I just read the thread Jim posted about Grey Larson’s low Bb and A flutes. I listened to Grey’s sound clips and thought the low tone was loverly. I want a low B to play with the B uilleann pipes. Is anyone making wooden flutes in B or is it a custom order from the likes of Casey Burns?
Coincidentally I’m just working on such a thing at the moment, and for exactly the same reason - to play with a flat set in B (as opposed to a Bb set!). Must be all the rage out there …
Terry
And I was just on your web site looking at your flutes, before I posted, wondering if you might be the one. Remember me when the flute is done. The money is no problem. I’d like one for St. Patricks Day (wishful thinking, I know). 
I was just mentioning this very thing to Kynch on the pipe forum the other day. Yes the Bees are buzzing everywhere these days. I’m even getting ready to retune one of my concertinas (two row) to B/E, for the pipes sake.
I think Hammy does flutes in B and a friend of mine has a Chris Wilkes with two heads which allows B or Bb on the same body.
Ken
Heh heh, the coincidences continue. I’ve just been revising that section of my web page today in the light of recent developments, so now you’re going to have to read it all again! There’s now a separate page dealing with low flutes. St Paddy’s isn’t entirely out of the question.
B seems to becoming a defacto standard for flat sets, or am I seeing a warped view from down here? I imagine it’s a reasonable balance of nice low sound but reasonable stretch?
Terry
I just… have no comment!
Mary
…
Back away from the Bnat flute very slowly, Lorenzo. That B is mine.
I had approached several flute makers about a Bnat flute, and none of them would attempt it without a having an existing model to work from, saying it was too much work to develop their own, not enough market, etc. I was initially shying away from Terry because a). he is so very far away from me, and b). his prices are a bit on the steep side.
However, Terry jumped at the opportunity to develop a Bnat flute, and has been nothing but positive from the get-go. I guess it comes with the service, and that’s what I’m paying for.
I’ll report on the Bnat when it arrrives in the spring.
djm
Best get yerself a big pacifier while you’re pretending to wait, lad. 
Thanks Ken. Hey, you’re belated CDs should be in your mail by New Years. It took me a while to get familiar with the machine. I just recently figured out how to seperate the tracks manually. You wouldn’t have wanted 90 minutes on one track! BTW, the BS (back-stitching) is coming right along–lower hand anyway. It takes a good year, at least, and ain’t that easy.
I know someone who ordered and received a flute in B from A. Rogge (Germany) to go with a flat set that he had made.
Just look for anyone who makes flutes in Baroque pitch, or A=415.
Glauber is right about old pitch flat flutes being pitched about modern B. There used to be a fad in the 18th century for the “flute d’amour”. I think the Wilkes is based on something like that.
Great news Larry, I will look forward to the CD.
Ken
That made me think, and I just remembered I’ve have an old ebony (Myer?) flute that’s been laying around for years…my first wooden flute. I’ve never played it much because it was quite flat of standard pitch. It’s a good sounding flute with large tone holes. So last night I pulled out the slide to see how low it would go, and still be in tune with itself. I found I could lower it a whole step below standard. That slide is looooong. It’ll pull out quite a bit further, but goes out of tune with itself. So, I think this will work fine for recordings, I’ll just speed up the pipes a little when I over dub. Pulling the slide way out really did give this flute a deeper sonorous tone as Terry says about the low pitched flutes. With D fingerings, I’m in C.
flutemaker bryan byrne in vermont has made a ‘b’ flute.