And the award for World's Ugliest Flute goes to....

[Akiba]

I think Sweetheart flutes look good enough and sound better and are a great value. I've played
lots of em, own several (especially in higher keys) and think they have the elegance of
woody simplicity.

Seconded.

Dissented from... (whistles as well as flutes). Whenever I've tried them out (in shops/at festival stalls/other people's), I've always thought them, especially the older ones, unattractive at best, relatively crudely made and of little musical utility - until some significant improvement in some models in very recent years. I certainly would never have bought any of the older ones and haven't been particularly impressed by more recent ones, save for surprise at the marked improvement, which has reached a point where I might not actively advise against some of them if asked for an opinion, though I think there are better things available in the same price ranges.

While dishing out opinions, I too think the McCarty ash flute which is the main subject here is rather ugly - and would be even uglier as a table leg than as a flute!

P.S. I hadn't pegged my old friend Ben as such a leg man! Funny what he turns up! (Hollow laugh??? )

Hmm...now which flute maker will I go after next and call his work the ugliest pieces of sh*te ever to come off a lathe? Oh, this should be a whole lot of fun.

PS I think Sweetheart flutes are just fine for what they are. Have liked quite a few. Not pro quality, but fun and certainly, to me, not ugly.

[tsackett]

Let's just start calling flute makers ugly.

Hey, Theobald, if my dog had a face like yours I'd shave his butt and teach him to walk backwards.

[s1m0n]

Are you sure you're not related? Two such shark-fin noses cannot be coincidence.

[Julia Delaney]

This is an ugly thread.

[tsackett]

Are you sure you're not related? Two such shark-fin noses cannot be coincidence.

So much for dark family secrets.

[Doug_Tipple]

Two flute auctions placed side by side on ebay tonight is very interesting with regard to this thread, in my mind, at least.
ebay ad 1
ebay ad 2

On his ebay ad Eric McCarty writes: "I have added some nice details to this flute while on the lathe which make it a one of a kind work of art."
Since the beginning of time, buy and sell is the name of the game.

[Casey Burns]

I wonder what they mean by "Brass-Chromed Rings".....

[s1m0n]

I'd at least give the smooth flute a speculative toot if confronted by it, but I wouldn't touch the one with the carefully pre-weakened barrel if you paid me. A flute with that many grooves in the body is either too weak or too heavy. Or most likely both.

A maker with so little understanding of strength, weight & design in the instrument he's trying to make professionally does little to inspire faith in his command of any other aspect of flute design.

[Tommy]

Two flute auctions placed side by side on ebay tonight is very interesting with regard to this thread, in my mind, at least.
ebay ad 1
ebay ad 2

On his ebay ad Eric McCarty writes: "I have added some nice details to this flute while on the lathe which make it a one of a kind work of art."
Since the beginning of time, buy and sell is the name of the game.

Here is another one from McCarty.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/120743045779#ht_3731wt_982

[Julia Delaney]

Can't beat that cacus

NEW SOLID CACUS WOOD IRISH CELTIC FIFE FLUTE KEY D + WOOD CASE

Maybe from the Greek: να κάνουν κακά -- kaka?

[benhall.1]

I reckon they've missed out a 't'. I think they might have meant "cactus wood". Lightweight, sturdy ... it could be ...

[Denny]

Item specifics
Condition:
New: A brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging (where packaging is applicable). Packaging should be the same as what is found in a retail store, unless the item is handmade or was packaged by the manufacturer in non-retail packaging, such as an unprinted box or plastic bag. See the seller's listing for full details. See all condition definitions

Item specifics
Condition:
New: A brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging (where packaging is applicable). Packaging should be the same as what is found in a retail store, unless the item is handmade or was packaged by the manufacturer in non-retail packaging, such as an unprinted box or plastic bag. See the seller's listing for full details. See all condition definitions

cousins?

[Nanohedron]

Cocus sapwood is light-colored like that, so without testing or other expertise, whether or not it's actual cocus must be a matter of conjecture. Cocus heartwood is the beautiful dark wood so prized for instrument making, and what I usually associate with the name. I know a fellow who bought a flute much like the Cacus ( ) example, probably the very same make itself, by the look of it. Positively screamed Pakistani. I'd never seen light-colored cocus before, so I was dubious. Came to him with the cork rudely out of position, too. Once that was fixed, for what it was and where I'm convinced it came from, I must confess it was actually better than I'd previously come across, but it still had intonation issues. Tone wasn't too bad at all, if you dragged it out with a tow truck.

[Dominic Allan]

I think the item decription is ebay's work, you'll find the same thing on any item decribed by the vendor as new.
Just checked and that is the case.

[benhall.1]

Just what I was going to say, Dominic. That is one of the standard item condition definitions provided by eBay itself. They changed recently.