How big a hand span would you need to play a 65" flute?* I suppose that to make an eight-key flute for $68USD you have to cut corners somewhere. Getting the finish all the way to black would have likely added another $2500 to the price, so they pass the savings on to you by stopping when they get to “blackish.”
In another auction, please tell me that this flute did not leave Mr. Cronnolly’s shop looking like this. I’ve never seen key mounts like that before and, with luck, will not see their like again.
On that M&E, that embouchure cut was available on early M&E flutes. It is similar in concept to what other makers have offered (Healy for one)and is purported to make it easier for a beginner to sound the flute. And I am afraid that the early M&E’s sometimes were rather rough in the finishing department. I have two older “original models”, one keyed and the other keyless, and both carry scars from the maker’s tools. Finish has improved on M&E’s over time but wear and tear may be part of the deal on that eBay flute as well.
I’ve never seen a flute case that opens from the side like the case shown with the ebay flute. I guess that there is a little compartment for each piece. Just drop them into the case or let them fall out when you are ready to play the flute. Cool idea.
That old M&E reminds me quite a bit of James Peeple’s on his flutesite page. Definitely a rough looking beastie, but I recall on James’ flute he said the keywork was very ergonomic if not a bit unusual.
Newer M&Es have improved in the finish department, most definitely, compared to the early M&E models I’ve seen.
On the listing from India, is that an Eb flute? The comment that it plays in D with “all holes closed” makes me wonder if that means the low C and C# keys. I seem to recall someone buying a similar keyed flute and it was really an Eb flute not a D flute. I wonder if anyone on the board has bought one of these.
I’ll admit to having been sucked in by one of those Indian ebonite monstrosities, as have a couple of others on the board (see the beware of e-bay flutes stickey for lots of detail - wish I had before I wasted my cash). Mine isn’t even a decent Eb flute, as tonehole size and location do not produce any familiar scale. I believe others have been more fortunate, but I would urge anyone who is contemplating purchase of one of these to abstain. Mine is a “wall hanger” decoration, at best. On the plus side, the (chromed pot metal?) keys do work fairly well, though they are far from elegant. Might be a source for someone who wanted to experiment with adding keys to a home made flute…
Note that the odd case, which seems based on a military style band flute carrier, is designed to be carried with the large covered opening on top. Unfortunately, in this case (no pun intended) the thing is made from a cardboard substrate covered in some kind of thin material. It didn’t last a week.