Does Pat require a deposit to be on his waiting list?
Anyone know about how long the list is currently?
Thanks
Pat requires a 25% deposit on keyless flute at the time you place your order.
I waited about 15 months for my keyless.
The wait for a keyed Olwell is several years or more.
Loren
Thanks much Loren 
Doc
I got my keyless in 12 months.
Best,
Chris
You sure about that Chris? Didn’t you order right around the same time I did? I still have me receipt around here somewhere…
Loren
Hmmm… maybe I am hallucinating. When did you get your flute again? I think I got mine about 2 weeks earlier. I ordered mine in late June/early July of the year before.
Bestm
Chris
Yeah, my flute came a few weeks after yours, and I’m fairly certain I placed my order in late April/early May. Can’t find me receipt at the moment though. Oh well, not that big a deal, eh? Pat’s flutes are certainly worth the wait.
Loren
Looks like it wasn’t a very productive summer on the Olwell production front…I wanted spot-on 12 months for my keyless received a couple of years ago.
My low Bb is not 18 months in waiting. Pat travelled a bit this summer and was doing some festivals. So I guess he’s catching up. Maybe it’s the same every summer.
Hmmm.. Last I checked, there was a summer in every 12 months.
Chances are Mr. Olwell’s popularity has simply increased the demand, along with many other good makers, in good part in response to forums like this. And making all those cane flutes has got to slow him down at least a little!
Gordon:
I think you’re on to something.
And you could be right about the cane flutes. Afterall, it’s the high volume that pays the bills and the depreciation and the low volume keyless and keyed are just the icing. Pat’s got the best business model of any maker, by far.
I placed an order for a fully keyed flute from mr. olwell way back in, oh, 1995. still haven’t gotten it yet, although i do call him about once a year. However, i have not put down a deposit so far. i most certainly would, but he hasn’t asked for it yet. any thoughts on what’s going on? should i demand to pay my deposit? thanks!
Wow, 7 years…I wonder how many keyed flute orders that is? And I wonder how many Keyed flutes Pat makes in a year.
Loren
Pat told me a month or so ago–I call him every month–and for the last 6 months he tells me my Bb will be ready in “a week or two.”
Anyway, I asked him about how long the current keyed-flute timeframe is…5-6 years he now tells people.
It’s definitely getting longer for an Olwell flute. I’ve been on the list for over 3 years at this point..another 3 to go?