Jessie's House-Funding Sale!

Irish Flute
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I need to squeeze every possible cent out of these sales, so I am requesting that you pay by PayPal and add 3% to cover my fees. I will ship by insured Priority mail, and I’ll charge actual shipping cost (as estimated online). I prefer e-mail over C&F private messages. Here we go…

**Abell Blackwood & Silver Boehm Headjoint w/ Box:** I picked this from about 30 headjoints Chris had in his workshop on one of my visits there. It is his modern cut. I’ve never had to replace a headjoint on one of my Boehm flutes for all-the-time use, but I have held onto this for years because it’s really, really nice. New, with the box, it would cost $1350. I’d like **$900**

**Copley, Jessie & Phillip Flute:** Hmm. I certainly feel weird about selling this one, but Dave is an old friend, and I hope he will understand that every penny I can raise will help. I went to visit Dave and family in 2001 for the first of two flutemaking trips (not to mention two other social visits). On the first trip, Dave, Phillip (a then-young-teenage guy who taught Irish music in Ohio – I think he still does) and I spent 5 days making this flute. It’s lovely, but I prefer the one I made on the second flutemaking trip. I can’t find the archive of the newsletter with the piece I wrote about the trip, but it sure was a great time. The flute is sweet. It has silver rings (made by me) and a brass tuning slide. The head and foot are made of one type of wood (grenadillo ←yes, with an “o”) and the other pieces are made of another (some type of rosewood, I think). As far as I know at this moment in my life, this is the only flute that I made (partially) that will ever be available for purchase. **$600**

Here’s a link to a thread about it: http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=766

**Ethnic Long Flute:** I got this on eBay and I think I spent $40. It’s a novelty flutey thingie from somewhere. **$15**

**Haynes Silver Piccolo #43984:** The Haynes Flute Company has been sold to a Chinese company, and quality control is suffering. Haynes isn’t what it used to be. This piccolo was made in 1979, when a Haynes was still a Haynes. It could use a Clean/Oil/Adjustment if you want to play it professionally, but it’s a sweet piccolo. They are charging $5000 for these now, and they’re made in China. This was made in Boston. I’d like **$2200** for it. That's quite a good price.

**Noy Boxwood and Amber Headjoint:** This is seriously lovely. I fell in love with it at Boxwood flute camp in Nova Scotia almost 6 years ago. It smells great (I love boxwood) and has a lovely, rich, creamy tone. It has an amber blowing edge and a turned amber endcap insert. There’s a tiny knothole that Peter feels is stable and will not lead to a crack. The tube is sterling silver and will fit a thin-walled flute. I used it on a thicker-walled flute with a little tape. I think I paid $1000. I think it’s worth far more than that. I’ll sell it for **$900**.

**Sweet B natural Fife/Piccolo:** I have hoarded the best Sweet Flutes I have found. Here’s one. There were quality control issues for years and I picked through them. These gems are underpriced. This is a sweet one. **$110.**

**Tai Hei Monty Levenson 2.4 Bass Shakuhachi:** Precision Cast Bore - Phenomenal Instrument! I heard the sound of a shakuhachi a couple of years ago and was hooked. I don’t do things timidly, so I jumped in and got myself a phenomenal 1.8 (D) shakuhachi from Monty Levenson. It had been on his special, in stock, instruments page and as soon as I had seen the glowing color of the Chinese madake, I’d known it had to be mine. It was and is a truly beautiful and special instrument and I love it. A few months after I got it, I got a hankering for a 2.4 (Bass A). I looked again on Monty’s page and saw the gem in this listing. I happen to think this rich, orange Chinese madake is the most beautiful there is. I paid Monty $3000 for this shakuhachi and when I got it, the tone and playability astounded me. Bass flutes of any tradition tend to have a weaker, less malleable tone than higher ones, but this one is rich and full, but easy and sweet - or powerful and strong, depending on how it is played. It was culled out from the many shakuhachi he had made, because it was legions above many of the others, thus the $3000 price. There was something I didn’t want to notice, though. After playing it, my right hand would hurt. I thought I’d get used to it, but I didn’t. You see, I am a woman with average-length fingers, and the stretch on the bottom two holes is just too big for me. Monty gave me the option of exchanging it for another one, but I tried it and the playability was not on par with this one, so I kept this one. I know it would be fine for a man with average-length man hands. And this instrument REALLY should be played. It is alive with sound and it responds so easily. Forgive me for not knowing the correct terms to describe it. This amazing 2.4 has lacquered bindings throughout and a beautiful rattan binding near the top. Gold-lined utaguchi, black internal resin lacquer. It comes with an utaguchi cover and a lined bag case. There was a hairline crack and Monty filled it with resin (visible in the third picture – the crack-like image in the last photo is not actually a crack, just a line in the bamboo). It is worth every penny of the $3000 I spent. I would like **$1800** for it.

