Patrick Olwell restored Wm Hall Cocus Flute $2,250 SOLD
Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2021 8:06 am
A friend asked me to sell a lovely cocus William Hall flute that has been totally restored by Patrick Olwell. It has been retuned, rebored, and the embouchure revoiced to Olwell’s standard. I offer Patrick’s description of the flute and of the work that he did to it. I have slightly altered the description, which he wrote in preparation for an auction. Instead of auctioning the flute he sold it directly to my friend.
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In Olwell’s words:
[This is] an antique flute from about 1850, by Wm Hall & Son, made of cocus wood with German silver keys and rings. It is in very good condition, with no cracks or damage. I have everything working perfectly. I have owned this flute for about 15 years, but have only gotten around to the restoration recently. I replaced the wood of the barrel, which was badly cracked, with a new piece of cocus wood [stamped “Olwell”], and made a new endcap, which was missing. Except for these two parts, the rest of the flute has escaped the usual abuse suffered by so many old flutes.
The headjoint is like new, with no cracks, so this piece of wood must have been very dry when originally glued up. I revoiced the embouchure to my specifications, as it was a bit rough. It now has a large and clear tone for such a small holed flute. The "modern” sized embouchure and cocus and metal lined headjoint give this flute a strong tone with the ability to project. I have done my usual "tweaking" of the bore, and a bit of tuning, mostly to the #5 hole, bringing up the F# closer to equal temperament.
Small-holed flutes like this … have a lovely feel to them, and the ornaments have a nice popping sound. This flute is very much like the one that Grey Larsen plays.
I have spent quite a long time playing and adjusting things on this flute and the response, appearance and musicality [surpass] the usual antique flute.”
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The flute will come well protected in a snazzy new pistol case. The price is $2,250 or best offer. Post within the USA is included. This is a lovely flute and well worth the money asked. It is easy to fill and is very responsive. The tuning is excellent. Olwell restorations are much sought after, becoming harder to find as time goes by, and this flute would compare well with a six-keyed Olwell small-holed model. Paypal is fine, Zelle is better.
--------
In Olwell’s words:
[This is] an antique flute from about 1850, by Wm Hall & Son, made of cocus wood with German silver keys and rings. It is in very good condition, with no cracks or damage. I have everything working perfectly. I have owned this flute for about 15 years, but have only gotten around to the restoration recently. I replaced the wood of the barrel, which was badly cracked, with a new piece of cocus wood [stamped “Olwell”], and made a new endcap, which was missing. Except for these two parts, the rest of the flute has escaped the usual abuse suffered by so many old flutes.
The headjoint is like new, with no cracks, so this piece of wood must have been very dry when originally glued up. I revoiced the embouchure to my specifications, as it was a bit rough. It now has a large and clear tone for such a small holed flute. The "modern” sized embouchure and cocus and metal lined headjoint give this flute a strong tone with the ability to project. I have done my usual "tweaking" of the bore, and a bit of tuning, mostly to the #5 hole, bringing up the F# closer to equal temperament.
Small-holed flutes like this … have a lovely feel to them, and the ornaments have a nice popping sound. This flute is very much like the one that Grey Larsen plays.
I have spent quite a long time playing and adjusting things on this flute and the response, appearance and musicality [surpass] the usual antique flute.”
- - - -
The flute will come well protected in a snazzy new pistol case. The price is $2,250 or best offer. Post within the USA is included. This is a lovely flute and well worth the money asked. It is easy to fill and is very responsive. The tuning is excellent. Olwell restorations are much sought after, becoming harder to find as time goes by, and this flute would compare well with a six-keyed Olwell small-holed model. Paypal is fine, Zelle is better.