Doc:

Sorry I didn't make myself clear - I meant that I suspect the people looking at buying Casey's flutes think that... I don't personally feel that way. Casey's higher-end flutes are well worth the money (and more).

Pat

I have one of Casey's all-wood blackwood standards and it's a factory-2nd, i.e. not the best wood---and it's still a fantastic flute; loud, responsive, full of resonance and character. It's my #1 ax right now and I'll probably never part with it. It's getting better as it seasons since it was made just last December '08. My clip playing Cooley's is on that flute. I'd get the boxwood but I don't need it, though I'm sure it's also an excellent flute.

....Updating some info here, per Doc's comments about my flutes. Just some responses:

>>Couple of reasons to buy the "real models" instead of the Folk flute (which is indeed a great tooter)
>>1. Casey uses his finest timber for the higher end models. Seconds and less attractive pieces are used for the folk flutes.

Not so, at least for blackwood and mopane. Its all coming out of the very same woodpile. Am using newer Turkish boxwood instead of the precious French boxwood (aged 30 years!) for Folk Flutes - but this winter I will be running out of the old French stuff and only have about 5-10 flutes worth left and I want to save some for my own instruments (some bagpipes I have been wanting). The Blackwood and Mopane is top stuff. This winter all the boxwood flutes will be of the Turkish stuff.

>>2. Casey will add rings, tuning slide, and (lovliest of all) keys to his higher end models.

An aftermarket Eb key will be offered for the Folk Flute this winter at $200. This is the first announcement. This key is required to make the flute fully chromatic (all the other notes are possible by half holing and cross fingering). Formal announcement is scheduled for my November/December flute batch.

>>3. The higher end models have a lovely end cap

I used to make all of my flutes without an end cap but this became a necessity in some situations. Otherwise it just adds weight to the headjoint and doesn't do anything. Doing without is fine except where you sell flutes in music stores. What happens there is that people put their fingers down the top end bore for some reason and inadvertently push the plug out of position! Then the next person trying it finds it plays lousy. I've never understood this phenomenon - probably a manifestation of some compelling instinctual human need to insert something into an orifice!

>>4. Say what you will, if I'm making something for which I'm charging twice as much I'm paying more attention to details and nuance.

All of my Standard models Folk Flute and otherwise are turned with the same set of reamers, finished the same way, and tuned and voiced exactly the same without compromises and with the same degree of attention - though some flutes may take longer than others. The Folk Flute is offered as my "loss leader" and as a way to get an excellently playing flute into the hands of many.

>>All of Casey's stuff is great. His boxwood stuff is particularly wonderful.

I appreciate the complement. In absolute terms, the selection depends upon if you need a tuning slide and keys now or later on. If not, then the Folk Flute is an adequate choice. Acoustically it has the same amount of bells and whistles as my higher end models.

Cheers!
Casey

Instinctual need indeed... Casey, you slay me.

The World Must Be Peopled! - Bill S. Poet, Playwright


Great flutes btw.

NVM, I missed it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Casey-Burns-Blackwo ... %26ps%3D54

Here is a nice LHS of Casey's on ebay now.

two posts prior to the one I quoted.....