Beware of cheap ebay flutes!

[Mattmcdee]

Though it was my left hand. That is a photo from when I played captain Hook in Peter Pan. We are a sword fighting troupe, so it was even more violent than the original, but a lot of fun. I love playing the bad guy.

[headwizer]

> warning people away from Pakistani ebay flutes?

Here's my advice: if you already have one of these wood flutes, slice off the end and convert the flute to an end-blown shakuhachi style flute. Very easy to do with pvc couplers sold in the home improvement stores. I recently made an adapter for a Kerry low D. It cost me 30 cents, plus extra for sandpaper. Cheap wood flutes are likely defective mostly in the embouchure or the fipple. If the holes are badly placed and not in tune, the flute could still be used for meditation. Plus, if you're into Zen, part of the Zen experience is to make a flute.

Here are some examples of work I've done. The first one is the Kerry. The second was a beloved Tipple damaged in a move.










I've had time to write up instructions only for the Tipple project. I'll write something for the Kerry later.

[megapop]

Now look at that!

With a link to a Tradschool YT-clip, where an evidently entirely different flute is being played...

The seller seems to be selling mainly cheesy trumpery, bodhrans and stuff, maybe doesn't know anything about flutes, but what the...???
In the end this could reflect discredit on Tradschool... I don't really know anything about them, but I like their clips. Maybe someone of them is a member here?

[klarnetisto]

This German flute collector seems to have fallen for a pretty-looking yet amusical Indian-made flute:

http://www.pincusklassik.de/floeten/gro ... index.html

I really wonder if he's so naive as to assume that the noise this device emits is an exotic Indian scale? Hindustani and Carnatic musicians alike would split their sides laughing!

Meanwhile: my stepdaughter and a friend got Tipple PVC flutes and are both very happy with them. They are much better than one might expect: Tipple really puts a lot of precision craftwork into them, and they play exceptionally well -- an amazing value for the money. The only quibble one might have is that these have cylindrical bores, and so aren't a traditional "Irish" flute with a conical bore.

As to the Indian bansuri made of bamboo, I have two by Jeff Whittier and so can highly recommend his work. His Sachdev model, made to specs by his teacher G. S. Sachdev (who plays Whittier flutes), is especially elegant; I have that, and a smaller regular model.

I should mention, though, that these may not work so well as Irish flutes. They have large finger holes which are meant to be covered my the middle of the finger, not the finger tips, so call for a very different technique than Western European flutes. The finger stretch is formidable; Jeff actually recommended that I buy the smaller flute to stretch my fingers gradually so that I could eventually do the reaches for the Sachdev model! Then the fingering system uses half-holes instead of cross-fingering to produce accidentals; cross-fingerings just plain don't work at all. Finally, they're tuned in Hindustanti just intonation -- perhaps not really a problem for traditional British Isles music in simple tonalities, but even so...

And, obviously, being made of bamboo, bansuris also have cylindrical bores, not conical.

[ImogeneWhitaker]

I wish I saw this thread earlier... before buying a cheap lame flute! It sounds like an old cat and I'm really upset about it

[megapop]

Sorry to hear that. Maybe you could try to return it, if it's not too late...?

[Sarfeastlondonlad]

Is this junk?...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ultimate-IRIS ... 3cda46c7b4

Just curious.

[jemtheflute]

Pure, unadulterated, 24 carat.

[Flexismart]

Quality Specification:-

"3 & 4 Piece Irish D Rose Wood Flute Professional" "Smooch" 
* Brand New
* 26" Long
* Wooden Case with foam Pudding Inside & Outside of the box
* Fully Functional Air Tight Adjustable 3 & 4 pieces 
* Cork Joint
* Beautiful Natural Finish with Clear Lacquer
* Fully Polished Bores for Responsive & Smooth Tones

I'm wondering if the 'foam pudding' is what gives this flute its magic!?! Or is it the 'Smooch'?

[Sarfeastlondonlad]

I think all new flutes should come with foam pudding and smooch as standard.

[accordionstu]

I was in London at the weekend and stumbled across the Hobgoblin Music shop in Rathbone Place, it was a lovely shop and had a small selection of non de script wooden flutes including a Glenluce 5 keyed D flute. It looked the part, mainly wooden but the tuning section looked to be made from polymer. The five keys looked quite cheap and poorly finished but they were block mounted and at first glance, it did look like a nice flute.

The moment of truth came when I asked if I could have a blow of the flute to which the guy behind the counter agreed to. Apart from not getting any note at all out of the bottom D and the C natural sounding well off, the f key was obstructing access to the 5th open hole. I don't like to offend anyone or cause insult especially to someone trying to operate a reputable business but equally I think it was an insult for a shop to be selling this type of shoddy rubbish to anyone hoping to learn the flute. I must add that I have purchased a Chinese version of the Hohner Black Dot button accordion in the past from Hobgoblin and it wasn't a bad instrument but I would encourage anyone who is hoping to pick up a bargain to try the instrument first to avoid being disappointed, especially if they don't want to waste £300.

[MTGuru]

a Glenluce 5 keyed D flute.

Yep, the Glenluce has been identified as Pakistani-made both here and on The Session.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=84991

[accordionstu]

Thanks MT for the link to the previous thread, it sums it up I suppose. To be fair Hobgoblin do mention that they are Pakistan made on their website. Im still on the lookout for a decent keyed flute for the right money.

[benhall.1]

Thanks MT for the link to the previous thread, it sums it up I suppose. To be fair Hobgoblin do mention that they are Pakistan made on their website. Im still on the lookout for a decent keyed flute for the right money.

I can't remember - have you tried Jem?

memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=6411

[jemtheflute]

I can't remember - have you tried Jem?

memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=6411

Ben, I bought that nice little boxwood Millyard G flute from Stu a few months back. We are otherwise in touch. And I don't have any fully keyed D flutes in saleable condition at present.

As for the Glenluce 5-keyers, I have history there...... see this thread - read all the way to the end!