Just saw this on eBay…and wished I had some spare cash! 
It looks good!! (I don’t know the seller…I just like the flute…a lot!!)
Cass.
I don’t know where Ormiston’s fit into the flute-pantheon.
Not a criticism, just an expression of curiousity.
Any opinions? PMs fine.
FWIW, I’ve received three messages from people
who don’t like Ormistons, none so far from
anybody who likes them.
I have an Ormiston flute that I bought key less off ebay for a very good price. I won some money in a raffle and tried several other keyed flutes before deciding to key the Ormiston as I liked it so much.
Mine is a Rudall & Rose copy and although it doesn’t have the punch of the Pratten it is really well balanced over the whole three octaves. I sent it back to George recently as I wanted a little more push on the low D and after a bit of reaming I got it back and I can almost compete with a Pratten on the D.
George also does Pratten copies which are amazing flutes, though it’s generally his Rudall & Rose copies that come up for sale on ebay. A few people are playing these Prattens including Hamish Napier from Back of the Moon.
I know George experimented with the design of his early flutes but I believe his current design is a lot better than people give it credit for and matches many of the top makers. His service is second to none and his waiting list is a great deal shorter than other makers of his standard.
David
Thanks. Helpful. Your trio looks like it must be enormous fun.
An Ormiston was my second flute and I sold it here some five years back - also sold my first flute. Those were my beginning simple system flute days when I didn’t realize it was the fluter not the flute that made the difference. I wish I has NOT sold it. Superb craftsmanship and probably the most polished bore I’ve seen on any flute I’ve played - if that makes a difference, and I think it does. George O. is a great person to deal with.
Wish I hadn’t “been there done that”!
A couple of years ago I had the chance to briefly try quite a number of flutes by at least seven different makers while my sister listened. She said I sounded the same on all of them but only a keyed Ormiston and a keyless Sweet had that ‘je ne sais quoi’ to my own ears that made them the ones I would have possessed from that group had I the money.
Hardly a scientific study of course.
I’ve got a keyless Ormiston, and I love it. Beautifully made. Sounds great even with me playing it! 
It’s an older one with a square shaped embouchure. George is a very pleasant man to deal with.
Cass.
George made me a 6 key left handed flute a couple of years back , no extra charge. It is an excellent flute and compares favourably with my Hamilton.
I’ve received three messages from people who don’t like Ormistons, none so far from anybody who likes them.
This kind of anonymous, second hand reportage does an injustice to a flute-maker. It’s hearsay and shouldn’t be passed on in this fashion. If people did not like his flutes then they should post those messages here themselves rather than have you pass them on in this fashion. They should have said how old the flutes were, why they didn’t like his flutes, and how long they’d been playing.
You should have told them that and not have carried their adverse opinions onto a public forum.
Frankly I’m surprised that you did this.
Note the misquotation of my message.
In fact, I pointed out
that these posts might not mean much of anything.
My post was meant to provoke some discussion
of the virtues or vices of these flutes, and especially to elicit
responses from those who like them. In this I succeeded,
much to the benefit of all concerned, it seems to me,
including Mr. Ormiston.
By the way, nobody asked me to pass anything on.
As to your claim that people should post such negative opinions
on the board themselves, one reason why that’s unlikely
is the abuse you yourself lavish on people who ask questions
and express negative opinions about flutes you like.
It is, in fact, hard for folks to express negative opinions
onboard about flutes. Some people here go ballistic.
That’s a pity, I agree with you. I did what I could
to create an opening for a real discussion, pointing out
that what I was reporting might be worth little.
And here you go…
George Ormiston is a very fine flutemaker. Some of the west of Scotland’s best players play them. In particular Kevin O’Neill and the Friel sisters come to mind. The girls recorded recently with Marcus O’Murchu on ‘Turas Ceoil’ playing Ormiston flutes.
As is often mentioned there’s no more helpful man than George and a visit to his workshop is always a treat.
It’s easy enough to criticize flute-makers. However, some of the critics don’t play well enough to make an informed judgment. Other players, who are more accomplished, critique flutes made early on in the maker’s career and apply this judgment to later flutes they may never have heard. Still others were criticizing the sound of the flute they heard when another player was really pushing the flute and making it sound harsh.
One well-known player told me, “I don’t like Mr. X’s flutes - they are harsh-sounding.” Would it be right or fair for me to publish her comment, writing, “Miss Great Player said she thought Mr. X’s flute were harsh?” If I said that to you over a cup of coffee I would hasten to explain the context, and I certainly wouldn’t put it in print.
