Chiff and Fipple Forums

Have any of you had any experience with the Tilbury PVC flutes in D and G? I'm surprised they aren't as popular as their whistles, considering the low cost and reliable playability. The search function here tells me that the flute hasn't been talked about on Chiff & Fipple yet. The intonation is great despite the cylindrical bore and the tone is somewhere in between an Irish flute and a Renaissance Flute.

Here's a video of me playing one in G: https://youtu.be/_ZkQd7rJ4v8

Don't expect it to sound as dark and reedy as a proper Irish flute, but it is very reliable. It makes for a great backpack flute or a beginner flute. It could be a much cheaper alternative to the Tipple (which are already pretty cheap). They also come in different colored plastics; not painted, but actually different coloured. I've seen them in black, white, red, orange, purple, yellow, and blue.

The odd thing is, they aren't advertised on his website. A quick google search will lead to distributors that carry them, such as Melody Wind Music PH. The owner is a good friend of mine who ordered a bunch of them in bulk directly from Mr. Tilbury.

Interesting that the only site that pops up on my Google search is Melody Wind. Perhaps it was a batch made specifically for Melody Wind? There is a spot on Mr. Tilbury's Shop page for flutes but when you click on it you get a "No product matches your search" message.

Best wishes.

Steve

They were also sold by Celtic Cross Whistle Shop before they closed (I assume, since the website no longer exists). As far as I know, Melody Wind is the only store that sells them online at the moment.

According to Geoffrey, the owner of Melody Wind, Mr. Tilbury also sold them locally at music festivals. I should get around to asking the maker himself. It's quite the mystery considering how well his flutes play; the G in particular.

Own the D. Got it from Geoffrey as well. And it was the first PVC flute/whistle I owned. Played so well, and at about $20, that I assumed this was the standard (quality and price) for PVC instruments. Was new to winds and I had no idea why PVC instruments would be any more expensive than that. Boy was I wrong. Turns out this was just golden all along. Already asked rubenroks12 for suggestions for a possible upgrade but I have to admit after seeing that video (saw it last night) I may just take my time with this before I make that step-up. Still a lot of potential I haven't unlocked, apparently.

You say the G in particular tho, rubenroks12?

Abaration, the G has a very easy second octave for a cylindrical bore flute. No need for renaissance fingering or much lipping up to get good intonation at the upper half of the second octave; just good embochure control.

The low D is alright, but I find that the second octave B, A and C# start to get flat. It's still a good flute for the price, but you just have to roll the flute out or use renaissance fingering for the higher notes It is still pretty good for a bare bones cylindrical flute without a fajardo wedge.