It seems that Sweetheart flute Co and Ron Peeler have added a metal fife to their line. Ron Peeler’s site has a bit of additional history.
I was just moseying on by and saw this post and can’t figure out why nobody’s touched on this one! My first thought, when looking at both of the links, was the T.D. O’Connor Bb metal fifes (nickel-plated over brass) made in Naugatuck, Connecticut. What I’m having difficulty understanding is why Sweetheart would be making them out of copper for $45 and Peeler is making them out of brass (and plating them in chrome/nickel) for $150! I only have one thing to say-- WHAT THE *&@(#&!! Why would they be charging so much for these things?! Supply and demand, yes, we ALL know about this cough: GAS PRICES however keep in mind that you can find the O’Connor fifes (1-piece heavy brass) for less than $20 on eBay and for a superior metal fife, there’s the 2-piece Geo. Cloos model in Bb in nickel-plated brass as well w/ ebonite lip plate (for less than $100).
There’s another company that made the 1-piece metal fifes with different elaborate engravings (similar to the Peeler ‘bands’ and floral engravings) and those sell for a little bit more but $150 for one of those things is quite excessive in my opinion! The O’Connor fifes were quite sturdy (I kept mine in the car as a weapon on most days!) and the Cloos 2-pc model was more profound in the low register while the upper registers needed some slight adjusting. I sold my TDO 1-piece in 2006 for less than $20 and my GC 2-pc in 2006 (or 2007) for about $80 which I think is reasonable for both and also what I think is a fair enough price for the instruments. Anything more just seems quite excessive to me. Rambling like this hints that I must sleep!
Hi, I’m Ron Peeler.
This is my first posting to this list even though I have I read it for several years. I agree that @ $150 the Chrome plated fifes seems a little high and I actually struggled with the price. I just want to let you know what is involved in making a metal fife. Believe it or not, it takes more than twice the labor to produce the metal fife as opposed to a wooden one. And then with the cost of the materials (brass, chrome plating and lets throw in engraving), double the material cost. Here is a brief outline of the manufacturing process
- Receive and inspect material
- Sand to remove surface imperfections such as scratches from the manufacturing process and handling
- Cut and trim to length, debur ends
- Apply knurl (11 times per fife)
- Drill fingering holes
- Dubur fingering holes
- Send to Engravers $$
Fine sand between knurls to 1000 grit - Polish brass tubing’
- Clean polishing compound from knurls (using electric toothbrush)
- Send to Platers $$$
- Final Inspect, cork and tune.
I produced a small run of these fifes because I had several inquiries over the years from a couple of fife and drums corps that play them. They also experienced ‘Sticker Shock”. I hope this helps to explain on how I arrived at the price. A wooden fife is sooo much easier to make.
Glad to see you on the list, Ron, and welcome. I’m not a fifer, but I’ve checked out your website several times when I’ve been considering trying, and the instruments look very nice and, clearly, from the reviews I’ve seen around the net, have a great reputation.
Always glad to see the makers available for discussions about their work.
I’m writing in support of Ron:
About the same time last year, Ron and I were approached by Miss-X about making metal fifes. At first it looked doable, but after calling around, my interest waned. Ron later found some real brass of the proper size. Although I had already bought the knurls, I didn’t commit to the large quantity of expensive material; I also realized that ordinary copper plumbing is darn close (and affordable). While Ron was moving ahead in a first-class manner, I made the decision to produce a metal fife that played as expected without the glitz (going even as far as to leave the mill stampings). I wasn’t sure how many fifes would sell anyway, and if some fifers wanted more features (brass not copper; knurled not smooth; plated not bare), then they would let me know. From there, I would consider more features and a higher selling price.
Metal fifes were king when Bristol and Naugatuck were really cookin’ in the Brass Valley. Nearby manufacturers made all kinds of things including ornamental lamp stems of plated brass. Brass was inexpensive, and it was an easy adaptation to make metal fifes. Since drumcorps was a huge community activity in bygone Connecticut, metal fifes were cheap and plentiful. Now they’re a specialty. If a lampmaker from the past were given a firm order for 250 metal fifes, he would be able to do it pretty cheap and even fancy. On the other hand (the reality of last year’s approach), the market expressed only a casual interest in metal fifes (one fifer with uncertain quantity). That being the case, instrument makers (Ron and I) would move ahead based on speculation only. The result: that either the price will be up (Ron’s fife), or the features will be down (Walt’s fife). As the market changes, so will the fife and/or price.
I didn’t make my metal fifes to steal Ron’s sales or to make him look bad. Overall, I think that everyone still has freedom of choice intact, and that price is commensurate in both cases. Please join me in support of Ron.
Walt Sweet