Even the best maker has flutes that do not sound as good as some of his other flutes. There are so many factors involved in assessing a flute-maker’s skill that it makes judging his work a tricky business. I don’t think there should be a thread evaluating various makers’ flutes, though that has been suggested.
When somebody writes in a public forum, “Some people told me they don’t like X’s flutes, but nobody told me he liked them,” that comment becomes part of a printed record. I know you said “FWIW” and that does take away some of the sting. And I apologize for leaving out that part of the quote. But I don’t think it should have been said at all without greater clarification.
We went through something like this when you said that Hammy’s flutes were said to be out of tune. I thought it unkind of you to say that then and I think the same now.
I first saw a picture of an Ormiston flute in a hard copy catalogue in London about 14 years ago! (my God, how time flies)!
here is his website
http://www.ormistonflutes.fsnet.co.uk/
see how he makes both keyed and unkeyed for F, Eb, D, Bb and Alto flutes.
Exciting stuff!
It is tough to write an assessment of a flute here. If you offer praise, someone trots out that form which ticks off amusing/unhelpful superlatives. If you offer criticism, someone accuses you of being too new, choosing a substandard example of the maker, and/or not up to their standard of sophistication.
That said I currently have in my possession a couple of flute that I’m evaluating for my personal use. They are a Ormiston, Hamilton, Cochran, and a plastic Seery. None are new, some are on loan, and I do not know the details of their provenance.
They all are a delight to play and are quite different from one another.
Regarding the Ormiston, I’ve noticed that the bottom octave is the easiest and richest of any flute that I’ve played. For me it is simple to get that “nyaa” quality. The flute is also a fine example of workmanship. It exudes class in the quality of the materials and construction. I’ve found the upper octaves to be more challenging than most. In my experience I’ve had to take a lot of care to have a very solid embouchure when playing above the first octave.
My credentials - I’ve played longer than some and less than others. I’m also a better musician than some and worse than others. Add to that the fact that I’m older than many and younger than most, I guess I could claim to be an extraordinary example of mediocrity.
HTH, John
…I sometimes think it’s hard to write an assessment of anything here! 
Last time I started a thread about a certain tutor book that I liked…the thread, well, …how shall I put it… things got a little heated!! 
I’m all for each person having their own opinions, but that’s all they are…their own opinions. We are all old enough and ugly enough to give our own opinions, without people taking umbrage. 
If we all had to have the same opinions about everything in life…things would be very dull indeed! 
Cass.
Good point, John. You’re echoing my thoughts, which brings me to:
which leads to:
Which really has nothing to do with the subject, but which reflects my state of mind today, such as it is…
It is tough to write an assessment of a flute here.
I thought you did pretty well.
You spoke of your own experience with the flute.
You talked about your background.
You neither gushed nor dumped.
You compared it to other flutes with some objectivity.
I thought it was balanced and fair.
I find myself agreeing with Cocusflute more and more lately… hmmm.
The truth is, not everyone’s tastes in flutes (or anything) are the same, and that makes subjective criticism a bit useless, assuming the flutes are playable in the first place. There’s really only the “in my experience, or in my opinion,” and even that only helps if the criticism/endorsement is in-line with what you are specifically looking for (it’s a small/big holed flute, solid/dainty construction, thin/fat diameter, louder n’ hell, or tonally complex, etc.) Some flutes, even some makers, have that certain ‘magic’ – but magic is not exactly easy to describe, and – like personal chemistry between people – it changes, depending. There’s a thread going on the Woodenflute list right now, talking about the impact a maker’s likes/dislikes and personal playing style has on the way the flute is made, and ultimately sounds. The fact is, it has a huge impact; maker’s tweak their instruments to sound best when played the way they expect to playthemselves, or the way their customers expect them to play. And this varies from maker to maker, region to region, and country to country.
Anyway, I’ve never played an Ormiston, so I can’t give my opinion one way or another, but always thought they were great looking flutes, if that means anything…
Gordon
Ormiston’s flutes have always shown his superb craftsmanship. His early flutes had small bores and thus lacked the power that many of us desire. However, several years ago, George began making larger bore models which are, IMHO, excellent sounding R&R style instruments. I think his flutes are generally under appreciated on this side of the Atlantic.
I have one of his Pratten design models on order. It will be interesting to see how it compares to my Olwell, Hamilton, McGee and Gallagher tribe.
Paul