I’m surprised no one has mentioned this patent head boxwood Rudall - No 1 Tavistock Square Gardens, Covent Garden, London. The serial number is 4764. Bidding ends tomorrow - Aug 15, 2010 at 12:21:48. Needs some renovating, cracks in the head joint and a crack in the E flat / C sharp block. It could also do with a clean up and repadding otherwise looks like a nice one. I’d suppose a certain flutemaker is well aware of it as it is in Hereford.
On 11-Aug-10 at 21:40:48 BST, seller added the following information:
I have revised this owing to someone with knowledge given me from looking at the flute . Although the keys look brown this just due to nicotine stains and I have carefully cleaned one of the keys up and all are sterling silver and it is boxwood. ~~~~~
And apparently the PH mech is goosed… - if badly, that’s an expensive repair or, if it’s irreparable, a serious (collector’s) value dumper if the only “to play” option is a replacement head. No visible warpage, though. It is pretty (mentally gunge-stripping it, of course ).
No. As I read it, the man lucked out, buying it not knowing what he bought from someone who knew not what they sold. It’s one Paul Davies missed! I acquired my cocus one from Paul a few years prior to that and the going rate then was in the £700-800 area.
It might need a lot more repair than that… If the head joint is smushed to that extent, and if the flute has been lying around without a case for years, then there may be other unnoticed cracks waiting to greet the bidder…
The flute being in Hereford, if I had bid and won then I’d ask Mr. Wilkes if I could leave the flute at his workshop for a look over, and place an order for a Wilkes head joint and barrel. I’d use that with the flute and ask if the original head was worth repairing as regards time, effort and cost or if it would be more prudent to leave it as it is.
Has anyone had a patent head mechanism repaired? I understand it’s not easy and a lot of work. What could it cost, 1.000 sterling or more?
Aanvil, I agree, I thought it was headed higher… given its condition and the current market cachet on boxwood R&Rs, it’s a pretty decent price even if the head is beyond repair (and the pictures and commentary don’t tell us how bad it is, just that it isn’t working and the wood is out of place). I mean, we know folks who’d place a £5k tag on such a flute in full working order… I would too.
Steampacket - agreed re: your plan - if it was mine that’s exactly what I’d do!
Yes, Jon, we know it’s a PH - was deducible from the pictures but the added comments made it clear. Surely PH repair depends on extent of damage, viz your recent cannibalisation job… if the guide lug is ripped off and the inner copper tube is twisted and mangled, it could be rather a nasty job, major engineering work to replace if no “spare” parts to hand!.. But the wording was “seized up” and we know the wooden head sleeve is twisted out of place - which doesn’t necessarily entail bad twisting to the mechanism. In any case the brass head screw mechanism is pretty tough. I think from Terry’s page on them that disassembling the barrel, especially if it isn’t damaged, could be a bad job if necessary.
I’d suppose a certain flutemaker is well aware of it as it is in Hereford.
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