The Sweet Shannon model flute comes highly recommended in these forums for the price (a big consideration for me) and quality, but when you go to the Sweet site there's a notice that the Shannon is out of stock with the nebulous suggestion that one should check back in a few months.

So, what is a similarly priced and quality of poly flute that is out there for a beginner that is currently available?
And I am more interested in something that actually started out life as a conical flute rather than plumbing pipe.

Only slightly more expensive and both very, very good are the delrin flutes by Rob Forbes and Dave Copley. The Copley is slightly easier to play and the Forbes has a bigger sound. Both are instruments you will want to keep even if you later decide to get a wooden flute.

Thanks for the referral. I will look into them.

If really interested in the Shannon, you might contact Walt directly and try and clear up the nebulosity..... You can find him on the Members list at memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=2285

Or, there's a Somers on the Used Instruments Forum.

Best wishes.

Steve

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Actually that was one of the first things I did through his website. But not sure what the answer (which I just got a half hour ago) would be, I wanted to look for alternatives.

He said he still needs to make component parts and to contact him after 4 more months.
The Shannon gets a lot of high marks here on the forums, but if there are equivalents for very little more, I might just go with one of them. Bird in the hand type thing. However nothing's carved in stone.

I really like the inexpensive Delrin flute I got from Michael Cronnelly, of M&E flutes.

https://www.mandeirishflutes.ie

I also have a Shannon, and I prefer the M&E because it’s easier to get the “hard” sound common in ITM, at least for me. The Shannon is probably a bit easier to play. It’s lighter and a bit shorter.

The M&E came very quickly after I ordered it. I liked the sound of it right away.

I’ve never tried the Copley or Forbes, so can’t offer a comparison. They are consistently well regarded around here.

I think the fact is that we are blessed with a number of really good bottom of the line delrin flutes.
We've mentioned a number of the makers. The point is that all of these are good enough. My personal favorite is the Copley, but I like the Shannon. A woman I know plays a Somers Rudall, and let me play it, and it's fine. I like the MandE too. Not a choice tween something you'll like and something you'll
detest.

Thank you. I'll check that out. While Walt Sweet says, if I understood it correctly, it's going to be 4 months before you can even contact him to order, Dave Copley said if somebody orders today it's a 5 month waiting list.
Still, knowing you're in line is better than waiting months to see if you can, maybe, get in line.
Meanwhile, the search continues.

Let me diverged here a little bit and ask another question. Are these purpose-built ploy flutes easier to blow than the repurposed PVC flutes, say even from somebody who's really good at it like Doug Tipple?

I have one from another guy, who also seems to know what he's doing, that I'm having a hell of a time with.

I don't think it's my embouchure per se. I do fine on a shorter G PVC flute with a lip plate I got from the same source and I also have a student model classical flute which I have no trouble getting a sound out of. Although I find a lot of the fingering befuddles me in my old age, which is why I'm just looking at a simple system, though more professionally made, poly flute

So my question is, compared to the PVC offerings out there, are these other poly flutes, as recommended here, easier to blow?

To the digression... I have a Shannon, an M&E, and a Tipple.

To my ear, the Shannon is purer than the others. The M&E goes more easily to the dark Reedy sound. The Tipple is loud and crisp. None is,to me, easier. The embrouchure is very different on each. The Tipple having the smallest. Perhaps your challenge lies there. Have you tried tightening up your embrouchure? The smaller the hole, the better your focus must be.

2¢

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Well, my thought would be that something designed to be a flute would play *easier than something that wasn't. Not so?

And actually the embouchure on that smaller G fife I got, from My Whistle and Flute, is smaller than the one on the D flute I got. A 5/16 embouchure for the G with a 1/2 inch bore vs 3/8 for the D with a 3/4 inch bore.

Just for iggles here here's a link to that G fife so you can see what I'm talking about

https://youtu.be/5LJzKvpZzxM

*"easier" being a relative term when it comes to flute playing. But I'm talking about something that is optimized to be an instrument, as it was designed to be an instrument, versus something that was not originally designed to be an instrument, such as a length of PVC pipe, and as such you have to kind of muscle it into being an instrument. In this case you're kind of muscling a PVC pipe into being a flute. Yes? No? Maybe?

IMHO I think the Copley might be the easiest to start, but you should be able to get pretty comfortable with any of the others within only a few weeks, so I don't see the point of having initially easy be such a consideration of purchase.

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Yeah, I guess I probably didn't express myself very well there. I'm talking about overall. Something where, if there's a problem getting a decent sustainable sound out of it, I know it's me and not the flute.

Something that while it may require some skill of a developed or embouchure, as does all flute playing, you don't have to unduly muscle it because it wasn't designed to be an instrument in the first place.
And I don't know if that's the problem I'm having with this current D PVC flute I have or if it's because it's a cylindrical bore and not a conical bore or what. But I THINK it's a problem that I could avoid with a purpose-built flute.

A PVC flute is a purpose-built flute; it just happens to be built out of (generally) PVC pipe. But, yes, I'd prefer a conical one that's been turned on a lathe.

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Tony Dixon has conical bore flutes, (£40 one piece & £160 3 piece), Damian Thompson too (£180), I have flutes from both, & once you get your embouchure, they play well, I also have an M&E in 'F' (£200).

Each requires a slightly different approach, but 'easy enough' once you adjust to how they want to be played.

Regarding straight tube flutes, I bought a flute head for my TD tunable 'A' whistle, & it plays very nicely too, so there are other options.
(I have a TD Duo tunable (high) C whistle/piccolo combo, & that plays well as a flute/fife/piccolo too.)

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