I’m happy with my D flute, and generally manage to avoid fits of flute lust, but I’m becoming increasingly curious about low flutes. Specifically, I’m beginning to think about saving up for one of Casey Burns low flutes. The question is…Bb or C? Any thoughts on the relative merits of each type of flute?
Go all the way
with a low A.
Casey Burns offers a Low A and Bb flat combo. I have his Low A and have come to like playing it alot, I didn’t buy the combo but will think about the Bb next year.
http://www.caseyburnsflutes.com/cat_low.php
MarkB
That’s a hard choice, but here are a few random thoughts:
If you’re looking for a flute with a dramatically different sound than that of your D flute, go for the Bb. The C has some of the characteristics of both the D and the Bb, but the Bb is really a different animal altogether from the D.
On the other hand, a C flute will generally be easier to play in tune with itself than a Bb. I hear Casey’s Bb flutes are better in tune with themselves than most, but still you have to be prepared to do a bit of lipping up and down to get certain notes in tune.
If you want to play with other musicians, C might be a better choice because most fiddlers I’ve encountered seem to be more willing to tune down to C than to Bb…some fiddles sound tinny in Bb and it’s harder to keep the strings in tune when they’re slack. Tuning down to C is not a big issue and most fiddles sound wonderful down there. Of course some fiddlers will have no trouble playing in C or even Bb without tuning down at all, but they’re more the exception than the rule. You can find pipers with C and Bb sets, and of course whistles in C and Bb are common, so you wouldn’t have much trouble getting a session together either way, it’s just the fiddlers you need to think of.
I love C flutes the best, as they seem to combine the qualities I love most about both D flutes and Bb flutes, but Bb is so much fun, you feel like you’re playing a different instrument.
Second this.
The Bb really has a different sound; it’s sonorous.
I’ve actually been playing tunes like ‘my funny valentine’
and ‘someone to wwatch over me’ on my Bb Burns,
and gee the thing is passionate.
I have a CB boxwoof C which is lovely,
but the Bb is like another instrument,
as Brad says.
Dave Copley is now making a C body that fits his
D flutehead, I believe, at an excellent price.
Now that I have had my Low A for awhile, I should have spent the extra dollars and gotten the combo for all the reasons Brad stated, but I didn’t know if I could handle the stretch, which hence I found that it is easier than I thought.
MarkB
I have a Hammy keyless C and a 5key Wilkes Bb
The C is tougher to play, but likely for the reach …which oddly is wider on the hands than the Bb.
Nevertheless…the one thing you will see on Bb flutes is the inability of the flute to respond anywhere near as quickly as the C (or D for that matter). The longer tube makes it difficult to play a tune at normal speed in a clear and convincing manner.
With that, you need to restrain your playing with Bb…make it clear. And you need a nice lip to make it all work.
The C can be played as a D…and makes a nice difference, but not nearly like the Bb in sound.
The difference between a baritone and a bass.
dm
Why not buy a nach Mayers 10 Bb bottom key. I did. But do not know how it sounds yet. I got it on Ebay for $150. I’ll let you know.
If you’re single get a Bb. Babes like to sing in Bb. 
Seriously though…
The choice needn’t be a permanent one. Casey’s Bb head also accomodates a C body (or a B or A for that matter). This is great for us married guys…“No honey, I don’t need a new flute. I only need half a new flute.” 
Cheers,
Doc
…and this worked for you? 
Well…um…you know…in theory.
But really, you can get a whole new body for about the price of one key.
Doc
Ya!
I love theory…
I’ve also noticed that the fates seem to enjoy debunking them.
I say go for Bb. I have one(Casey Burns. The only note I really have to lip down is the note known as “A.”), and it’s my favorite flute of all time.
Of course, pipers often have flat sets in B(curse them!), so I’ve had to make a PVC B flute to play with them. I don’t get to use my lovely Bb flute nearly as much as I’d like to,you know, with other people. If I ever end up with enough money to buy a flat set, I suppose I’d get a B set myself though(curse me!).
How does the weight of a B-flat flute compare to a D flute? I have a D flute that is a bit top heavy for my carpal-tunnel-prone wrists. It’s making my left wrist ache again. I’d love to have a B-flat, but worry about the weight issue.
Info?
Thanks, Jeanie
Are you sure it is weight and not balance?
Where is the balance point on your flute?
A Bb flute in blackwood with a lined headjoint and keys is indeed a heavy flute. And a lined headjoint will make your flute even more top-heavy than the D, because the headjoint on a Bb flute is much longer than that of a D. When you pick up a Bb flute for the first time, what you notice first is not the finger stretch (which is usually not a whole lot broader than on a D flute) but the long distance between the embouchure hole and the first finger hole.
My 4-key Wilkes Bb is in boxwood and has an unlined head, no tuning slide, and is actually lighter than my D flute (which is in blackwood, lined head, and 6 keys). If weight is an issue for you I’d suggest going with an unlined head, no tuning slide, and no keys; it’ll make a big difference.
If you want keys on your flute, I’d be sure to get the long C natural (talking as if we’re discussing a D flute), because that’ll help you get the C-sharp in tune…it’s usually VERY flat on Bb flutes.
My Burns unlined mopane/blackwood Bb is a good bit heavier than my Burns partially lined mopane D, but I think it’s less top heavy. It’s a little hard on the left wrist because of the farther distance between the embouchure and the top hand.
ddd
WOuld a top-hand siccama key alleviate the tuning issue (By allowing the “C” hole to be placed more optimally?)
I had the pleasure of holding and playing John Skelton’s CB B-flat last weekend (thanks, John!). It’s lighter than my Healy D, and the stretch is about the same, with an offset 6th hole. I think he said it was mopane, but he might have been talking about another flute.