Just wondering…I’ve read lots of posts about M & E polymer flutes, but I don’t think I’ve seen much on the keyless flutes in blackwood. Does anyone have one, or has played one, and would care to comment? Not just idle curiosity, I’m considering buying a flute (started a thread a while ago about the weird mystery flute I am currently playing), and this is one I don’t have much information on. Advancing newbie with some whistle experience, hoping to become an intermediate. Thanks for any info.
I have one. Michael and Evelyn were a pleasure to deal with, and the flute was very playable and sounded beautiful. Seems to me an incredible bargain at the price. Then I bought one of their ebonites (which is what they use in place of prior non-woods, I believe). It also is very playable, sounds great, not quite as lively and bright as the Blackwood. I cared for it, dried it after playing and almond oiled it regularly. But maybe because I didn’t play the blackwood much for a month while I got familiar with the ebonite, something bad happened to the blackwood–the cork may have dried, and the barrel of the blackwood got a bad crack. M&E gave helpful suggestions for fixing it, but I botched the job. I’ve just now had it repaired by an incredible local artisan (thanks to recommendation of MTGuru the moderator of this site–bless you, Mr. Guru). Haven’t picked it up yet, but am expecting it to sound great again (he says it sounds better than new, but warned me against flutes where the wood is somewhat hydrated- and can dry out easily-I live in L.A., a dry environment). So I’d say, if you do buy one, be extremely careful about humidity/dryness. In fact, notwithstanding that I love their blackwood flute, I’d strongly recommend going with the ebonite, which I assume is rather indestructible, and really does sound good–I leave it out and pick it up to play any time around the house. By the way, I have a Dixon plastic D flute (my first, nice to begin on, but so-so), and a Hammy Hamilton practice flute–great embouchre, nice to play, but not as rich sounding or as good feeling (weighty) in the hands as either of the M&E’s. So I’d say, based on my moderate/limited experience, the ebonite M&E is a nice intermediate step to a (much more expensive) high end pro flute (I’m on a waiting list for for one of those). That’s my humble 2 cents worth, anyway…
Best,
Jaydod
P.S.–I was just looking over other posts, and I forgot that the Casey Burns “folk” flute is also a moderately priced alternative. I’ve not played one, but members of the forum seem to think highly of them, so you might want to give that a try too. I’d say, good care (humidity wise, and oiling,etc.) will be important for any of these.
I’d actually be curious to know if anyone has owned both a Burns folk and an M&E blackwood and would care to compare them???
The M&E wood smokes a mopane folk flute.
The M&E wood smokes a mopane folk flute.
Sorry, english is not my first language, what do you mean? Just curious…
he want to say that m&e flute is much better than mopane folk flute…
marin
Thank you for the information folks; very useful, and I appreciate it.
Adrian
if you want an M&E, go for polymer/ebonite. If you want a wooden flute, pay a bit more for something else. Just out of interest, is there anyone out there with a blackwood M&E that hasn’t ever cracked?
Henke (from this board) had a wooden M&E headjoint…don’t recall it cracking, but I also don’t recall the wood. This is the first thread I can recall mentioning M&E’s cracking as a more than chance event.
However, seems to me that Murray’s are always cracked as well. Not sure if it’s the maker or coming from such a humid environment to much drier climates.
That said, the ebonite M&E is really good stuff…I can’t say enough good things about it.
Eric
I apologize in advance for taking this off topic, as I don’t have and haven’t played a blackwood flute from M&E. I do play an ebonite 8 key M&E, often for hours at a time, because it is a very good flute. Everything works as it should; the holes aren’t tiny or big, it can play loud and the flute seems to be capable of any sound that a player is capable of putting into it (I know that because I’ve heard a few real players play it). As a relative newcomer to the flute I don’t know if M&E flutes have changed for the better, or why they don’t seem to get as much positive attention online as they do with musicians in person. Michael doesn’t recommend a keyed flute to new players and I don’t understand why. The keys are a bargain. They are made of brass or a brass alloy with a thin and not great chrome plating but they work very well. Sometimes you hear something you like, any kind of music, and feel like playing it. The keys give you that opportunity, even letting you compare the sound difference between using the key and half holing. The price difference is not that great. You can usually get a much better price either way by calling Michael directly.
I have a nice old Grrman 8 key in blackwood that would suit someone moving from beginner to intermediate. Open to offers on the instrument exchange forum here. PM me if interested
I bought an M and E 8 keyed Blackwood flute about ten months ago.
One thing you must be aware of is that the R3 finger hole is off set from the other holes on that section. I don’t know if this is the case with his keyless flutes.
