Yeah I think I prefer the matte finish a lot, too. It really does feel much less slippery. And, I have to say that it feels a lot less heavy. I mean, the mass is obviously still about the same, but note that it’s more comfortable to hold it no longer feels like it’s too heavy. And yeah it totally makes it look like wood oh my gosh!
Andy did put a really cool satin texture on the surface but it was done using tiny clean lines that feel unique and catch your eye but they only made it less slippery in one direction, and more slippery in the other direction. But buffing it lengthwise with 0000 steel wool couldn’t have been faster or easier, so it’s easy to recommend!
Hi, I liked your review since I’m going through the same route. I bought a Galeon Pratten’s Perfected flute from The Irish Flute Store (IFS) in Greeley, CO. As you mention the flute is made in China by an interesting fellow who became a real fan of Irish music and began producing Tin Whistles and Irish flutes. As you found the Pratten model has problems with fingering. I have long fingers but still had trouble with stretching and covering the holes. I contacted IFS and they offered to ship out a Galeon Firth & Pond flute for me to compare. I spent my 7 days allowed trying various tunes and realized the Firth & Pond was easier and more accurate at hitting the notes. I did like the full sound from the Pratten over the F&P but in the end the fingering made all the difference, so I shipped the Pratten back to IFS. I have searched for other F&P flutes but only found mentions of them in museums! The Galeon company may be the only maker of this style of Irish flute!
There were a number of NY makers back in the day (Reilly, Firth, Hall, Pond and their various linkages) that made flutes with a general similarity. There are also contemporary makers who begin their designs with these makers (e.g. Paddler on this forum). And from time to time, antique flutes by the early makers show up in the Used Instrument Exchange forum — I’ve gotten a Firth, Hall, Pond and a Reilly instrument this way. A bit of searching and some patience might come up with other makers and/or instruments from this period.
Adding to what Steve said, Terry McGee (who commented earlier in this thread) makes a significant number of flutes based on the FHP design, and has some good info about the original makers up on his website. Worth checking out if you like the feel of these flutes!
I can’t say for sure about your Galeon flute, but Andy is still putting that micro-grooved texture on his flutes, and the two I just played had a bi-directional texture, not slippery in either direction on the Rudall or Pratten Delrin 4 piece flutes in 2026. It’s one of the attributes that I really like about the Galeon flutes, because I’ve had some slippery ones of other makers Delrin flutes before too. Jon Cornia used to do a nice texture/wood-like finish on his Cochran Delrin flutes that were pretty unique. Good flutes too!