Wooden Flute Makers List

Irish Flute
1

MOD NOTE - The roster below is now out of date, but we have preserved it in the Original Post purely for historical reasons and for consistency with subsequent posts in this thread. Instead, for the active version of the list, maintained and periodically updated by Jem, please click on the following link:

Link ► The Chiff & Fipple Wooden Flute Makers List ◄ Link

And now, the Original Post, et seq.:

I compiled the original version of the list below from my browser “Favourites” for another purpose and thought it might be of use/interest here. It has now grown somewhat! It isn’t as comprehensive as Brad Hurley’s listings, but it is reasonably current and perhaps fulfils a need on this forum. It includes some makers whose main activities are not simple system or keyless flutes aimed at ITM. There may well be omissions both glaring and obscure, but none intentional. Inclusion signifies nothing save that I am aware of the maker/firm listed - no value judgements are implied. There are doubtless makers whose websites I have visited but which I neglected to save to “Favourites” and others of whom I am aware but who have no website. I’ll add them as they come to mind. I haven’t done any specific research for this list. I make the obvious disclaimer that I have no commercial connection with or interest in any of the listees. I shall doubtless make additions and emendations as I discover new names or changes to existing details.

If anyone wants to make updates/amendments, suggest additions or notify linkage problems, could I request that they pm me with details and I will alter them in or add them to the main list in this OP rather than have them straggle down an ever-lengthening and hard to refer to thread?

Other kinds of response post most welcome, however.

EDIT(s): thoughts arising: I don’t intend to include makers who only make metal Boehm flutes, but may include wooden Boehm makers and headjoint makers as well as makers of Baroque and earlier flutes. I have changed the thread title to reflect this. I will, notwithstanding that, include makers of keyless “Irish” or “Folk” flutes, period replica and simple system flutes in materials other than wood. It gets too difficult to define all that in a headline! I don’t intend to complicate things by posting any links other than websites - even for those makers who don’t have websites - Brad’s list is the place to go for direct contact info for those who only have e-addresses or conventional, non-web communications. Here is a similar useful list of Baroque flute makers.

The only selection and “quality control” criteria I’m running on whom I include in this thread are that I have to at least have heard of a nominee for inclusion “on the grapevine” or, if I haven’t, that I am able to check out their website if they have one, and that they are currently in active production - so I’d also appreciate pms if anyone discovers a maker has given up and should be removed from the list, as well as any link updates if listed links don’t work.

I’ll put up the products of suggestion messages in due course. I’m sure this will settle down to near stasis quite quickly, but I’ll try to update it weekly - so if your suggestions don’t appear at once, bear with me.


