i was wondering how an ormiston compares to others flutes for loudness and ease of blowing - any opinions out there?
[ This Message was edited by: john on 2003-02-05 13:01 ]
I have to start out by saying I’m not an Ormiston owner (yet), but I have played one.
I played a 6-keyed D, about 5 or so years ago and was really impressed. I had only being playing for a couple of years at that point, but I found it very easy to blow with a good, solid tone right through the scale. If I’d had the cash I would have bought one - that’s how good I thought it was.
Anyway, I spoke just the other day to the friend whose Ormiston I had played, to find out if he was still happy with it since I’m thinking again about getting one. He had just got another Ormiston for his pupils and said that they had gone through a bit of a design evolution - resulting in “an almost doubling of volume”. Now, accepting the obvious hyperbole, this comment speaks volumes (pun very much intended), about the tone and playability of this flute. My friend is a well known professional musician with numerous recordings to his name, so I put a lot of stock in his opinions - to the extent that I am now seriously looking into the possibilities of getting one. (My problem is that I see the unkeyed flute at £515 and think that’s nearly affordable. My friend advises me to “do it right and get all the keys” - at £1100 or so, this approaches the slightly less affordable - I am currently trying to get a loan from the bank, using my baby son as security - needs must!!! 
)
I hope this is of some use to you.
Cheers
Graham
The new Ormiston’s can be played seriously loud! They are great flutes.
I’ve played 3 keyless Ormiston and a couple of keyed. Two of the keyless were fantastic, easy to blow, big sound, the third a bit on the quiet side. The keyed were equally good.
I’d have bought one of the keyless if it hadn’t been marked up by Lark in the Morning by nearly 40%. 
Cheers,
Michael
I received my 5-key Ormiston 2 weeks ago and was really surprised at just how powerful it was. I found it fairly easy to play, with just a little adjustment to my embouchure. It’s really a lot stronger than I’d expected from an R&R style flute. And his flutes are beautiful to look at, excellent craftsmanship.
I purchased mine throught The Music Room, a British based dealer. The price was more reasonable than I’d guessed, after they took off the VAT. If you are having the instrument shipped outside of the EU, the savings can be significant(£100 for my flute).
I’d ask George if his prices include the VAT.
I own number 468.Ormiston flutes are well made and as easy as any to play.The sound is dark,strong and has good volume.Buy one.
thanks for the responses
my own is no 254 & keyless & I’m hoping to try it in a session some time soon
“The price was more reasonable than I’d guessed, after they took off the VAT.”
What is the VAT? Also, would this be a good choice for small-handed people? What size is the bore?
I have very small hands and have had no problems with the Ormiston flutes I’ve tried. They are generally quite slim.
On 2003-02-07 09:10, dhigbee wrote:
“The price was more reasonable than I’d guessed, after they took off the VAT.”What is the VAT? Also, would this be a good choice for small-handed people? What size is the bore?
The VAT is an airtight wooden barrel used to store and humidify the flute. For some reason, makers in Europe seem to find it necessary to include this in the price of the instrument, though you can ask for it to be removed for overseas shipment.
Some C&F contributors will try to convince you that VAT is an abbreviation for “Value Added Tax”. Ignore them - they don’t know what they are talking about.
With apologies to all!
Dave Copley
Loveland, Ohio
Thanks for the help, Dave - now I can’t leave that answer I was going to!
OK, Many countries, Canada included (they call it GST- Goods and Services Tax, I believe), have an extra tax if you buy anything nice! Apparently, in Britain flutes are very nice.
I don’t like to talk about it much, in case there are any politicians listening. We don’t want them to get any ideas!
To Dave Copley: honest, you weren’t making keyed flutes when I ordered it!!! I’m sure we’ll talk sometime soon…
[ This Message was edited by: davidj on 2003-02-07 16:42 ]
I play an Ormiston - No. 436 - keyless. Slightly “softer” than the Copley and less critical on the embouchure than the Healy. A little heavier than the Healy keyless and the Copley since both have tuning slides and the the Healy does not – it has silver tenons - the head joint tenon being long enough for tuning if needed.
After reading and digesting another thread on C&F, I alternate playing the three flutes a few days at a time - but that’s another topic!!! I love all three and don’t “compare” but enjoy the slight differences among them.
I find each of them has improved in tone and tune – as I have improved in embochure. But, then, that’s ANOTHER thread!
BillG