Chiff and Fipple Forums

I was wondering what the typical wait times are these days for keyed flutes ordered from different well known makers.

Months? Years?

Anybody have a recent experience to share?

Thanks in advance.

It depends on the maker. Some sought after makers are more than a year to heaven only knows, give or take. While others may be shorter. The best way to sort it out is to contact the maker you are interested in. The last keyed flute I had made was a Geert LeJeune three years ago. That was a 8 keyed cocus and took around a year.

With covid everything could be up in the air. I would ask to get on a list. I wanted 8 keys and cocus so the makers out there were fewer and farther between. If you want 6 keys and blackwood you will have many more choices.

I wonder if economic uncertainty for performing musicians is making a difference. Are there some folks who are on a list and can't come up with the purchase price right now? Would that make moving up the list more likely? I know of one person who was on the top of a list for an instrument and asked if they could take a temporary pass. The maker was understanding and is keeping them high on the list but moved to the next on the list. The list is a relationship of sorts.

Dave Copley's web site still stays 4–6 months for keyed flutes. That's about as short as I have heard. Many others are well outside my life expectancy.

Pre-owned keyed flutes show up from time to time in the UIE list.

Best wishes.

Steve

You could also check with Blayne Chastain’s Irish Flute Store if you’re interested in used. Great to deal with, fair prices, and ships fast.

Often the top flute-makers use cocusunobtainium for the material.
Their wait lists often extend to ten years.
Geoff Wooff, pipe maker, at one time had a 17 year wait list.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSD3i5epS4I

A friend has recently been quoted 3.5 year wait for a 6 keyed flute from Solen Lesouef

In March I was looking for my first baroque flute and discovered that Boaz Berney had one ready to ship (1725 Naust in ebony) that was close enough. A few makers quoted about a year wait time, IIRC.

Julia Delaney wrote:Often the top flute-makers use cocusunobtainium for the material.

One of these days I'd like to see a discussion of how modern makers can even offer that material in a modern-made flute. I play one in Cocus, a Thomas Aebi made in the last 12-15 years I think (I bought it used).

Are these makers buying up 19th Century dining tables made of Cocus and using the legs? Is there a secret stash somewhere? Do they have access to a Tardis? Inquiring minds want to know, although maybe this is one of those topics in the category of "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

Are these makers buying up 19th Century dining tables made of Cocus and using the legs? Is there a secret stash somewhere? - Conical bore

Cocuswood is available here. Not sure if the measurements are suitable for the making of flutes.

https://www.gilmerwood.com/search/resul ... =cocuswood

https://www.edelholzverkauf.de/Decorati ... 25863.html

The German maker Steffen Gabriel is quoting 9-12 months. He has some nice video clips on his website and Facebook page.

I am now around 6 months to a year or more for a keyed flute. People have been ordering flutes like crazy since the start of the Pandemic and my queue hasn't been this large since the Clinton years. I on the other hand have been feeling less inspired because of the Pandemic, slowing me down. Especially now with that, social isolation, fires which have threatened or destroyed several friends' homes and areas I am very familiar with, and the horribly polluted atmosphere and there are some days where I simply want to hide under a blanket.

Added to that are the delay carryover from last year's 2 knee operations. Lately since Friday the wildfire smoke has kept me out of my perhaps too well-ventilated workshop, keeping me away from a batch of some 50 flutes in progress. . I prioritize the Folk Flutes somewhat. I am doing a huge batch of these to get them out of the way and will probably accept orders until the end of the year or thereabouts, but with a longer delivery time. When I am ready to announce I will then offer these in SLA printed plastics (the same kind they use for dental fillings). These will be available at the current price and the wooden ones will become more expensive ($599). My keyed flutes won't change however - except that these will also be available in these plastics as well.

The plastic material (Urethane Acetate) has the same density as Mopane and should make a great flute. In my designing I am taking great care to duplicate the X vs Y shapes in the bore of a well-aged flute to simulate the acoustuics of one that is well played-in. I am also looking at the possibilities in terms of using some of the translucent resins and a faceted surface effect and colors inspired by the Claude Laurent flutes. On a Folk Flute. Once the designing is set its easy to duplicate these parameters. The material is capable of a mirror glass-like finish. Unlike the glass ones however, this plastic is tough and won't shatter. I am kind of bored with the basic black look on my flutes and with the SLA plastics there is no need to stick to that "standard".

FYI I found this article on these Laurent flutes today. Last time I was I athe LofC I worked side by side with both of these researchers. See https://www.glassatrisk.com/technical-study-of-flutes

Late here - am off to bed. Stay Safe everyone!

Casey

I got on the Windward keyed flute wait list when it opened briefly in the Spring of 2018. At the time it was a three year wait for a keyed flute. Hopefully I’ll have something shiny and new to play this spring in 2021 and hopefully there will be somewhere for me to go play it. So that’s another thing. Some flute makers have a wait list in years that gets opened and closed from time to time. I guess they are being agile and limiting WIP?

I'd recommend looking at Gary Somers (https://www.somers-flutes.com/). First, search on this forum to understand the users perspective, then ask Gary about delivery if you're interested.

MichaelR wrote:I'd recommend looking at Gary Somers (https://www.somers-flutes.com/). First, search on this forum to understand the users perspective, then ask Gary about delivery if you're interested.

AFAIK, Garry does not make keyed flutes. Only keyless on his site.