maybe barter and trade then…or maybe we go back to the day when so many flutes ended up in attics, pawn shops or in wealthy private collector’s hands …
…interesting sidenote - i just walked back from the coffee shop and the owner said she was just at the bank when someone came in and robbed it at gunpoint. she stood right next to the robber, and she saw the bank teller handed over just a few hundred dollars - that’s it. well i guess there go my plans down the drain. i mean if you’re going to pull it off at least gret a few hundred thousand, that’s my expert opinion…
Yes, crossed my mind too. Many quality instruments coming up for sale - mind you the top quality stuff at a decent price usually gets snapped up straight away even in these hard times. Thinking of the keyed Wilkes a few days ago - sold in the blink of an eye. I grabbed a wonderful Dave Williams chanter & bellows a few weeks ago, just happened to have the cash at the time and already had a plane tickets to England, just made a quick decision as such opportunites regarding Wilkes or Williams seldom arise. On NPU’s site there are five full sets of pipes for sale and last time I looked another five full sets of pipes up for sale on the Uilleann obsession set. Some are overpriced such as the O’Briain and Rogge sets and won’t get snapped up unless the price comes down
Too right, there are buyers without the money to buy! I’m a classic case of this, as I have followed a lot of these sales with gritted teeth, like Ulysses tied to the mast repeating “I need to get the kitchen roof fixed more than I need my first keyed flute”…meanwhile my own work sources are drying up faster than you can say “CUTBACKS IN HIGHER EDUCATION”. I deal with it by learning a new tune whenever I find myself moping that I can’t afford keys, and slowly putting bits of cash aside so I can commission a flute in the future from a living maker…maybe the guy who made the keyless I use that is so splendid , Geert Lejeune. Sad to think that people might be having to part with much-loved instruments in these times.