I couldn’t find any mention of the off set R3 hole on his web site so if it came to the crunch and you decided to buy an M and E, I would contact Michael Cronnolly (the ‘M’ in M and E) if I were you just to make sure you know what you are getting in regards to tone hole placement. When I got the first flute that Michael sent me it was a real hassle trying to cover the R3 hole because for me (with thickish finger pads) the hole, being off set, was far too close to the short F key. I got Michael to make me a replacement flute with the R3 finger hole in line with the other holes on the body of the right hand section and this cured the problem and I didn’t have to change my grip much to suit. This may not be a problem for slender fingered or long fingered people, but it was a problem for me and I am sure it could pose problems for other folk as well.
I agree with stuporman, buy the keyed version, they are very competitively priced flutes and are a good stepping stone onto other flutes without having to take out a second mortgage to pay for it. 
Use the search function on the forum and you will find past discussions on M and E flutes and the pro’s and con’s of owning one.
Cheers.
Cronnolly’s gone back to in-line (i.e., non-offset) R3 holes for his ebonite flutes. And from comparing my ebonite 8-key with photos of his blackwood 8-key flutes, it appears that he’s tweaked the right hand key placement as well (for the better, IMHO).
Ming
No way is an M&E superior to a Casey Burns folk flute. I’ve played a few of each and the Burns has always surprised me at its clarity, tuning, response, and volume. The Casey folk flute is a wonderful bargain. Experienced flute players have been very impressed by how they sound and play. Their quality belies their low price.
I wasn’t going to jump in on this one, but Julia’s comment forces me into it… I used to own an M&E 8-key in blackwood and it was, in fact, superior to the folk flute. I got a SUPER deal direct from Michael Cronolly, btw. I’ve played a couple of folk flutes and they are really great, but the M&E that I owned played great, had some “heft” to it (if you like that sort of thing), and, of course, had keys! I only sold it to pay for a Copley (which I’m selling to pay for a Wm Hall & Son antique - see the Irish Flute Store ad). I will say that I’ve only played the boxwood folk flutes.
Pat
I’ve played a Burns flute in blackwood (the standard model)…it was a very nice flute, but I preferred my M&E. I think there is a significant amount of subjectivity here…neither is better - it’s a matter of preference.
I’ve played a slew of high quality flutes, and I’d not trade my current M&E for any of them. Love the one you’re with…and seriously practice…that’s what it’s really all about.
As an aside, I personally value Shoner’s opinion, and have for the past 7 years.
Eric
Just out of interest, is there anyone out there with a blackwood M&E that hasn’t ever cracked?
planxtydt, I recieved my M and E unoiled (I had a reaction to the Johnsons baby oil used on the first one I ordered), gave it a 14 hour bath competely submerged in pure Linseed/Flaxseed oil before putting the keys back on and leaving it standing on end in it’s case for a week before attempting to play it.
It gets oiled regularly and played regularly and has no cracks and has acclimatised nicely over the last year.
It plays very well, I’m not saying it is better or worse than the Burns flutes, I have tried a Burns (edit to add; mopane) and have heard other people I know play them; but I prefer the M and E.
Different strokes for different folks I suppose.
Funny, my top ax is a blackwood Burns standard, but I’ve also just acquired an M&E in ebonite. I really like both of them. I’m more used to the Burns and feel that it has more resonance and plays more like a Pratten with a deeper sound, while the M&E is fun, fast and chirpy and plays the way I think a Rudall does. The intonation on both is excellent, I find the low D on the M&E a bit easier but the high-B sharp. I do think the Burns is louder/projects more and the tone, subjectively speaking, is a bit more nuanced. Can’t go wrong either way. I still prefer the Burns, probably because I’ve spent a year playing it every day. Like Jayhawk said, get the flute and practice, though I think different flutes can teach you different things about embouchure, etc.
Anyways, my 2 cents.
Jason
I notice the “smoked” comment above, compared an M&E blackwood with a Burns folk flute. I own the former, not the latter, and was very happy with it’s sound–rich and warm. It cracked, but I can’t wait to get it back from the artisan who repaired it next week. I wonder if anyone could compare an M&E ebonite with a Burns folk flute? I love my M&E ebonite, but don’t own a Burns folk, so can’t compare them. So for a beginner thinking about a Burns folk (wood) vs an M&E ebonite (not wood which seems like what started this thread, what would the verdict be, aside from the fact than ebonite is no doubt much easier to care for than wood? (By the way, M&E has been incredibly nice and responsive to me–I am not all putting them down, and love their ebonite flute ).
Best,
Jay
I never said one flute was better than the other. I did imply that the M&E is not superior to Casey Burns’ flutes.
I did say that the Folk Flute offered great value.