My all-wood African blackwood Olwell flute has a measurement a smidgeon over 16mm from thje inner end of the cork to the inner crown face. I thought the standard measurement was 19mm? This measurement is engraved with a ring on the cleaning rod supplied. This ring is nowhere near the middle of the embouchure hole.
Any erudition and experience before I broach the subject with the Olwells unecessarily?
Best wishes,
K.
Not sure what you mean by “inner crown face”.
I thought the 19mm was from inner face of cork to centre of embouchure … ?
Ian
Second that, the distance between the rear of the cork and the end cap doesn’t matter/is of no relevance.
19mm/the equivalent of the inner diameter of the head to the embouchure centre is what i have been taught.
Sorry! Careless of me. I mean the measurement from the cork face to the middle of the embouchure hole.
Best,
K.
Keith,
16 mm seems a little short, 19 mm +/- should be closer to keeping the Olwell in tune. Check the tuning. If the “2nd octave” A and B are sharp, you’ll have to lengthen the distance from the cork face to the centre (U.S. “center”) of the embouchure hole .
Paul
Paul: Thanks. I didn’t try the high A and B before I decided to change the distance to 19mm … They’re spot on now though. The KORG seems happier with the new measurement for the G and D too. I’ll see how it goes.
Any ideas why the distance should have been set at 16mm+ in the first place?
Best wishes,
K.
H-m-m-m, did you get the flute from Pat and Aaron directly or are you the second owner? Perhaps someone has changed the cork position?
Paul
It may not have been deliberately shifted in to 16mm! (unless someone was trying to play charanga on it…)
It can be surprisingly easy to inadvertently “adjust” a cork setting, especially if the cork isn’t pretty tight in the bore - on some flutes the crown turns quite easily, perhaps during cleaning, assembly, etc., and you notice a little gap and … either screw it up tight and thus pull the stopper back a little (with cumulative results), or push it in thinking it has got pushed out whilst swabbing out… If one does ever notice a gap between the crown and the end of the head tube, always check the stopper setting, don’t just screw it down. These things are why one should routinely check the stopper setting occasionally even if one thinks one has done nothing to change it! Try pulling it a little further out, to c 21mm. That will probably improve the low-end tone and response noticeably (over a rule-of-thumb 19mm setting) without significantly upsetting the octave tuning (unless you want to use the 3rd 8ve above E!) If not, you can easily put it back! 
Jem, I think your scenario requires a cork adjuster in the end cap - not all flutes have them. You’re used to antique 8-keys, in which they may be more common. In many of the modern keyless flutes I’ve encountered, the cap just pulls off the end of the tube, showing the gap on the back side of the cork, which has to be adjusted manually. However, it’s not hard for a cork to move in shipping or handling, or from being pushed out of position by a cleaning stick.
True enough, Kevin, though I’d rather assume Olwells would have the full kit? That reminds me, though, that I have come across flutes with separate crown and stopper where you might set the cork stopper correctly, but then the crown is a good airtight fit and inserting it raises enough air-pressure in the cavity to push the stopper down-tube and wreck your setting! In such cases, you need to do something to the crown to allow air to pass it. (If the stopper is a good seal, as it should be, there is no need for an airtight seal on the crown - it just needs to be secure.)
Damn, yet another thing to worry about—is my cap airtight?
Whistles are so much simpler…
Best wishes.
Steve
There’s an old saw among Boehm flute players that moving the cork a few mm away from the embouchure hole (toward the crown) can improve your low register. Of course, overdoing it can make the flute flat. Maybe your previous owner was trying the reverse in hopes of sharpening up a “flat lip?”
… or maybe not.
Just thought I’d toss that into the apocrypha bin. 
Good point, Jem. I’ve had a couple of flutes that had “airtight” crowns.
Paul
I made a reply to this thread and lost it, so here’s another attempt:
Thanks for all the interest. In answer to some of the questions raised: I am the first owner of the Olwell in question; It was 16mm+ out of the box, the day it arrived; it has no screw crown.
I adjusted to 19mm the day before yesterday and according to KROG the flute plays well at D and G and in the high octave A and B. When I adjusted the cork, it was tight and I had to jerk the rod to unstick it, so I doubt any cleaning after playing shifted the measurement.
I’ll see how it goes from here. I like the Olwell and think it’s going to be a great teacher. But I have to say, the flute I go to mostly is my mid to late 19th century cocuswood, small holed, single key flute I was given and had reconditioned. It has no registration number or maker’s name but is clearly pedigreed; a high class, well bred, very responsive, assertively sweet, light, close holed instrument with all kinds of tonal subtleties I’m only getting hints of at this stage. Of my seven flutes, this is Sandra’s favourite.
Thanks again.
Best wishes,
K.
Get yourself a handy, properly-sized wooden dowel to set your cork. Once happy with the position for tone and tuning, pencil in a mark on the dowel so you can re-set the cork distance if it shifts.
Bingo 
KISS, or perhaps that should be kkKISS
Just got it on impeccable authority that Patrick sometimes experiments with embouchures and inside cork face to embouchure distance. Sometimes the measurement can go to 20mm. The adjustment back to the average 19mm may have been overlooked before the flute was sent off.
In the meantime it can be reported that flute and proud new player are both well …
Best wishes,
K.
I know that Patrick thouroughly cheks and tunes the flutes before they are shipped. I wouldn’t mess with mine. Its good as it sits now.