I’m looking at some Nach Meyer flutes: What do people think of these, what tuning are they usually in, I’m guessing it is not 440, and what would a new head do to them, or is it better just to fix the cracks in the ivory?
they’re a bit like the german factory made “stradivarius” fiddles from the same period - some are pretty good, many are pretty crap., e.g. weak & often flat in the lower notes. (this may be partly due to shrinkage, the ratio of which to bore size is greater in the lower, narrower end, and partly to the fact that the flute may be designed for a higher pitch.)
it’s a bit of a gamble, really, unless you can seal the leaky keys, cork, cracks, et.c., and try them yourself.
most of the ones i’ve encountered play sharp of a440, around 452 or so.
these ones reach 440 with the slide quite far out.
i’ve seen one or 2 that play okay in a440, and some were made in “low pitch”, which may be flat of 440.
depending on whether notes are out of tune in both octaves or just one, cutting sections of the flute shorter, or reaming, can help - best for a maker to comment on this - i’m not qualified!
often, though, the flute may not be worth the time and expense involved in that sort of thing.
i’ll leave discussing the ivory repair to anyonec else who knows about that sort of thing. a new head of the right proportions, can improve the flute. even having the embouchure worked on (if neccesary), by someone who knows what they are doing(!), can make a big difference.
i don’t want to seem too negative - just wanted to list some potential issues i’m aware of. it’s well possible to find a decent playing one, and due to the reasonable price these can be had for, if you end up with a keyed flute that plays somewhere near decent, you’re doing o.k.
I’ve played many of these. Many of them were poor. SOme few were OK. None were inspiring.
I’ve had a few re-worked by flute makers re-cutting the embouchure and found them much improved but still not inspiring.
On the other hand, it can be a very cheap way to get into a keyed flute assuming it doesn’t need a lot of pad work and key work (which they usually do).
Doc