Tony Millyard flutes - a review

[KatHurdley]

I’ve been meaning to write this review for months – following a previous recommendation here on C & F, I contacted Tony Millyard (http://millyard-molem.com/) about trying some of his wooden flutes.

Tony was hugely helpful from the outset and sent me some sound files of his flutes, and offered some dates I could go down to the workshop, and what festivals he was at. In the end I caught up with him at Warwick FF, and ended up buying a beautiful Mopane flute.

Tony was amazingly helpful – my only flute buying experience previously was buying my Dave Williams off eBay. We spent ages going through the flutes he had with him, I explained what I liked to play and the sound I liked and he handed me things to try. In the end I was stuck between 3 flutes, which I played, then Tony played, then I played again. I was really pleased with the help I got in choosing my flute and making sure it was the one that best suited me.

In terms of the actual instrument, it looks stunning. I know that’s not the main goal, but it helps! It has holes cut at an angle so they’re closer together – perfect if like me you have small hands! I find it just fits under my fingers. It’s surprisingly loud too. I played it in the beer tent at the festival later that day and had no trouble being heard, but the tone is beautiful and full. It’s a very diverse flute – it plays all the agile tunes as well as the slow ones. Also, at his current prices, they’re extremely affordable. Before I left Tony also showed me how to re-do the binding on the flute, and went through all the care instructions with me which was really useful too.

All in all I would thoroughly recommend contacting him if you’re looking for a new flute. I’m absolutely thrilled with mine – I’ve played it on a number of gigs now and having a fair few flute playing friends, I’ve got them to play it too, and it doesn’t disappoint.

I'll post some photos up soon.

Kat

[Bill Wolfe]

Congratulations! I've checked out TM's website a few times and always found it interesting & informative. So what kind of flute did you get--model, wood, keys, etc?
Cheers,
Bill

[toolgirl]

I thought this is a good place to post my review for a Millyard molem flute.

I too have bought a Millyard-Molem flute and I'm really happy.
I travelled over from the US as part of a family visit and Tony was incredibly accomodating and friendly. I really enjoyed being shown around the workshop and getting to play all his flutes.
I eventually decided on one that turned out to have a minor issue and I emailed Tony and he was again incredibly prompt and helpful. After some discussion he has custom made me a flute out of mopane that is beautiful beyond my wildest dreams, both in the way it looks and the way it sounds. It has a really big warm sound, has two and a half usable octaves that it plays. It more or less plays itself, its so easy to play. Can anyone tell that I'm in love with this flute? Oh and it fits my hands like a glove because I had him adjust some of the holes.

He was definitely a pleasure to deal with and I think has made me an extremely nice instrument.

[xabeba]

IRT toolgirl:

Nice! I've been tempted by his flutes for some time now. Which of the two models did you pick (Pratten-Rudall)? Unless it's something else. Since you said you tried some flutes over there, could you give us a few cents of the experience? It's always nice to get first-hand feedback like that

[argofoto]

I recently procured a Millyard Molem Blackwood Rudall Low D flute and the construction is impressive. I feel it should cost twice if not three times the price. I couldn't ask for anything more for my first low D flute, except perhaps that the bindings be made with cork (like my Fred Rose Blackwood High D) but that may just be a personal preference.

Another thing is that keys may be added to this if one so desires but for now I will leave her alone until I get better. What is really remarkable is the fingering is easy, so much so I feel I am not playing a low at all. My low G's by comparison require a piper's grip for me and my fingers are pretty long but they ache if I reach for them with fingertips. The Rudall I have is also is a four piece flute (fourth piece for the tone holes) but even so the adjustment of the DEF is minimal. My only issue is the weight, as it is heavy (which is normal considering my lighter instruments) but I have not been able to compare this to other similar flutes in order to tell if it weighs more or not. I wonder if there is such a thing as a light-weight low D blackwood?

[AlanG]

I have had a couple of flutes for years (one an old nach Meyer, the other an unknown modern cheap one) and never been able to get much out of them. I'd been looking for a decent flute for ages.

Someone recently brought a Millyard flute to our session, I'd never heard of Millyard flutes, and it looked & sounded great. I contacted Tony & he invited me to visit his workshop to try out his instruments (he lives an hour's drive from me). We had a very pleasant couple of hours chatting, drinking tea & having blow on the flutes. He had 8 or 10 finished flutes in different woods and styles, ready for sale at forthcoming festivals.

From the outset, even with my poor embouchure, I was getting a reasonable sound. I could tell they were quality instruments. In the end I couldn't pick a favourite between a blackwood Rudall & Rose and a Pratten in English boxwood so I bought them both. I have had them a few weeks now and I love playing them both. They are easy to play and each has it's own sound, the boxwood possibly more warm & breathy and the blackwood R&R more responsive, brighter & slightly louder. Both have plenty of volume and a strong bottom D. All of his flutes are 5 piece with a nickel silver tuning slide.

The blackwood flute is heavier than the boxwood one (355g v 290g) but I don't think the weight is an issue. Tony says he now makes a lighter, thinner walled blackwood model but thinks the wall may be too thin for the posts for the keys if desired at a later date. To conclude; if want an instrument which looks beautiful & sounds great for a reasonable price and no waiting time, have a look at Millyard flutes.

[nettymif]

I just bought a small handed Rudall and Rose flutes in Mopane from Tony and it's beautiful! So much easier to play than my Dixon 3 piece flute (which constantly had me reverting to my Bohm fute ) and a lovely sound. I also visited his workshop and tried a few flutes out as the opportunity presented itself and having fairly small hands I was keen to make sure I'd be able to reach the holes.



It was also great to get some advice on how to look after the flute (he showed me how to oil it with almond oil and rethread the joints).

Looking forward to getting some keys sorted now!