Wooden Flute Makers

Abell Flute Company http://www.abellflute.com/
Thomas Aebi http://www.aebi-flutes.com/
Dominic Allan http://www.djallan.co.uk
Angus Fifes http://www.angusfifes.com/
Anthony Arnold http://www.musicadonumdei.org/Flutes/index.html
Aulos (Toyoma Musical Instrument Co.) http://www.toyamagakki.co.jp/ (under construction)
Fridtjof Aurin http://www.cs.jhu.edu/~scott/flutemakers/Aurin/Price-list%202004.doc
Jean-Francois Beaudin http://www.flute-beaudin.com/
Carl Bell http://www.carlbell.co.uk/
Romy Benton http://www.romyb.com/home.html
Boaz Berney http://berneyflutes.com/
Robert Bigio http://www.bigio.com/
Phil Bleazey http://woodenflutes.co.uk/index.html
Michel Bonamy http://michelbonamy.free.fr/
Casey Burns http://www.caseyburnsflutes.com/
Brian Byrne (no active link)
Calmont Musical Instruments http://hometown.aol.co.uk/calmontmusic/myhomepage/business.html (AOL webpages defunct @ 12:11:2008, but cached version available via Google)
Rod Cameron http://www.cs.jhu.edu/~scott/flutemakers/rod-pricelist.html
Gonzalo Rodríguez Caride http://es.geocities.com/zalocaride/requintas.html
Clive Catterall http://www.flutes.fsbusiness.co.uk/
Forbes Christie (Windward Flutes) http://www.windwardflutes.com/
David Chu http://www.sideblown.com/index.html
Copley & Boegli http://www.celticlands.com/
Jon Cornia (Cochran Flutes) (no active link)
Eamonn Cotter (no active link)
M & E Cronnolly http://www.irishflutes.co.uk/
Chris Dawson (Rhiannon Flutes) (no active link)
Arie De Keyzer (no active link)
Tony Dixon http://www.tonydixonmusic.co.uk/
Martin Doyle http://www.martindoyleflutes.com/
Thomas Fehr http://www.floetenbau.ch/
First Flutes http://www.firstflutes.co.za/
Folkers & Powell http://www.baroqueflute.com/
Rob Forbes http://www.forbesflutes.com/
John Gallagher (no active link)
Seth Gallagher http://www.uilleann.com/
Alan Ginsberg http://www.hgt.gwynedd.gov.uk/UilleannPipes/
Glens Falls Fifes http://www.glensfallsfife.com/
Michael Grinter http://users.vic.chariot.net.au/~grinter/
Hammy Hamilton http://homepage.eircom.net/~hammie/
Skip Healy http://www.skiphealy.com/
Marcus Hernon http://www.marcushernon.com/
Hervieux & Glet http://www.hervieuxglet.com/
Hevia, Parrado y Aragón http://www.arhpa.com/
Holmes-McNaughton http://holmesmcnaughton.com/
Mark Hoza (Kything Flutes) http://www.woodenflutemaker.com/
Pol Jezequel (PolJez Flutes) (no active link)
Louis Jourdan (La Flute en Chantier) http://www.la-flute-en-chantier.com/
Eugene Lambe (no active link)
Glen Le Bot http://glenlebot-instruments.com/
Yvon Le Coant http://www.lecoant.com/
Gilles Léhart http://lehart.free.fr/
Geert Lejeune http://users.skynet.be/geertlejeune/
Solen Lesouef http://www.atelierdelutherie.info/
Terry McGee http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/
Merlin Music http://www.merlin-music.com/flutes.htm
Billy Miller (Windwood Flutes) (no active link)
Moeck http://www.moeck.com/
Stephane Morvan (Skopavel) http://www.skopavel.com/ (link/website defunct)
Sam Murray (no active link)
Peter Noy http://www.noyflutes.com/
David O’Brien http://www.traditionalirishflutes.com/
Patrick Olwell (no active link)
George Ormiston http://www.ormistonflutes.co.uk/
Simon Polak http://www.earlyflute.com/
Maurice Reviol http://www.reviol.co.nz/
Howel Roberts http://www.robertsflutes.com/
Fred Rose http://www.fredrose.co.uk/
John Rutzen http://www.johnrutzen.com/
Desi Seery http://www.seerywoodwind.com/ (link defunct?)
Russel Serov (Serov Flutes) http://www.users.bigpond.com/russels/
Claire Soubeyran http://www.soubeyranflutes.com/
Jonathan Swayne (no active link)
Ralph Sweet (Sweetheart) http://www.sweetheartflute.com/
Dave Swindler (no active link)
Grzegorz Tomaszewicz (T&S) http://www.tands.pl/
Giovanni Tardino http://giovannitardino.it/
Doug Tipple http://dougsflutes.googlepages.com/
Luc Verhoeven http://users.skynet.be/fluiten/
The Von Huene Workshop & Early Music Shop of New England http://www.vonhuene.com/
Paddy Ward http://www.paddywardflutes.com/
Glenn Watson http://www.watsonflutes.com/
Charles Wells http://www.kawells.fsnet.co.uk/
Martin Wenner http://wennerfloeten.de/
Chris Wilkes http://wilkesflutes.co.uk/
Paul Windridge http://www.windridgeflute.co.uk/
Pete Worrell http://freespace.virgin.net/pete.worrell/peteworrell.htm

Sellers/Dealers
Tony Bingham http://www.oldmusicalinstruments.co.uk/
Early Musical Instruments http://www.earlymusicalinstruments.com/
The Early Music Shop http://www.e-m-s.com/
Hobgoblin Second Hand Instruments http://www.hobgoblin.com/local/secondha.htm
Irish Flute Store (Doc Jones) http://www.irishflutestore.com/
Lazar’s Early Music http://www.lazarsearlymusic.com/
The Music Room http://www.themusicroom-online.co.uk/
Pamela’s Musical Instruments http://www.pamelasmusic.co.uk/
Vintage Instruments http://www.vintage-instruments.com/
Wichita Band Instrument Co.http://www.wichitaband.com/used.html#antique%20flute
Wildwinds http://www.wildwinds.co.uk/
Zeckley Musical Instruments http://www.larkcamp.com/oneofakind.html


My thanks to Denny for advice on and help with trimming web addresses to more generic and shorter forms than those saved by my browser. :slight_smile:

2

jem your a saint!

3

Don’t forget John Gallagher.

4

Thanx Jem!

5

My website is now at djallan.co.uk
I did try to get the link updated but, I guess that the message didn’t get through.

6

my bad

7

Does anybody actually READ OPs? I know I didn’t link it, but I did mention it!

8

sorry jem. eyes not working properly this morning.

