Chiff and Fipple Forums

I'm hoping to find the maker of the flute shown below.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/fintano/52720655305/

(I guess I don't know how to embed images.)

To the best of my knowledge, it was sold at Hobgoblin Music in Colma, California, some time probably in the late 1980s.

As can be seen in the picture, it is a somewhat unusual design, using rubber O-rings for the joints rather than cork or threading.

The O rings makes this really interesting. I know Rod Cameron made baroque style flutes in the past, but I'm not sure he ever sold through Hobgoblin. Is it in tune? Does in play A=440 and is just an Irish flute looking like a baroque flute?

Hopefully someone else will have seen one of these in the past.

Eric

PS - I seem to have a vague memory of some flute maker who made flutes looking like this...the brand/maker may have started with an "I" (capital I). However, I think they were discussed in the VERY early years of C&F.

I have seen one that, from memory, looked a lot like that. It was bought in the mid 1980s from Hobgoblin in the UK. The brand was Camac who I think may be the French company now, it seems, mainly making harps. I quick image search didn't turn up any photos but there was a Camac bombarde with similar turning.

Camac...that was it! I have no clue why I thought it started with "i". I've been searching around for Cahusic or something similar, but those are worth a bit more since they were made a few hundred years ago and Google didn't suggest any other name.

Here is a Google hit and looks like David nailed it: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/ ... -512048019

Jayhawk wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 10:22 amHere is a Google hit and looks like David nailed it: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/ ... -512048019

Yes that's it. It's sound wasn't very "Irlandaise" and it's owner changed to something from a more recent 'Irish flute' maker

The brand was Camac who I think may be the French company now, it seems, mainly making harps. I quick image search didn't turn up any photos but there was a Camac bombarde with similar turning.

Camac was indeed French and, during the seventies, was selling an amazingly wide range of 'folk' instruments : harps, dulcimer, epinettes, bowed psalter, whistles, bagpipes, bombardes, hurdy gurdies etc etc. It wasn't particularly great quality but sort of worked.

I still have a whistle and a bombarde by them, that haven't seen use for decades.

That definitely seems to be it. My flute didn't come with any packaging or paperwork showing the maker.

Here's another photo of one.
http://ancientpoint.com/inf/126179-inte ... cienn.html

However there seem to be very few photos of them.

I'm a bit surprised at the source, but that would explain the unusual design. The diameter is noticeably less than my other flutes.

It had a nice tone, not especially loud. It was in tune with itself at 440 Hz. All you could ask for in an inexpensive instrument.

It is not playable at present, because the top joint is sticking. The last time I had it together, a few years ago, I had to put it in a vice to get it apart again.

I was idly wondering whether I could address that situation, because it is just sitting around, and there are some situations when it would be nice to have a quiet instrument.

Knowing the maker is a good first step.

Thank you all for your help.

Yes, Camac. Dreadful things. That turned embouchure platform is terribly uncomfortable, not wide enough for the average face. I tried them in music shops in GB in the late 70s and later knew a couple of people who owned them and I got to try them again. They're better than the typical Pakistani table leg, but not worth what they cost back in the day. Camac made similarly unsuccessful Bb and A whistles.

I found it to be an OK flute back in the day. Not great but OK. I didn't pay a whole lot for it. It was certainly better than the Pakistani flutes,that may have been cheaper, but each note presented its own individual problems.

I think that Camac whistles are still available, but I don't know anything about them.