jim stone wrote:I've never seen nor played a Wilkes, nor heard one played, so I wonder if someone who has played them
or has other first-hand info can say how good they really are? I'm especially curious about rudall-type wilkes's.
Obviously some of this must be subjective but opinions welcome. There are, after all, some good Rudall
copies out there already.
Somewhere out there on the net is an old interview with Patrick Olwell. In it, IIRC, he says that one of the models for his first flutes was a flute made by Chris. [Well, sort of, it turns out - see correction below]* That alone tells you something. (Provided, of course, that I do recall correctly.
)
Other than that, even I (a novice flute player of a couple of years only) can tell that they are seriously good. I've played (tried for a few minutes each, that is, let's not over-egg this
) several Grinters, several Murrays, a couple of Olwells and a few other flutes by modern makers, as well as, I think, four ... no five flutes made by Chris (I'd forgotten an old Pratten copy - the rest have been Rudalls). To me, only one of the Grinters came close to any of Chris', with the exception of the Pratten, which just wasn't to my taste. However, of course, YMMV and some of the very best players swear by other makers, such as Murray. Or any of the others.
*OK, so it has been pointed out to me that what he actually said was something along the lines of getting a Wilkes, a Hammy and a Murray and measuring them ... then deciding to do his own thing. Which is not
exactly as I remembered.
No I ain't selling.
sorry? 
