Chiff and Fipple Forums

The Tipple flutes have a big advantage over most of the others for the simple reason that they break down into three pieces. One piece flutes have the obvious issues with tunability, but they're also somewhat awkward to carry around given their dimensions. Two piece flutes are a little better, but usually you end up with one very short piece and one very long piece, not really cutting down too much on the bulk. A three piece flute, though, usually breaks down into three more or less equal segments, and is much more compact.

If travel is one of the reasons you're interested in getting this flute, I'd suggest one that can break down.

There do seem to be a lot of good options well under $500 dollars.

A PVC flute seems pretty ideal for travel. Virtually indestructible in any conditions ordinary life is likely to present and very light. A three piece PVC flute would be very easy to carry. I like my delrin flutes but they are heavier and as I understand it a delrin flute left in a closed car on a hot sunny day could be subject to softening and "creep." I'd be somewhat inclined to favor a conical bore flute but 've never tried one of Tipple's flutes and the difference might not matter

PB+J wrote:There do seem to be a lot of good options well under $500 dollars.

A PVC flute seems pretty ideal for travel. Virtually indestructible in any conditions ordinary life is likely to present and very light. A three piece PVC flute would be very easy to carry. I like my delrin flutes but they are heavier and as I understand it a delrin flute left in a closed car on a hot sunny day could be subject to softening and "creep." I'd be somewhat inclined to favor a conical bore flute but 've never tried one of Tipple's flutes and the difference might not matter

PVC distorts beginning about 140 degrees Farenheit.
"When temperatures outside range from 80 degrees to 100 degrees, the temperature inside a car parked in direct sunlight can quickly climb to between 130 to 172.”

I think Delrin is good to near 250 degrees, and has pretty good creep resistance.

kkrell wrote:I think Delrin is good to near 250 degrees, and has pretty good creep resistance.

I had a couple of creeps come after my delrin flute one evening in a pub and it was no where near that warm—so I'm not so sure about how resistant they are.

Best wishes.

Steve

(Recalling Feadoggie on another thread, I was prompted to offer this ...)

The makers listed above are aiming for a much higher bar than, "passable backup." Any of their flutes could be someone's go-to instrument.

This is the real answer to "Absolute least expensive." Some assembly required.



By all means, order a good flute from a professional maker. But while you're waiting, take a trip down to the hardware store, and see how close to "passable" you can get on your own for around $10. Get the kids involved, so when they play it, they have the extra thrill of having helped make it.

Hear, hear, Tunbrough. Delrins and pvc flutes seem to be Overlooked just because they're cheaper and dismissed as "plastic". I don't think the next generations of flute players will have that prejudice. Tipple' s are grossly underpriced for their outstanding excellence for instance. I was familiar with senior marketing and if I had my way we'd see Doug a rich man with a two year waiting list for his highly priced crafted gems.

Best wishes,

K.

Here is a nice stable flute:

Hamilton practice: got one, love it, great embouchure.
DIY pvc: made a couple hundred with student groups. Very satisfying, especially the part where you Bork one up and blithely start another, cause they’re cheeeeeep. F flutes are grand for kids.
Tipple: never had a real one, but I followed his old plans once and had a nice tooter with decent intonation and hole spacing. I played a real one briefly, and the workmanship was ridiculously good for the price.
Dixon: tried one, and I prefer my homemade.

Edit: My actual current travel flute is a Cochran 3 piece in a Pelican case. The case now looks like poo, but the flute is lovely. Not the kind of thing being discussed, but I just wanted to give a shoutout to JonC.

How much is the photgraphed flute Jon? I'm presuming it's delrin?

Best wishes,

Keith.