9

Know the feeling! No prob. Good idea to put the link in the OP though - done!

10

Thanks Rama, but I think beatification may be a trifle premature and scarcely deserved :devil: ! I’ll settle for Stickydom though! :wink:

Seriously, it wasn’t hard work and I was doing it for a separate purpose anyway, literally just a case of transferring links I’d casually collected - hence omissions etc.

Thanks to the people who’ve pm’d me - I’ll put up the products thereof in due course. I’m sure this will settle down to near stasis quite quickly, but I’ll try to update it weekly - so if your suggestions don’t appear at once, bear with me.

Two riders to the OP: I don’t intend to include makers who only make metal Boehm flutes, but may include wooden Boehm makers and headjoint makers as well as makers of Baroque and earlier flutes. I also don’t intend to complicate things by posting any links other than websites - even for those makers who don’t have websites - Brad’s list is the place to go for direct contact info for those who only have e-addresses or conventional, non-web communications.

11

And don’t forget Geert Lejeune either. My flute made by him will be ready in a couple of days. I want to believe that it will be an excellent flute. I had to sell my Michael Grinter flute in order to be able to pay for it.

http://users.skynet.be/geertlejeune/

12

:boggle: PLEASE people, PMs for additions/suggestions! :boggle:

(Down thread for discussion/comments.)

Thanks! :slight_smile:

13

Sorry!

14

Updated - a couple of additions/discoveries - check out the Hevia, Parrado y Aragón website - I had heard of these guys before vaguely, but was reminded by seeing one of their flutes for sale currently on eBay - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=300200180190&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=020 - with a link to some decent vid clips on Youtube too!

15

They have quite a production, there must be a set of pipes in every home in Spain! :boggle:

16

How about merging this list into the Wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_flute_makers?

At present, this list primarily represents Boehm-system makers and only a couple of the most well-known 19th century makers.

17

If any subject is fit to be sticky, it is this one. It would be a 5 star submission, if not for the omission of the world’s finest wooden flutemaker, Ganley of Galway.

18

Thanks for the compliment, Ben Dover. As the OP explains, this list was not compiled from exhaustive research, so omissions are not intentional. I saw little point in simply copying any existing list and am very happy to add any nominations that I can check out online. Personally I have never heard of Ganley as a flute maker - so I somewhat doubt your claim on his/her behalf, especially as a quick web-browse brings up mostly negative (but not very recent) comments - that is, assuming you mean Tom Ganley, (presumably now formerly?) of Roscommon as listed on Brad Hurley’s makers list and discussed on various internet fora; leastways, I can’t find anything on any other Ganley. However, as the OP says, this thread is not about assessing the quality of any maker’s output, so I’ll happily include your Ganley if you can pm me with further information, preferably a website if he/she has one.

Mcdafydd - I don’t have any experience of contributing to Wikipedia, though I’m aware of the general priciple of open contributory access and peer review. I might check out the possibility of transferring the list thither or at least linking to this placement of it when I have time. I appreciate the suggestion.

19

Still at it! I’ve just added Friedrich Von Huene’s website after following links to it that Loren posted in another thread - lots of r******rs (beauties!) of course, but also stunning flutes (and other stuff - well worth a browse) - and they apparently also stock the Aulos plastic Baroque copies we discuss occasionally.

Anyone want to tell me more about Ganley?

The only “quality control” criteria I’m running on whom I include in this thread are that I have to at least have heard of the nominee for inclusion “on the grapevine” or, if I haven’t, that I am able to check out their website if they have one, and that they are currently in active production - so I’d also appreciate pms if anyone discovers a maker has given up and should be removed from the list, as well as any link updates if listed links don’t work.

20

Jem, I’ll second your nomination for beatification (i.e. to be made a “sticky” when you die, or even sooner).

Given that the list is already impressively long, and therefore quite an effort for potential buyers to work their way through, I wonder if it would be worth adding a concise and easily coded description of the range of services the various makers offer. I wouldn’t suggest you should be responsible for determining that (what a job that would be!). It would be up to the maker or those impressed by their service to code it up and PM it to you for inclusion.

You would put the code in your introduction, so that if a player wanted to find someone to retune their flute they just flick down looking for T. You would decide the code, but some suggestions:

- Makes flutes up to # keys (0 = keyless)

H - Makes new Heads for existing flutes
K - Adds Keys to existing flutes
R - Repairer
S - reStorer
T - reTuner
O - Dealer in Original era flutes
V - Valuer
(any other services?)

I might thus become:

Terry McGee (10,H,K,R,S,T) http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/

(I always wanted letters after my name!)

And so I would PM you with a request to amend your current entry to that.

For your (and other’s!) consideration …

Terry