FS: Bryan Byrne Keyless Blackwood Flute

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Loren
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FS: Bryan Byrne Keyless Blackwood Flute

Post by Loren »

I’m selling my Bryan Byrne keyless flute made from African Blackwood, with Sterling rings, slide and fully sterling lined headjoint. Absolutely killer R&R style flute that sounds and plays fantastic. Yes, you need to have a decent embouchure to get the best out of a Byrne, but the effort is well worth it - this is one of the best flutes I’ve ever played, period. Also, the workmanship on Bryan’s flutes is second to none.

The flute is in excellent condition with the exception of two hairline cracks in the barrel section. As it is, the flute plays perfectly fine with scotch tape over the cracks. If you live somewhere humid it probably wouldn’t even leak if you removed the tape. Never the less, the barrel has these two hairline cracks and I have priced the flute accordingly. You could, of course, have the cracks repaired, which wouldn’t cost a lot, or you could have Bryan make you a new barrel, which he told me a while back would cost $500.....Personally, I think a relatively inexpensive repair of the existing barrel by a reputable maker (I recommend Dave Copley, assuming he’s accepting repair work at the moment) makes the most sense, but that’s me.

Last time I spoke with Bryan was several years ago and, as I recall, he was charging $2000 for new keyless flutes at that time.

Price for my Byrne is $1550. Shipped and insured ONLY TO USA destinations. PayPal will NOT be an option, sorry. Other payment arrangements can be made.

I’m not really looking for trades, however if you have one of the following Unicorn Horns, you’d have my attention:

Olwell in Delrin. Only one, a keyless, known to exist and the last known owner told me some years ago that he had no intentions of selling.

Keyed Olwell in Boxwood set up for piper’s grip with the additional RH touch. I know of at least one out in the wild (Josh Dukes’ old flute?), but I imagine others exist. Obviously I wouldn’t be expecting a straight trade on such an item.

Grinter in Delrin keyed or keyless. I doubt any such flutes have been made - Michael never even replied to my request about making one , but I’d be delighted to be proven wrong.

Grinter Boxwood or Red Lancewood keyed and set-up for pipers grip as described above. Not holding my breath here, but I believe there are a few out there, along with the truth, and probably being played by big foot, who we all know is, in fact, a piper, mostly.

Grinter keyless in Red Lancewood. Should be a fair few of these around, might be interested depending on when it was made and the condition.

Wilkes. Not even gonna mention the “D” word here as I don’t imagine Chris would have anything to do with the stuff. Boxwood then, keyed, keyless, R&R preferred but would consider a Prattens because....Wilkes.

Copley Delrin keyed pipers style as above.

Finally, a Byrne in Boxwood would be at the top of my list, but isn’t because Bryan told me he’s never made one of his flutes in Boxwood. So sad, but that’s why it’s not on my list.

Well, That’s it. PM me if interested in the Byrne, I will take and send photos for serious buyers.
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Loren
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Tell us something.: You just slip out the back, Jack
Make a new plan, Stan
You don't need to be coy, Roy
Just get yourself free
Hop on the bus, Gus
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Just drop off the key, Lee
And get yourself free
Location: Loren has left the building.

Re: FS: Bryan Byrne Keyless Blackwood Flute

Post by Loren »

Price reduced to $1450.
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Loren
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Tell us something.: You just slip out the back, Jack
Make a new plan, Stan
You don't need to be coy, Roy
Just get yourself free
Hop on the bus, Gus
You don't need to discuss much
Just drop off the key, Lee
And get yourself free
Location: Loren has left the building.

Re: FS: Bryan Byrne Keyless Blackwood Flute

Post by Loren »

Going over the flute carefully today I noticed a couple of additional minor things I need to mention, and I am lowering the price accordingly:

There are a few light scratches on the flute that will likely buff out completely, or very nearly so, if put on the buffing wheel by a professional. I’ve buffed out much worse.

Some very minor scratching on one or two of the silver rings. Many people wouldn’t even notice, but it’s there. Again, easily buffed out by a pro.

There is a ding on the edge of the endcap. Easy to buff......naw, that ain’t gonna buff out :lol: To my eye it’s not a really bad ding, but I realize it might bother some. Of course a new end cap could be made, or the current endcap could be reshaped ever so slightly and no one would be the wiser, except another Byrne owner. This would be really inexpensive to do, literally 15 seconds of turning once the endcap is chucked on the lathe. Or you could have something more ornate done.

The tuning slide is not as tight as I like. It’s not in any danger of leaking or falling off, but it could be snugger. Again, easily and quickly remedied, but I hesitate to adjust it to my liking since the flute is being sold.

Finally, once adjusted to local humidity of the new owner and played in a bit, a few more windings of thread might me called for at the tenons. Or not, depends on your location.

So there it is, some minor, cosmetic and/or personal preference items, in addition to the hairline cracked barrel mentioned above.

Lowering the price to $1250. Shipped Conus.
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chas
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Re: FS: Bryan Byrne Keyless Blackwood Flute

Post by chas »

For anyone who doesn't know Loren, when he says "many people wouldn't notice," what he really means is that almost nobody would notice. He's really attentive to details like that.
Charlie
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"Our work puts heavy metal where it belongs -- as a music genre and not a pollutant in drinking water." -- Prof Ali Miserez.
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Loren
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Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: You just slip out the back, Jack
Make a new plan, Stan
You don't need to be coy, Roy
Just get yourself free
Hop on the bus, Gus
You don't need to discuss much
Just drop off the key, Lee
And get yourself free
Location: Loren has left the building.

Re: FS: Bryan Byrne Keyless Blackwood Flute

Post by Loren »

Thanks for that Charlie. Yeah, it’s a blessing and a bit of a curse as well, but it’s how I was trained, and totally necessary for the level of work I was required to do.

Certainly I don’t want to minimize any issues - I don’t want anyone to be surprised, hence my detailed descriptions.

Some may be wondering why I don’t just do the work myself, which is a fair question. The fact is, over the years my wood allergies have gotten worse, so much so that dermatitis is the least of my worries: 30 Seconds of playing a Blackwood (or other allergenic wood) flute causes me to start having breathing issues. So, really just not worth the risk of anaphylaxis.

Bryan Byrne makes fabulous flutes and this one just needs a little attention to be killer. Really frustrates me not to be able to offer it in top shape, but this does offer someone the opportunity to get a good deal. Which reminds me that I forgot to mention, the flute does come with a cavallero flute roll. Bit of history now I suppose, as they are no longer made.
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Loren
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Joined: Fri Jun 29, 2001 6:00 pm
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Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: You just slip out the back, Jack
Make a new plan, Stan
You don't need to be coy, Roy
Just get yourself free
Hop on the bus, Gus
You don't need to discuss much
Just drop off the key, Lee
And get yourself free
Location: Loren has left the building.

Re: FS: Bryan Byrne Keyless Blackwood Flute

Post by Loren »

Reduced to $1150.
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