Is Billy Miller still making bamboo flutes? I tried contacting him via his blog and got no response.
No snark intended, but why on earth would anyone want a bamboo flute? Aren’t you stuck with the natural bore of the bamboo? Doesn’t the flute suffer from not being made of a dense wood? Perhaps the sound is right for Indian or Asian music, but for ITM? Please enlighten me - I keep seeing references to bamboo flutes and I just don’t get it.
I thought pretty much like that for some time. I’d owned a number of cane flutes in different keys. Not particularly rewarding. Then I bought a few from some guy named Olwell. Ever played one of his?
Feadoggie
I have played a Tallgrass winds bamboo D-flute, a fine instrument with nice tone.
Well and good, but would you prefer it?
Because it sounded and played well? 
Brian Finnegan, for one, would probably answer yes. I’m sure he could chose to play whetever suits him, and he chooses to play Olwell bamboos (among others).
Lovely playing, Jim; and yes, I’d say that is a good example of the merits and possibilities of a bamboo flute. Thanks.
BTW, Brian Finnegan is a wonder on the bamboo flutes. But many would not consider it true Irish Traditional Music. [TANGENT ALERT] I consider Finnegan’s work to be in the “Progressive Trad” genre, I phrase I came up with to describe those rooted in traditional music, e.g. Irish, who then take it in a new direction–similar to Progressive Rock.
Okay. Lovely. It’s just news to me that a bamboo flute could be superior to cocus. Who knew?
Well, I think it really comes down to the individual instrument and maker (and player choice), and that you can’t generalize based on the wood or material alone. A great bamboo flute is going to be better than a bad cocus flute, unless you hate bamboo.
Man, I play the fool out of my bamboo flutes. A good one is a fantastic instrument, having its own particular sensitivity and tone completely separate from any other type of flute. In my band, the F flute gets trotted out a couple of times a night, and I’m certain that a conical bore flute wouldn’t do the same thing it can.
Rob
The thing about bamboo flutes, IMO, is this:
First, they are inexpensive. Billy Miller’s bamboo flutes sound very good
and they are much less expensive than wooden flutes, generally.
They work well on the street and I’m not afraid of damaging/losing
them (everything you take on the street tends to get dropped
or whatever/you never know what’s going to happen). They have
good volume.
Personally I prefer the focused rudally sound of Sweetheart flutes
in the higher keys, and often play them on the street.
But the bamboo flutes are less expensive and sound very good.
Obviously there are things bamboo flutes do that wooden flutes
don’t, of course.
You’re right, of course. A good anything is better than a bad something of reputable make or material. And I understand the question of cost. My bewilderment stems primarily from the notion that one would specifically go in search of bamboo rather than a more rugged and arguably superior hard wood. Is a quality bamboo flute that much cheaper than a keyless mopane?
feng shui
A Billy Miller bamboo D flute costs 85 dollars. One might certainly go for the keyless mopane at a much higher cost,
of course, but the Billy M flute does sound very good. These are reasonably rugged, lightweight, alive sounding,
and so on.
Another option to consider is Woodsong bamboo flutes. They’re made by a guy named Rob Yard. I own three Woodsong bamboo flutes in Eb D and low Bb. I don’t play much ITM on them but they’re fun to play and I enjoy playing something different now and then. From what Rob told me, his flutes inspired Pat Olwell to start making bamboo flutes and Olwell’s flutes were made from the same type of bamboo and using the same process as Rob still does. I think Olwell is just much more precise with his tuning and finishing. Rob’s flutes aren’t bad for the price though. I paid $35 for the D flute and $48 for the low Bb. I have no affiliation with Woodsong whatsoever. Just passing along info.
Edit - here’s a link to the Woodsong Cottage site: http://www.woodsonginstruments.com/
Cheers,
Kirk
All this and no one has answered the original question about whether Billy Miller is still making flutes… 
(And no, I have no idea.)
Best wishes.
Steve
I was just thinking the same thing. 
Brad Hurley’s Guide has contact info, including address and telephone number.
http://www.firescribble.net/flute/makers.html#windwood
Maybe try one of those paper-and-envelope thingies with one of those postage stamp thingies on it. I forget what those are called. 
(Sorry, I couldn’t resist. 
)
Also Doc Jones is selling them and must know how to reach him.