Does anyone have any experience or comments about Lark in the Morning Ebony Irish Flute? I was thinking about buying it and I’d appreciate if I could have some advice.
Thanks
My advice would be don’t buy it.
Look at Casey Burns or M&E.
I agree that you shouldn’t buy anything from Lark without knowing who made it. They are known for carrying unplayable Pakistani instruments. How do I know? Funny you should ask- I bought a set of “parlor pipes” for Lark and immediately after tried to return them because they were unplayable. The response I got was “well, pipes are very difficult to learn.” Unfortunately, my pipe teacher was at the time recovering from bypass surgery & couldn’t try them himself. By the time he could pronounce them unplayable, Lark wouldn’t take them back. Lesson learned.
That being said, I was visiting San Franciso last year and stopped in at the store there (their catalog is fascinating) and they had a Casey Burns & Sweetheart flutes in the wall case- both of which I like. Is there a chance the flute you are looking at is one of theirs? Before buying an unknown maker’s flute from Lark, I’d see what local makers & other C&F’ers have available in your price range.
There’s a very good reason why they’re known as “Shark in the Morning”. You must know exactly what they are selling and the quality of it before purchasing (flutes, pipes … anything, really). The better the quality, the less of a deal they are to buy from. Caveat emptor.
djm
I bought one maybe 15 years ago. It played wildly out of tune (it wasn’t just me as a beginner - my teacher used to laugh when I unpacked it for my lessons) and the fully-lined head joint cracked in a couple of months. Lark asked me if I oiled it regularly. It was varnished and lined - there wasn’t much in the head to oil.
I bought a fairly good quality baroque flute (Moeck) from them at that point and found the price was a bit higher than what I could have found elsewhere.
Shop around - you could do better than Lark - but their catalog is great for browsing.
I stopped by Lark in Seattle a few weeks back and while I was there I tried a LITM brand 4 key for the fun of it. It was terrible. I spent a good deal of time with it, as I was surprised at how difficult it was for me to get a decent sound out of it. At first, I thought there was a leak, but, upon closer examination, the pads all appeared to be sealing well. I tried blowing a C# while applying pressure to a few keys to strengthen the seal. All I could get was a terribly stuffy and lifeless sound.
To make matters worse, the store clerk was completely clueless about wooden flutes.
My advice is: If the price seems like a steal, it probably is…for the seller. And, buy directly from a reputable maker and not a store. This baord is filled with excellent flute makers who offers good quality flutes in a variety of models and prices. Don’t waste your money.
Christopher
Disclaimer:
I’ve played silver flute and other woodwinds for over 20 years, and I’ve been playing a wooden simple flute daily for a little more than 2yrs.
Yes, buy from a known maker who backs up his
work. There may be good things at Lark, but
it’s risky buying there.
P. S., Three years and change.
Last time I was in the Seattle store, the dude at the counter would have failed 1st year ethnomusicology. I don’t know what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it.
I’ve played one of the Lark Pakistani-made blackwood flutes ($299 at the time) for about 8 years, and thought it sounded pretty good. Just a week or so ago, I took the plunge and bought the used Burns blackwood flute Jonathan Milton was selling through this forum.
The immediate improvement in tone and response, and the ease of fingering, were surprising–gave me a rush. So, I figured I’d just keep the Lark flute at the office for casual practice. But after playing the Burns flute for a week, when I picked up the Lark flute for a little practice, the sound was airy, colorless, with no punch. So, I’ve got another used Burns folk flute on the way for use at the office. With as many good options out there for about the same price or a bit more, I encourage you not to waste time and money on a poor alternative.
BTW, if you’re not discouraged from trying the Lark flutes, I’ll sell mine (very good condition, no specific issues, but don’t expect it to play like a $1,000 or even a $500 flute.) Original price $299, current price is $350, will sell for $150 + shipping. Send me a PM if interested.
I’d just like to thank everyone for your help. It was the first time I posted here and I got surprised how promptly I could get some info that was certainly useful to make a decision.
Thanks for your time.