I am selling a 25 year + old Burns flute, , somewhere down the line I think someone has fiddled with some holes, or it just changed pitch, through out time , either way it is about 40 +or - bright A440-------
this beautiful Flute plays great and is in tune with itself no cracks, or dents, it is a perfect irish flute for a beginner, oiled regularly , all parts perfect and come part for cleaning asking 300.00 +shipping OBO
JUST PUT ON EBAY--------------http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230497071506&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT#ht_500wt_1154
40 bright? You mean that it plays A480? That would make it closer to an Eb or E flute. Maybe it’s just not a D flute…
Oh sorry I guess you’re talking about cents here and not hertz… 
Are you sure that moving the head cork would not improve the pitch & tuning? Push it back and you have a longer column of air (measured as embouchure to cork + cork to end of flute/1st open vent hole) . Otherwise, sounds like a joint was shortened, rather than holes modified.
Not sure about this. The style looks like what I was turning around 1984-85. The cork should be set around 21mm. There is a chance that this could have started out as an Eb flute, now sunk in pitch due to shrinkage. Or made for a player who plays flat in general (I remember working with a few back then). Is there a number stamped on the flute anywhere, such as between the C# and B holes? I serial numbered my flutes back then.
Casey
NO , it plays A440 but is 40 cents bright from dead 0 , it is still 440, now this could be me, too but i doubt it, i make NAF flutes and I can tune them exactly A440 at 0 cent off but depending on the wood i might need to lower or increase the “cents” to keep the tuning flow
its on the end of the foot joint Casey #196, the wood plug is at 22mm, you gave me a 21-to 23 mm
its good sounding flute but it plays bright . now it could me me too but i can pull an exact note if the instrument will let me, i think the holes where adjusted to play bright—this is a true D, a sturdy thick flute , you made them well back then, nice turning, it appears you turned the ferrules extra as to glue on an opposing grain of wood to strengthen the edge then turned a strong female side of the ferrule,
I am selling this one to help pay for the New one your making
the headjoint looks perfect and i have plenty room to move the plug
everything is beautiful no dents , nothing except the “imperfect turning”. i am in no way a seasoned flute player like some on here, i am just telling it the way it is as to NOT mislead anyone,
i know how to tune and adjust holes, it will not play a perfect dead 0 A440 on all notes no matter where i put the plug, at least for me 
-
when i have the plug at 22mm it plays good but bright about 40cents, i also have an O-ring outside and inside to pull the headjoint out a bit
this seems to be the happy point— if I have the plug a 25/26mm it plays some notes on zero but others are flat/bright so it sounds off to my ears
it may just need a simple overhaul
i am sure someone like Casey has some tricks/undercuts etc to improving the headjoint,tuning etc ----- thats beyond me, and i am not going to experiment , what I think now is whoever buys it should send it to Casey to perfect the tuning
I suspect then that maybe the embouchure was enlarged. It would be interesting to know what the X and Y dimensions of the embouchure hole. Also, the distance to the 1st and 8th holes.
I was fiddling with flute dimensions back then, making copies of Prattens, Prowses and Rudalls and tweaking everything. Most of the flutes were tuned to 441 with the tuner I still use (a 28 year old Korg, checked yearly for accuracy). There were quite a few oddballs. I had only started in the fall of 1981, averaging about 50 flutes a year.
I just found a notation on that flute, dated April 29, 1985, less than a month after I had moved back to Portland from Missoula, and living at my brother’s temporarily. That week we had thwarted an attempted break-in into the garage which was where all my tools were kept. This could have ended my career!
I sold that flute to someone in Spokane WA either just before or at the Folklife Festival in Seattle. This type of flute I was calling my “long honduras rosewood”. Not sure if it was a Rudall or a Pratten copy, without additional forensics.
Its always intriguing when one of my early flutes resurfaces.
mouth hole 1 centimeter heavy or 10.5mm
1st hole (9mm) center of that hole to Edge of 8th hole (tuning hole) is 10.5 inches
actually casey i just played it a A441, it rides there right on dead 0 give or take my breath a few “cents” but the high D swings to about 20 cent off which is nice anyway , this flute goes easy into the 3rd octave
but i would still suggest you fine tune this at some point-we will see how the bidding goes
by the way hows my new flute doing
It sure is a beautifully turned flute. I love the grain there.
Its coming right along!
SOLD