taken to calling these items the acronym “I L O’s”, which stands for “Instrument Like Objects”.

We now have a correct term for all of that Pakistani crap they sell on eBay!

Casey

2

Fortunately, I believe Walmart has rethought this and is no longer selling these ILOs. (Costco was selling them for a while too).

Another frequently used term is ISO - “Instrument Shaped Object”.

3

How about ICD, or Instrument Case Donor?

My wife’s violin teacher haunts the local XS Cargo store as they bring in loads of cheap (like $50 cheap) violins. He has found the odd one that is packaged with a acceptably decent bow, that is worth the purchase itself. More to the point, he has also purchased a couple, tossed the violin and used the case for real instruments, because the cases are actually pretty good…

Clinton