Someone contacted me for information about the Olwell Rudall flute, specifically how it compares to an original Rudall. I’m neither an expert nor play one on T.V., but I reproduce my response here in case it can, through the entirely subjective opinions of someone who merely owns/plays both an Olwell Rudall and a couple of originals, shed a small amount of light on the subject. Response as follows:
"Original Rudalls are, of course, a variable commodity. They vary widely in hole size, among other factors. I can’t quote chapter and verse, not being an expert of the archivist variety like some others in our community, but I have played many different Rudalls, own two myself, and I do own an Olwell Rudall in boxwood as well.
Patrick’s Rudall definitely fits the standard profile for a small-holed Rudall, with the most profound difference, in my opinion, being the headjoint. The walls of the headpiece are thicker, making the chimney height greater which gives the flute a more modern blow. Additionally, Patrick’s embouchure cut is different from an original Rudall. While not as large as the embouchure on my two blackwood heads, the embouchure hole on my Olwell Rudall head is larger than the tiny round holes as found on the originals.
I can’t pretend to have any real info about the bore of the flute, but somewhere between the bore and the toneholes Patrick has managed to eliminate the irregular tuning found in many original Rudalls. By this I mean both the intonation between the notes and the overall pitch of the instrument. Mine plays perfectly in tune up and down at A=440, unlike most “real” Rudalls I’ve ever tried.
My Olwell Rudall came with a short foot; I’ve since gone back and purchased a longer foot to tighten up the low register. It worked! Still, the original Rudalls mostly have the very long keyed footjoint that further affects the response up and down the instrument. In summation, the Olwell, as represented by my own somewhat outdated example, is a traditional Rudall design, tuned for modern ears, with a modern headjoint and a free-blowing, opened-out foot. Cheers,
Rob"