**Shakulute – Shakuhachi Headjoint for Boehm Flute:** From Monty’s site: “This headjoint for the silver flute is a completely new concept in woodwinds developed by Tai Hei Shakuhachi. It replaces the side-blown headjoint of the western transverse flute with that of an end-blown shakuhachi headjoint to create an innovative new sound and style of music. This hybrid instrument allows the player to employ blowing styles and techniques distinctive to the traditional Japanese shakuhachi while using fingerings common to the western classical Boehm flute. The resulting sound is a unique blend of East and West that can be achieved on no other instrument. It is perfect for the western [flutist] interested in producing music with a Japanese touch as well as the traditional shakuhachi player who wants to experiment with western scales and intonation.” This was made from Chinese Madake bamboo. It has silver fittings and will fit a .016” wall Boehm flute well. When I got it, the lowest section below the bottom rattan binding had 4 hairline cracks in it. They have never spread and will not. The resin on the inside prevents internal cracking and Monty guarantees these for life. These sell for $750. I’d like **$500.**

Thanks for looking! Bring it on! :slight_smile:

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Wow, a ton of awesome flute stuff! :astonished: :boggle:

Loren

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:boggle: Wow!

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Yum. I think you can open your own Irish flute store.

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***Here are the SOLD items, moved from the first post.

**SOLD - Firth, Pond & Co 8-key D flute w/ Abell Head:** The flute is an antique Firth, Pond & Co. It is made of blackwood and silver. In addition to the original head, which doesn't play so beautifully but is included (I didn't photograph it), it has a lovely blackwood and silver head made for it by Chris Abell. It is a narrowish-bore flute with smallish holes, and its natural tone is sweet and pure, with good volume. It is similar in design to Grey Larsen's favorite flute (same maker and time period), which was the model for Terry McGee's GLP flute.

The joints need to be recorked or threaded. The long F key needs a replacement spring. It could benefit from new pads on the keys, as the previous owner replaced the traditional pads with silicone, which is fine, but I think pads would be better. Otherwise, it is immaculate. There are no cracks and, with a little attention, this will be a superbly functioning flute, beautifully in tune.

I got the flute from Patrick Jones in a rather large-scale trade (many smaller instruments). I traded him $3100 in smaller instruments, taking into account that he had to deal with the work of liquidating them all. I would like to get **$1800** for this flute. Here are some pictures:

**SOLD - Casey Burns A/Bb/C Blackwood & Mopane Flute Set:** I am really on the fence about selling this set, because I _really_ like the blackwood Low C flute. The Low A and Low Bb bodies are lovely, but I don’t really need those. Unfortunately, they won’t play without a headjoint. These were made specifically for me, and I exchanged the original headjoint (which had these little “sound-improving” ridges on the far side of the embouchure) for another one (without those things). It’s a REALLY nice flute set. The curve in the bottom picture is just the picture. The flute body is not warped. **$1400** for all or **$650** for just the A and Bb bodies.

**SOLD -Gemeinhardt Eb Flute, Like New:** This is the Boehm equivalent of an F Irish-style flute. Boehm flute players will know how rare this is. They are not made anymore. Emerson made one up to about 10 years ago, but Gemeinhardt stopped before that. I thought it was a miracle when I found this flute. It was unplayed, in the case, in immaculate new condition. I think it was old stock…the warranty card wasn’t even sent in. It was made probably in the 1960s or early 70s. It could use new pads (they might be a little dry from lack of use), but that’s not essential. Perhaps you could just play it in. I think I paid $1025 a couple of years ago. I’d like **$800**.

**SOLD - Hamilton D Flute:** I ordered this from Hammy and got it a year or so ago. It’s immaculate and lovely. **$1300.**

**SOLD - Hamilton F Flute:** I think F is the best key for a flute in terms of the tone quality. This thing sings like you wouldn’t believe. It is the sweetest Hammy flute I have ever encountered. **$1100.**

**SOLD - Louis Lot Ring-Key Piccolo:** I love this story. A couple of years ago, I was talking to my dad on the phone and he told me he had just left a bid at a local auction on an antique piccolo for me. I imagined he’d be wasting his money on some piece of crap, because he didn’t know anything about flutes. When he told me a couple of days later that he’d won the auction and had gotten it for $275, I was disappointed that he’d wasted so much money. Over the phone, he read the following inscription to me: L.L. Louis-Lot Paris. I almost fell over. I had it professionally overhauled by an expert (that cost me $725) and he valued it at $5000. The tuning is a little finicky (as is the tuning on almost all antique instruments), but a professional piccolo player could learn his or her way around it easily. There are two old, stable, covered thinner-than-hairline cracks in the headjoint (one on each side), shown in the bottom two pictures. I will probably go to eBay with this, but if someone wants to snatch it up, I’ll sell it here for **$2200**.

