Chiff and Fipple Forums

Horrors.

My 1850 Firth Pond flute was sitting peacefully naked on the table, when a sudden, huge gust of wind blew it 3 feet to the concrete.

I was ever so fortunate, as I couldn't find any damage, beyond some light scratches on a couple of key touches. The action is still fine, no cracks, no wood damage at all. This flute somehow survived to 2018 without any cracks of any kind, which means it has already lived a charmed life. The antique case also fell to the ground and got slightly smashed, which is sad but not tragic.

This does trigger me into looking for a spare flute. You can't count on getting a replacement on short notice.

WTB: Firth, Pond & Co, or William Hall 8-key. I'm happy with the 19th Century American Makers, and I would also look twice at a medium hole English flute that plays nicely at A=440.

Wow!

Glad to hear that the flute is unscathed. Yes, it would be a very sensible idea to purchase a second backup flute, in case your main instrument is out of commission for some time. It will be difficult to get hold of an American 8 key flute, as they seldom appear on the market. However, persistence can pay off, because these flutes can be incredibly rewarding to play, especially those by William Hall, the varying business incarnatons of Firth, Hall and Pond, but also instruments by makers such as, Whiteley, Peloubet, Baack, and E. Riley, among others. American flutes also often have better intonation than their English counterparts from the same time period, so it is to be expected that players tend to hold onto them.