Julia Delaney wrote:
$350 for my Reviol keyless in D. It’s a wooden flute with a poured Delrin liner. Don’t ask me how he does it. It plays very nicely, is in tune, and is trouble free. The new price is $450 + shipping from New Zealand. I will include shipping anywhere on the planet. Reviol’s flutes are very similar to Martin Doyle’s flutes.
For obvious reasons I’m very interested in the idea that these are similar to M Doyle’s flutes. Some similarities are visually
plain. How does the sound of the flutes compare? Anyone?
I too thought that the Doyle and Reviol designs were similar. BUT THEY ARE NOT!
I’m rather a minimalist and I’m drawn to the simplistic design of these two flutes.
I’ve only had one of each so my opinion is based upon a very limited sample.
Doyle - All around good flute. My impression was “If I could only have one flute, this would be it!” It didn’t really excel in any area, just very good at everything.
Reviol - Most powerful Rudall based flute I’ve ever played! But what I found so endearing was the clarity with which the flute spoke and the response that made ornamentation sound crisp.
BTW: I’m getting the Reviol Cast-Bore from Julia Delaney!
While I can see that this bore design would suffer considerably less from drying and re-hydration cycles, would it not still be subject to the eventual compression stresses as the wood dries out over time, much like a tuning slide or barrel?
Reviol discussed this at some point in a prior post. He borrowed the technique from repairing bassoons I think it was. He said he hadn’t had any problems historically with the procedure. I have the maple one and it’s sealed with lacquer or poly. I’m not sure how malleable the resin is…it might bend slightly as the wood shrinks along the grain. Don’t know. I think it would take a long time to get to that point.
I keep my high end Reviol at about 70% humidity but this other one stays out on the stand all the time. I’m a little ashamed to admit that I don’t clean it that often. I open it and shake it out when I’m done and let it air dry. Bad fluter!
For me, the power of the flute, the crispness and clarity of those beautiful high notes, the low maintenance, and the fact that I can practice on a cheap flute made withe the same drill/reamers as my expensive one make it a really good pick up flute for me. Oh and I can just throw it in the car and take it to a session without worrying. It’s not “my precioussssss”.
I’ve been playing one of these for about a year. It’s the only “Irish” flute I’ve
played regularly, so I don’t know whether it’s good or bad. It has a beautiful, big second
octave - sweet sounding. But in the low register to me it sounds too breathy
on D and E. This may be due to my lack of skill - I’m not sure. It doesn’t have
the same power on these notes as the Grinter or Olwell I often hear at my local
session. I have played on Terry McGee’s personal flute - which he describes as
‘middle of the road’ and it also seemed a bit weak down there. Comments?
Quite right Denny. One of those guys tried out the Reviol and sounded good,
except for the low end. I was too chickens*** to ask if I could have a go on the Grinter.
Hup, I’m sure the problem is your embouchure. If the guy who played your flute couldn’t get it either (and he’s not a very skilled player, even if decent), he’s probably not used to your flute. I’ve never tried a modern flute whose low end is weak. It could happen with a vintage flute though, or with a modern flute that leaks somewhere…
And I read somewhere Terry plays one of his first flutes, which may not be beginner friendly like his later models.
I had imagined the same and said so in an earlier thread, as celticmodes pointed out. Maurice was kind enough to offer his thoughts on the subject and describe a bit of his process at that time. Here’s what he wrote.
My understanding is that many Rudalls have to be rolled out when playing the bottom,
and a focused air stream directed into the flute. Many modern rudall copies
have been tweaked to eliminate the need, but not all. I am still locked
in combat with the Byrne. Sometimes the D is there, sometime less so.
Otherwise I think it is the most beautiful flute I know.
I wonder if it’s just that the cast bores are not tweaked. I have no problem with the high end version and they both come from the same maker. I’m guessing the fact that the bore is not re-bored after the resin is poured (despite Doc’s description) and the tone wholes are not undercut might contribute to the problem. This is what Maurice said to me in an email last year:
“Regards playability, the Cast bore flutes are meant as student flutes who are more affordable and don’t need as much care as a “proper” wooden flute. It’s not meant to replace the “proper” instruments.
The noteholes for example are not undercut and only the very small burr when drilling the noteholes is taken off. Normal wooden flutes take much longer to establish the proper noteholes with undercutting, sanding, sealing etc…The shape and the finish of the wooden flutes is much more work intensive too, the Resin flutes are easier to turn and the finish is very simple and not as fine as the wooden flutes”
So is Reviol saying that his flute is a “second?” If so, he might consider renaming it as such, as Hammy did with his “student flute,” and as Casey does with his “Folk Flute.” Both Hammy’s and Casey’s flutes are less expensive than Reviol’s cast bore flute. The cast bore flute, at $450, is more expensive than Delrin flutes made by Copley or Forbes, or Casey’s Folk Flute. One could fairly expect more attention to be expended in the making of the flute than Reviol describes in an earlier post.
@jim: Re: I am still locked in combat with the Byrne. Sometimes the D is there, sometime less so. This says more about your developing embouchure than an inherent flute problem. I don’t think the flute is changing from time to time. Play more! Play more!
@jim: Re: I am still locked in combat with the Byrne. Sometimes the D is there, sometime less so. This says more about your developing embouchure than an inherent flute problem. I don’t think the flute is changing from time to time. Play more! Play more!
No, the flute isn’t changing. I swear I’ve have spent literally years on the low D. Brad Hurley has given me pointers.
Bryan insists nothing is the matter with the flute. I lift my chin and blow a sharply focused stream of air
into the embouchure. When the flute is dry it’s OK. When it gets even slightly wet I can’t depend
on getting a good sound. Probably the most beautiful flute I have, IMO. But one wants the low
D to DO something! Thanks for the encouragement.
Maybe you need to clean the flute out after it gets all warm and juicy. That might help the problem. Condensation can make it hard to hit the bottom notes cleanly. I shake the head joint – and body – out several times during a session and I clean the flute once or twice during the session if I have to.
You probably have your own method, but I prefer my own flute cleaning protocol. For the HJ I use a stick about 16mm wide and about 5mm (.10 inch) thick, with some paper towel wrapped around the end about 3 or 4" down the length of the stick. Since the stick is flat it gets into the corner where the stopper meets the bore, so I can get the moisture out. It’s easy enough to change the paper towel when you have to.
For the body I use a bit of silk cloth (never cotton) lightly moistened with oil, either on a stick or at the end of a string with a weight on the end of it, which I pull through the flute once or twice to break up the big droplets that interfere with the sound.
When the flute gets wet you’ve probably been playing a while. Your embouchure muscles might be tired. Is it any easier to hit the low D if you set the flute down for a minute after you’ve been playing, so your lips can recover?
Might be worth a separate thread?