**SOLD - McGee d Blackwood Piccolo:** This is Terry's narrow bore, which is similar to concert piccolos and can be played softly or loudly. Volume is up to the player. It has a C natural hole, which I love. Unlike the C natural hole on Low flutes, this one is placed in a convenient location for your left thumb. You can use it on some passages for C natural (like B to C) and keep it covered for others. This is a really cute, sweet and delightful little flute. **$650**.

**SOLD - Powell Blackwood & Silver Boehm Flute:** Grenadilla body, Sterling silver keys, half-offset G, B-foot, A=442. I bought this flute new about 6 years ago. It is a phenomenal flute. I chose it over an Abell Boehm flute. I love instruments made by individual craftsmen, as opposed to companies, but this flute was and is magnificent. The tone is intoxicating. It smells great and plays easily and beautifully. I picked the headjoint at the Powell workshop near Boston. The whole flute is in pretty much new condition, except for a little damage to the cork lapping at the bottom of the body, which, embarrassingly, happened the day I got it. You can see it in the bottom picture. Current retail is $11,720. I need to get **$8000** for it.

**SOLD - Serenity Bamboo Walking Stick Flute w/ Compass:** I traded a pendant for this at a crafts fair. I like the people who made it. It’s not on par with Olwell bamboos, but the tuning is fine and you can bring it on a walk in the woods without worrying about it too much. **$30.**

**SOLD - Sweet Rosewood d Piccolo:** I have played this a fair amount. It’s lovely. **$90.**

**SOLD - Sweet Incredibly Good D Flute:** I wrote about this flute on forum about 5 years ago. I got it second hand and one couldn’t guess how well it plays by looking at it. It’s full of knotholes and filled-in cracks. I think Ralph was having fun when he made this. It plays incredibly well, and easily. Competition for a Burns Folk Flute. **$240.**

**SOLD - Sweet Rosewood A Flute:** I have hoarded the best Sweet Flutes I have found. Here’s one. There were quality control issues for years and I picked through them. These gems are underpriced. **$180** for this one.

**SOLD - Sweet F Flute:** Another great one! **$220.**

**SOLD - Sweet Maple G Flute:** I got this is San Francisco. It’s great! **$180**

**SOLD - Sweet Rosewood G Flute:** A great player, and rosewood! **$ 200.**

**SOLD - Metal Fife:** Chromatic down to low C#. A fun little instrument with a lovely tone. **$20.**

Thanks. :slight_smile:

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Good luck with the sales! I wish I was rich, lol :laughing:

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:astonished: :astonished: :boggle: :boggle: what a great collection! it would be interesting to see which are the flutes you are keeping…

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I want that Powell. Drooool! :frowning:

I wish you best of luck with the sale. It must be hard to let all those gems go.

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hey jessie why don’t you make a nice photo of all your flutes together? :smiley:

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Cripes, must be some house you’re buying!!! Too much choice - how did you ever acquire so many instruments :slight_smile: Our CD collection is smaller!! Think I’ve got it now - the house you’re buying is smaller and you don’t have room for the full collection!! Only pulling your leg - good luck with it :wink:

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Yes, there are some flutes I am keeping…for now. The only instrument I KNOW I will never sell is my beloved Abell #625 Madagascar Rosewood d whistle.

Nah, I don’t feel like it. The instruments I have left are the tail end of a period of passionate collecting and releasing. I’m obsessed with yarn now.

I started small with instruments, I got to know makers, I chased quick sales, I collected and I reviewed, makers did favors for me, I sold some that had appreciated in value to buy more, and it grew. It sure was fun when I was really into it.

:slight_smile:

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Would people prefer if I mark sold items SOLD or remove them from the listing?

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i belive is better to mark them :slight_smile:
maybe if you could do some editing to keep apart the ones you didn’t sell it would be even better :wink:

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My Vote goes for simply marking the sold items as “Sold”, like you have over in the whistle forum - easy enough for us, and easier for you I’m guessing.

Loren

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Duh, you’d think after all these years I’d know to look before posting.

:blush:


Loren

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Ok, I fixed it so the sold ones are below the available ones. Now to the whistle board…

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Hmm, so many goodies I’m having trouble making my mind up, could we have sound clips please?

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Sorry, but I am not in a position to provide sound clips.

Thanks for the sales! Plenty is still available, including the Olwell bamboos.

:slight_smile:

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In response to some posts in my sale thread on the whistle board, I’ve written a bit of an explanation on my pricing and experience. The pricing part is mostly about whistles, but it also applies to some instruments here, like the Olwell bamboos. If anyone is interested in reading it, here’s a link to the thread (I’ve posted this kind of stuff on pages 1 and 2 of the thread:

http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=59101

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Our closing is scheduled for one week from today. If you are on the fence about any of the remaining instruments, now’s the time.

:slight_smile: Jessie