Here’s my version of Black Friday Weekend shopping, I am looking for any of the following that are NOT made from Blackwood, Cocus, or Cocobolo as I am allergic to those.
Eb and/or C body that is made to fit the native D headjoint of a standard (full metal slide) Olwell, Grinter, Murray or the same key bodies made to fit a Copley slideless delrin flute.
Eb, D, C or Bb Flute By Olwell, Wilkes, Grinter or Bryan Byrne. Will also consider Copley flutes in Keys other than D. Would be looking for keyless in the Eb, C, and Bb flutes, D could be keyed or keyless.
vPipes
So, if happen to have anything listed above and you’d like to some extra spending money for the holidays, please contact me. Email rather than PM is probably best. And no, I’m not looking to buy a bunch of flutes, just going shotgun approach here since most of the stuff is not that commonly available used and I’m hoping to get lucky and find one or two of the items on my list.
Thanks Steve, that’s actually something I have been wondering about. Interesting, particularly considering he spent some years working with lots of boxwood during his recorder shop years. I’m curious, have you run into any of Bryan’s flutes here in our neck of the woods? With my work schedule I haven’t gotten out to sessions in years, so I’ve yet to come across one.
Andrea Mori who has taught at the Irish Cultural Center, the Pipers Gathering (in VT) and CCE in Brighton has one. She lives near Boston but the only session I remember her mentioning is in Plymouth somewhere. Of course, there are several in VT where Bryan lives and works. They seem like magnificent instruments but I’m really not sufficiently experienced to compare them with other high-end, made in US flutes. Hardly ever see one for sale used. Can’t tell if that’s just 'cause he hasn’t made that many or because they are treasures not to be sold.
Thanks for that Steve, I’ll keep an eye out for any events and such where Andrea might be in the area in the future.
I think Bryan simply doesn’t have many flutes out there, but from what I’ve heard they’re right up there with the best. If I haven’t run across one of his flutes by spring time I’ll probably make the 3+ hour drive to his place next year to to have a go on one, and perhaps attempt to convince him to make a flute in boxwood or delrin.
Yeah, I have a boxwood Olwell keyless D flute that is my main flute. Also have an older Boxwood Keyless Grinter that I play as well, plus a delrin slideless Copley for toting around when things get a bit rugged. All fine flutes. If I had my way I’d have one Keyed D flute with keyless bodies in Eb, D, C as well as Bb with keyed and keyless bodies, all by the same maker because while I can switch around to different flutes and adjust ok, I don’t really enjoy it so much. Of course I’d be flat broke if I had all that gear anyway, so perhaps it’s just as well.
And no, unfortunately a lip plate doesn’t solve my problem because I am so allergic that my hands start to feel like they’re burning when I hold a blackwood flute for more than a minute or two. Also my face, right at the edges of my mouth, actually cracks and stays that way, even with a lip plate. And the cracks won’t heal until I’ve stopped playing for at least a couple of weeks. Can’t really go to work looking like that. So yeah, I’m very limited with regards to what flutes I can play. It’s not the world’s greatest problem mind you, but it is actually one of the reasons I’m always keeping my eyes out for for flutes I can play - so that I have a back-up or two in the event that a flute gets stolen, cracked or broken, because I can’t just go out and pick up a replacement easily.
IMHO, Bryan’s flutes are among the very best in the world–lively, sweet, but demanding alrighty.
I have my doubts that he would make a delrin flute (but no harm asking); however boxwood
might interest him.
Is the head half lined or fully lined Loren? Also, i was talking to Patric Olwell about his boxwood flutes a while back and if i am understanding they don’t have the same strength in a noisy session as blackwood. I was wondering if you might have time to comment on that as you play one.
I’m going to answer your question off-line via email because this a rather subjective thing and the topic often gets rather heated here on the board, and I’m feeling somewhat impatient of late
Ah yes, I saw that, absolutely gorgeous flute. I neglected to mention that since switching to left hand pipers grip recently, due to an arm injury that has gone unresolved for years, I really prefer two piece center sections, rather than the standard 1 Piece Prattens configuration which I now find uncomfortable to play. Also not a fan of significantly warped flute, and more important even for me, I am a non-smoker, with asthma who despises the smell of cigarette smoke. Will certainly be a fantastic flute for someone, no doubt about it, but absolutely not for me, much as I’m dying to own a Boxwood Wilkes.
