I just got my new Shannon from Walt Sweet and I love this flute. I noticed, though, that especially the head joint hole is a bit roughly cut, with a slightly irregular shape and it has a couple of marks around the hole. I know well that the flute is hand made and that it could have some little imperfections, but I'd like to know from other owners of the Shannon flute if they have the same issue ? Thanks !
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Yeah, I found the embouchure and some tone holes to have a slightly rough “hand filed” look. But it doesn’t bother me, considering it’s such a great sounding flute at an excellent price point. It’s probably just fine-tuning done by hand after the initial drilling process.

Might be best to contact Walt directly. He's a member here (see memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=2285) or you can reach him through his web site.

Best wishes.

Steve

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"[Some flutists] place the flute between the upper lip and the nose, blowing the instrument from below. This position does not prevent good playing, but it does not look graceful."
~ Antoine Mahaut, 1759 in a tutor for playing the transverse flute ~

Yes I did contact him. While I am waiting for a reply, I just wanted to know from other Shannon owners

My new Shannon has exactly the same rough deliberate marking but only one, on top of the embouchure hole. Walt explained it is to do with performance.. Personally, I like this as value added, unique personalised tinkering. It indicates a very satisfying level of hand crafted conscientiousness. Needless to say, I'm biased - the Shannon is such a satisfying experience.

Best wishes.

Thank you keithsandra. That is very good to know ! What about the shape of the embouchure hole, is yours a bit irregular and asymmetrical as mine ?

It's symmetrical looking on mine - a slightly elongated circle with that deliberate rough file mark on top.

Here's what our new cleaning lady said about the sound of the Shannon yesterday: "It's so deep and sweet, not noisy like the usual stuff ..." She asked what it was and I told her it was a keyless flute. "It's different, lovely ..." she said.

Best wishes.

Mine is also an elongated circle, but the right side is slightly wider, also the whole hole tilts a bit towards the bottom right, i.e. it is not perfectly straight following the line of the flute. I guess that when you cut an embouchure by hand you cannot be perfect. As long as the performance of the instrument is not affected, I am fine. Let's see what Walts will tell me when he answers. Thanks.

Just found a note from Walt saying the mark above the embouchure hole is to increase "playability".

Let us know what he can add in his reply to you.

Best wishes.

Do you have perfectly symmetrical lips and airstream? Perfect-looking, symmetrical embouchures look nice, but in practice really don't matter if they're cut to work. I'd think most makers would prioritise voicing by testing and adjusting over that last degree of visual symmetry.

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Why I teach... and where
Master of nine?

This is a question I have wondered about often. Keep in mind, in terms of the current discussion, that I have never seen a Walt Sweet Shannon flute, so this is purely a philosophic response.

The question of symmetry is fascinating, especially as one explores the reality of the situation....

We play our flutes from one side. So we have no reason to place value on symmetry from one side of the head to the other. Unless we plan to become left-handed....

From our perspective as a player, there are two sides to the flute. To our left (assuming the typical right handed player), is the stopper. To our right the rest of the flute. Again, no compelling reason to demand symmetry.

So, we have four dimensions to our hole, but no clear reason to expect symmetry.

Hand cut embouchure holes are sometimes irregular because
the maker found the flute sounded better that way. Same goes
for tone holes. It is conceivable that the maker is sloppy, drunk,
whatever, but Walt knows what he's doing. The Shannon has
an exceptionally good sound. I have super flutes with all sorts
of interestingly shaped holes, the marks of the maker improving
tone and/or intonation.