It’s that time of year once more. For interested parties Mr. Olwell has made available on E-bay a fine cocuswood six-key Nicholson model flute. 
No doubt another top flight instrument in rarer by the minute exotic hardwood by this gifted maker. All the same, I can’t help noticing the absence of a lot of features that you would normally associate with the originals made by Prowse either under the Clementi banner, or indeed his own name, that gave them their distinctive appearance; the combed head and barrel,the scolloped cut-away for the left hand index finger, the ivory bushed embouchure, the flattened surface area surrounding the right hand tone holes, the broad banded engraved ferrules to name some. Not that all or any of these features are to everyone’s taste, although you would have to assume Mr. Nicholson gave them the " Thumbs Up. "
I suppose you could argue about the pros and cons of these original features 'til the cows came home. Whether they made any real significant impact on sound and play-ability, or if only seen as the quirky whims of one individual, albeit talented, player. Perhaps the absence of any of these features is answer enough in itself.
Thanks for putting this one up Steampacket - It’s certainly an interesting take on an Old Classic.
“Whether they made any real significant impact on sound and play-ability, or if only seen as the quirky whims of one individual, albeit talented, player. Perhaps the absence of any of these features is answer enough in itself.” 2TOOTS
Yes, I think you have it there 2TOOTS. I’d say that Mr. Olwell is of the “less is more” school of thought. In the description of the flute he writes “There is an adjustable endcap, which I make very seldom as I don’t regard it as necessary, and it’s fitted with a tiny button of mother of pearl.” This endcap, the hand turned rings and bushed tenons seem to be the only restrained consessions to cosmetic eye candy. Thankfully we are spared the tasteless gilded Acanthus leaf style keys and rings. Mr. Olwells instruments are always functional and aesthetically pleasing
For Rudall nerds - There is a photo of a Rudall Rose & Carte flute with patent head amongst the E-bay Olwell flute photos, second to last before the workshop photo. I think the serial number on the flute is 6332, but on the box label it looks like 6032, but maybe that’s an ink smudge making the 3 look like an 0. I don’t have this one in the register.
and its headjoint looks to be made from a different kind of wood.
If you are noticing the Olwell flute headjoint color difference, the text of the auction says it was made a year ago so has a year’s worth of color change. The body is fresh cut cocus and will darken to match the headjoint over time.
L
nop, Rudall’s head!
“nop, Rudall’s head!” radcliff.
Could be an older patent head on the Rudall, Rose & Carte body.
It looks to me that Patrick, or someone, cannot resist playing this instrument when handling it, even if just to pose it for photographs!
I take that as a very good sign. . . 
Bob
I hope hes staking or tying off those ladders. If I lived closer I would lend him my pump jacks!
Can anybody read the inscription on the barrel of the Rudall’s head? It looks like one of Chris’s heads to me, rather than a Rudall patent head.
Not positive Ben but blowing it up I see the crown stamp and the ll’s of Rudall the rest remains blurry?
Hmmm … well, if it was Chris’s he wouldn’t do that, so perhaps it is a Rudall head of some sort then. But I agree with the implication of Steampacket’s post above - if it is, it seems to me that it could be an older head than the rest of the flute. Dunno though … 
… and now I’m even less sure. I have looked back and, in David Migoya’s old list (I don’t have the whole list as such, in case anybody asks) there was a flute in the 6xxx series with an original patent head, so the flute could well be complete as original.
“Can anybody read the inscription on the barrel of the Rudall’s head? It looks like one of Chris’s heads to me, rather than a Rudall patent head.” benhall.1
Ben I can see the crown on the barrel and Carte, and “don” so I’m sure it’s a Rudall patent head. Also the slide is fully closed which it has to be to fit into the original case compartment.
Rudall, Rose & Carte 6208 has a patent head so it’s quite possible that the head on this Rudall is original too
Wow. That flute is gorgeous! I love the mother of pearl “button.” That’s a marvel.
“#6032, and the headjoint sleeve is a new piece of blackwood made by
Chris Wilkes some time ago, with a beautifully made embouchure.”
Bingo!
“”#6032, and the headjoint sleeve is a new piece of blackwood made by
Chris Wilkes some time ago, with a beautifully made embouchure.“” Radcliff.
That’s a nice Rudall Mr. Olwell has there. 9 hours left on the Olwell flute E-bay auction, and around 18 hours for the Rudalls tomorrow
wow: $9,700.00 … If anyone has an olwell to sell I guess that’s a good moment
I have sold more Olwell flutes that anybody except Patrick Olwell. Still, I would buy this flute for over $10,000… had I not been in the midst of a costly house renovation, which is close to Olwell’s situation. Can you imagine what this flute will be worth in thirty years? In a hundred years? This is only the second one of these that he has ever offered.