Olwell keyless

Irish Flute
1

Hi all,

Can anyone give me an idea of how much a
keyless wooden Olwell flute would cost?
And is the waiting list about a year?

As an alternative, how do Hammy Hamilton’s
keyless flutes compare in general? (Tricky
question I know . . . .)

Thanks in advance,

Andy

2

An Olwell keyless with a nickel tuning slide is $1100. With a silver tuning slide, it’s $1200. Without a tuning slide it’s much cheaper. The wait is a hell of a lot longer than a year, although he may tell people it’s a year.

Hammy Hamilton makes a fine flute. It has edge and intensity, but seems to lack the sweet purity of an Olwell or Copley.

Jessie

3

I got my Olwell in a year’s time flat. Pat Olwell was a gem to work with.

You could also buy my pristine Olwell right now, however. I’m about to receive a Rudall flute with a patent head and additional Chris Wilkes head. The Olwell is so good, I would really hate to part with it, but taking care of wood instruments and playing them takes more time than I have.

If someone offered me $1800, I’d think about selling it.

Regards,
G

4

G, you bought the Rudall?!?! You lucky dog! The moment I heard that thing was for sale I started drooling (yes, I know Dale says he doesn’t drool while playing whistle). Okay, maybe not, but I sure as heck wanted it. Maybe when I finally get a job I’ll be able to get something like that. By the way, does anyone know of anyone in Boston who might be interested in hiring a bright young grad from one of the country’s top twenty colleges? Not likely, I know :frowning:
G, you might want to hold onto the Olwell until you’ve gotten the Rudall. They’re going to be a very, very different style of flute, but equally magnificant. Let us all know when the Rudall comes.
Happy fluting,
Chris

5

Hey Chris:

For sure I’ll let you know how the new flute compares…and you could not be more right that the dynamics of an Olwell Pratten and an 8-key Rudall will prove quite different.
But I’ll end up selling one of them, and in fact, I’m waiting for Olwell to make me a low Bb flute. But that will be six months or so left to wait.

Chris, if you spoke Chinese I might be able to talk about something in Shanghai or Beijing!

G