Looking at the paltry interest I have been receiving from my savings account, I decided to invest in flutes that I think will appreciate in value much more quickly than 1% per year. I asked the up-and-coming American flutemaker, Jon Cornia, to make me two flutes in delrin, one a classic Pratten and the other a classic Ruddal and Rose style. Jon informed me that the flutes are completed and will be shipped today.
Jon commented, “I call them the Tipple twins, as they were born at the same time, but have two different personalities! Classic Pratten and Classic R&R. The Pratten has the rounded rectangle and the R&R has a more classic oval. Keep in mind that the R&R takes a little getting used to, but is rewarding in the end. Hope you enjoy them.”
That is an amazing photograph: Two “ideal type” flutes by the same maker, produced at the same time, in direct comparison. The architectural differences between the two styles are thrown into sharp relief.
Is “Jon Cornia” , the same as Jon C. that posts here on the board, of Jon Cochran Flutes, or is he a totally different and new flute maker, and if so what’s his back ground and contact information?
I like the lines of the flute very much. Would be interested in how you think they play.
My secret identity has been revealed!
I use my mothers name Cochran, as I feel more akin to Cochrans then the Cornia’s. The Cornia’s were French Canadian trappers, the original name was Perhaps an altered spelling of Corneyre, a ‘learned’ form of Cornier, a topographic name for someone who lived on the corner of a street. I guess we lived on the corner of some street…
Cheers,
although i couldnt quite place Jon’s real last name, i already knew his name wasnt Cochran. i think i figured it out first day of doing research on his flutes. but, i couldnt for the life of me figure out what his real last name was, or why he used another last name for his flutes.
doug, you’ll have to tell us how they play when you get them! i’m planning on ordering one this spring so i i’d love to hear more to bide the time.
I have had the pleasure of playing one of Jon’s flutes for a few weeks. It was an R&R in cocobolo, and I can tell you that the man does some top notch work. I really enjoyed the flute. It had everything that I would ask for in a good flute. I think that my dream flute would be a keyed Jon C Pratten, and I think I’ll get one as soon as I’m good for it.
My point is: Get one now, don’t get caught up in the waiting list as I’ll probably be. This Jon fellow is on to something, and when people start to realise that, you’ll be waiting many years for your Jon C flute.
Get it, you won’t regret it. Jon is great fellow to deal with as well.
that’s what i’ve heard! Jon and I emailed back and forth for a week or so at the beginning of this year, talking about options, prices, delrin / vs. wood, and which flute would fit well for me.
the only problem is i am getting two concertinas, an edgley and a carroll. the carroll waiting list is 3 years long, which i ordered during october. the edgley i ordered earlier this month, with a waiting list of about 4-6 months.
i had planned to have the money for the edgley by february, then i was going to order the Jon C. by march. after i sent the down payment to frank edgley, i was told by my parents that i would have to pay for school, and that i would be reimbursed at least enough to get my concertina. so my bank account considerably lighter, i wont be able to get the flute until after the concertina, or at least until my parents pay me back.
i’m not too worried, though, because the waiting list for a delrin is much shorter than a wooden flute, and i plan on ordering from Jon in april or may. i play boehm now, so i want a delrin so i can go full charge into the flute without worrying about break in time or care.
the other reason i want delrin is because i want to have a flute for travelling. before i found out about Jon C. i was planning on getting a copley and then an m&e. i still want to get the copley, but i am going to wait until he finishes working on his c natural thumb hole.
so i have a question, henke. if i had a delrin Jon C. flute, would you think i might want to get a wooden one as well?
so i think the lesson in all of this is that school and concertinas are bad for wooden flutes. it seems every time i get enough money for a wooden flute one or the other gets in the way.
I’ve been thinking quite seriously about a Jon C. Delrin, myself.
Much as I love my Burns Folk Flute, it isn’t the best for travel - and depending on customer requests, I can end up almost anywhere with very little notice. I’ve been looking at polymer flutes, and a Jon C Delrin is surpisingly affordable - in the same general price range as an M & E or a Seery, with quite a few more options to chose from.
Doug, I know that Jon C. offers both large-hole and small-hole R & R models; is this is the large-hole version?
You’ll have to wait a while for the keyed one. I put a request in about a year or so ago and he hasn’t had time to play around with keys yet. I think he finally got the tools for it though, right Jon? He has the craftsmenship to make some amazing keyed flutes although I don’t know where he would fit his new equiptment as there is a massive generator taking up the majority of his hi-jacked workshop.
I don’t know the answer. Jon will need to answer that question. I just told him to make me to of his best flutes in delrin, a Pratten and an R & R. Jon just informed me that he mailed the flutes today, so I have to wait a few days before I can play them. I will offer my comments after I have had a chance to get to know them.
I just finished a flute last week with the C natural thumb hole. A lot of fun to play once you get used to the idea, though I would have to re-learn the fingering for a lot of tunes. If I could go back and start to learn the flute over again, I would think seriously of starting on this type of flute. Of course you would probably want to get your pennywhistles modified the same way, or remember two sets of fingering.
I have a flute with a C natural thumb hole. I go back and forth as to whether I like it or not. Currently I have tape over the hole, and I am using the cross-fingering for the C natural. However, when I play the silver flute, I am accustomed to using the C natural thumb key. We are creatures of habit, and those habits are hard to change once started.
