It’s on eBay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290073633831
Here’s the (revised) listing:
Wilkes Low Bb Irish Blackwood 5 or 6-key Flute!
Extra Low A Midsection, Sterling Silver Keys, Etc.
This flute is simply the best. It is about 7 years old, in pristine condition. It is made of choice blackwood, with Sterling Silver ferrules, slide and keys. It has one head and barrel, one lower middle section and one foot, and it has two upper middle sections (one for Bb and one for A).
Revision: I have just learned that, in the moment I allowed myself to read the original listing from which I bought this flute, I missed the part that said that the A midsection was made by Casey Burns. It was not my intention to be inaccurate and I apologize. So, onto flute details…
With either upper mid-section, the flute is perfectly in tune. As a Bb, it has five (or six) keys: (in D flute terms) Eb, Short F, Long F, Ab/G#, and Bb with an additional right-hand lever for the Bb (this is the sixth key - there is no C natural key, but C natural is easily cross-fingered). As an A flute, it has three keys: (in D flute terms) Eb, Short F and Long F. This flute has a full and rich lower octave and a sweet and easy upper octave. It has the dynamic range one would expect from a Wilkes flute. It doesn't hurt my hands at all. The beautifully shaped holes on the Bb flute are easy to reach and easy to cover (the holes on the A section are easy to reach and cover, too). Every part of the Bb flute, including the keys, is made entirely by hand. I don't have to tell you how rare this is - you know already. Am I crazy to sell it? Maybe. I made the decision to buy it in a split-second, the moment I became aware of its availability. It is a truly phenomenal instrument, capable of haunting slow airs as well as faster music, but I tend to play higher flutes (up through piccolos). If money were no object, I would keep it. We are embarking on a change of life, though. My husband is leaving his corporate career to join me in my artistic one! We are very excited; we're opting for quality of life. As we are giving up half of our income, some sacrifices need to be made. This is one of them, and I will pass it on happily to its new player.
On the Chiff and Fipple Flute Forum, Brad Hurley, of the Guide to the Irish Flute website, posted the following: "I know this flute and have played it, and it's every bit as wonderful as you would expect."
I am listing it here with no reserve and a starting bid of what I paid for it.
Here are some pictures.
See the embouchure hole in the lower part of the following picture and some beautifully-shaped toneholes in the upper part of the picture:
Simple, beautiful keywork:
Here is the Bb key, shown with the right-hand lever:
See the attention to detail - there is a cutout in the ferrule to accomodate the right-hand Bb lever:
An attractive and functional (wooden screw-top) endcap:
Thanks for looking.
