Hello Everybody,
I just wanted to say how much fun I’m having with my Carbony flute in D. To my eyes it is very beautiful and suits my needs well. I’ve been going on long walks in the hills and playing while walking. Also it feels like it would be very handy if I run in to trouble with a mugger or aggressive dog. The tone and volume seem great, but I don’t have any other Irish flutes to compare it to, just my Boehm. I’m only a few years in to playing flute, my main instrument is guitar (I play in a band called Dengue Fever). I got the standard finger spacing and it’s comfortable for me, I’m 6’ tall with normal sized hands. The flute is so well made that it feels like it could be around for eons, dug up in the ruins of our civilization like the monolith in “2001 a Space Odyssey”.
Thanks for posting. I wonder if people who have played these flutes, and are knowledgeable about other Irish flutes,
will say what they think about them. I’ve never seen one outside of pics. Look interesting, anyhow.
Hey Guys,
I tried one of Rob’s early Carbony flutes and thought the material had excellent acoustical properties. 
However he was not a flute player, so he didn’t know how to design a great flute (had a narrow linear bore). 
I recommended changes to embouchure and sent him plans for Rudall # 5501 (both of which he used), but I never got to try his “Improved” flute. He appears to be continually refining the design (onward and upwards). 
I, too, tried one of his early flutes - I think it was on a tour through Chiff - and found it to be, well, bad… Tuning was bad and there was NO cross-fingered C-nat. HOWEVER, I tried one of his new ones at the Dublin (Ohio) Irish Festival and it was a completely different animal. His new ones are really nice - good tuning, great tone, nice low-D… Basically everything you want in a keyless flute and really light in the hand as well. My only problem now is that they seem a little costly, especially when compared to Dave Copleys which are significantly lower in price and (IMHO) play just as well or better. The novelty and lightness of the carbon fiber may be worth it to some players, though…
My 2 cents,
Pat
Thanks. Pat do you mean Dave C’s delrin flutes? Reckon you do.
I’ve been testing it on the RTTA tuning app and it seems pretty good. Rob told me the flute I have is modeled after a Pratten Perfected from around 1859. The low D is solid and a C natural cross fingered or half covered both work. I’ve been playing a Japanese scale that has an F and a B flat. I still haven’t managed a D sharp but that’s probably just me.
I thought I remembered posting about my experiences with Carbony flutes before. As it turns out I did! A year ago to the day practically. I stand by what I said before, although I haven’t played any of the flutes since then so if the design is different my comments are moot-point. I have played other Carbony whistles since then and thought they were decent (although my new Burke brass and old Goldie Overton are much preferable to me for high ds). I do have to agree with Pat about Copley delrin vs. Carbony.
Yup…
Thanks to everyone. I forgot last year’s thread!
While a big fan of Rob’s whistles, I think he is still improving his flute design. I played the re-designed pratten based flute and just found the tone to be unfocused, and the tactile feedback all over the map. The tone never really “set” in a sweet spot like on other flutes. Still though, it’s a massive improvement over previous work.
Just to add my two cents ~ I, like the OP, think the Carbony flute is fun to play. I’ve had the flute a little over a year. I have played it in sessions, taken it traveling and had no problems with the intonation, the volume is good and have enjoyed playing it. If this was my only flute it would probably be fine.
Since it’s not, what I’ve found though, is the flute’s body has a smaller diameter, and I’m not sure if this is the cause or not, but the “tactile feedback” is an issue. I seem to stumble on tunes with the fingering with this flute, where my other flutes their is no issues. I’m not sure if this describes what’s happening correctly. (I own four other D flutes, plus flutes in other keys.)
To sum up ~ Some of the flutes must play well, some must not, so one wants to make sure to find one that suits them. And, you’ll probably get use to the smaller body if one is not switching between flutes, and won’t have “tactile issues” if this is one’s only flute.
Does anyone have experience with the small hand options with Carbony? Looks like there’s a newer one that’s closer to Boehm spacing that looks intriguing but might be difficult to clean.
I travel to dry climates often enough to want a back up that isn’t wood - I love my Burns small-handed flute and am not looking to replace it. Current travel flute is a Copley Delrin, but it makes my tendonitis flare up if I play for more than half an hour (it’s a lovely flute otherwise, and I would still highly recommend his flutes for anyone without my specific issues).
How heavy is it?
Reason I ask: my first was an M & E delrin. Which played fine but gave me tendonitis due to the fatness and the (excessive) weight. I have a C-tipple for knocking around with but am looking for a camping flute that works a little better.
And thus, this newb hopefully passes the three-post newb probation.
Exceptionally light - it’s carbon fiber. You won’t find a lighter flute out there.
Around a year ago, out at a Highland Games, I stopped by their booth and tried various flutes and whistles.
The caveat is that I’ve played a large number of original 19th century flutes including original R&R’s and Prattens, and neo-Irish flutes by a number of makers, and Low Whistles by most of the current leading makers, so my bar is set pretty high.
That being said, my takeaway is that none of the Carbony instruments performed like serious quality instruments of their type. This agrees with the oft-heard opinion in the Highland pipe world that their Highland pipes and chanters don’t play like legitimate instruments are supposed to.
They had dijeridus and Spanish gaitas too, and my impression was of a company dabbling in instruments that they didn’t have a solid grounding in, as far as serious instruments of these various types are expected to work.
Thanks, this is all helpful.
I’ve never tried any of their stuff, except briefly the flute in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frCr-H-qwtg
It sounds like maybe there’s more variability in the manufacture than is desired…
If I remember correctly, I think Rob said that Carbon fiber is denser than Blackwood and Delrin. http://www.apsimplepsaltery.com/appendices/material_densities/ I think that’s why the diameter is smaller than what is the range for most D flutes, and probably for most of the instruments he makes. If he made them the same diameter they would be much heavier. I think this is why I have problem on occasion with the “tactile feedback”, and why many might feel these aren’t “legitimate instruments”, because of the their smaller diameters and logistics that would go with it.
After spending some time with Rob, I feel that he does take instrument making vary serious and is always trying to improve. His background is in engineering (“a BS in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a concentration in Music and Psychoacoustics.”) and he’s trying to bring a new product into the market. Using a non traditional material to make traditional instruments, there will be trade offs.
I tried some at a booth at the Milwaukee Festival a couple of years ago. They were pretty fun just due to their nature, but the ‘D’ one was just kinda ‘meh’ when it came to playing properties. Other keys were a little more responsive. I know that Seán Gavin tends to carry a nice-sounding ‘F’ wherever he happens to roam, and speaks highly of it.
The whistles, on the other hand, were class. Were they not so expensive I’d have been more tempted to buy one…