Tunesofwood Flutes - Has anyone played one?

[david_h]

My Burns have holes cut 'along' the grain - eyes would be in the sides.

Are we sure that really is grain on the CT images and not an image added in processing to help visualise the shape ? It does odd things.

[dcopley]

Are we sure that really is grain on the CT images and not an image added in processing to help visualise the shape ? It does odd things.

An excellent point. The pattern looks more like an artifact generated by the 3-D tomographic processing. The wide bands seem to be at 45 degree intervals around the circumference, though you would expect them to be 180 degrees apart if it was a grain pattern. If there are some cross-sectional images available that might help clarify what is going on.

[Latticino]

I just did a very fast search, check out Latticino's post:
viewtopic.php?t=34685&start=75

For what is is worth the "tunes of Wood" flute that I previously reviewed in the other thread was a very different animal from the one listed in this one. It was a typical "off-brand" (is that more PC than P#$^$&ni ?) conical brown wood (can't be more specific than that regarding the wood type, but it was probably marketed as a rosewood varient) flute with the brass fittings we are all familiar with. It came in a poor quality plastic box with foam cutouts providing the divisions. As I noted in my previous post it was impossible to even assemble as sold (indicating a basic lack of quality control that I find alarming in the production of a musical instrument). As I recall, once I fixed that problem, the intonation was pretty awful, worse than any flutes I've played other than the ebonite Empire product that Jem has given us his typical exhaustive review on. The vendor did accept a return of the item, but hit me with a significant restocking fee. I would not recommend doing business with them.

As regards this type of flute being churned out and distributed worldwide I have another recent "war-story". Last weekend I attended a ITM music gathering and heard a young man complaining about his keyless flute (which he had purchased from a music shop in Ireland on a trip to the area). Looking at it, it didn't appear to be an "off-brand" instrument (wood quality looked pretty good, and brass rings were a simple narrow style). However it was not labeled with a makers name, and clearly a pretty exterior can hide a multitude of sins. I took a quick try myself and noticed that while the intonation didn't seem horrible, the sound was quite muffled and weak. Particularly for a flute that appeared to be designed as a Pratten replica. He had recently had it recorked and the joints were tight, so I didn't figure there were leaks. I really didn't get to inspect it thoroughly, but my current theory is that it was an import that was sold as being of Irish manufacture.

On the other hand he did try my 6-key restored Metzler and was amazed at how much better it played. From his point of view, as a beginner to conical flutes (he had plenty of experience with Boehm silver flutes), the Metzler seemed almost effortless compared to his "off-brand" copy. Since he paid a lot more for his flute than I did for mine (not counting the work I put in to restoration)...

Honestly I'd rather take a chance on a dubious German Nach-Meyer than one of these off-brand instruments.

[Nanohedron]

Oooooh! It's got a knob!

Yeah: whoever bought it.

I bought one of these in March mainly because I was curious, and I returned it immediately.

My apologies. You were doing research. And you did send it back. But yer still a knob.

So right now my feedback reads: Praise: A liar, got full refund, illiterate. Sellers Beware.

Shyster code for "This guy wasn't born yesterday."

[ImNotIrish]

Another in the 'Table legs turned into flutes' series. Orange oil?
Arbo

[Nanohedron]

Orange oil?

Yeah, I caught that too. It makes no fluterly sense. Pure orange oil is volatile and used for cleaning things. I would think it's not suitable for wood flutes at all. This might be an orange-scented oil used and touted to attract and further distract the unknowing with the prospect of a pretty scent.

[kkrell]

Are we sure that really is grain on the CT images and not an image added in processing to help visualise the shape ? It does odd things.

An excellent point. The pattern looks more like an artifact generated by the 3-D tomographic processing. The wide bands seem to be at 45 degree intervals around the circumference, though you would expect them to be 180 degrees apart if it was a grain pattern. If there are some cross-sectional images available that might help clarify what is going on.

OK, I suppose it could be mapped on there by the 3-D software displaying the data, although I don't know why a medical device used for scanning humans would have a wood-grain option, except maybe for Pinocchio. The cross-sections showing any possible end grain are not particularly informative on this issue, although one can make out those little screws R&R used on the lower portion of some blocks.

[Doug_Tipple]

I don't know why a medical device used for scanning humans would have a wood-grain option, except maybe for Pinocchio.

Me either, Kevin, although in this day of unlimited potentiality due to internet connections, anything seem possible.

[david_h]

... although I don't know why a medical device used for scanning humans would have a wood-grain option...

Probably for the same reason that most people have more fonts available on their computers than they know what to do with - if applying a bitmap to a surface is a required function then linking a bigger library of bitmaps will be trivial and cost peanuts. That one looks like a photo of a wood veneer...

... as would be used on patterned vinyl . Maybe it would look better with "gold leaf, patterned gold, silver chrome, brushed silver, silver holographic sparkle, black marble, and black holographic sparkle"

[jemtheflute]

Re: Kevin's/Gerry Strong's R&R CT scans - I think those most probably are actual density variations in the wood, so really grain patterns. If a CT scan can show e.g. tumours in animal tissues, foreign bodies (the R&R block reinforcing pins), etc, and holes, of course (near-enough zero density), then one would expect the grain to show. Looking carefully at the actual patterns displayed, I see no inconsistency in the patterns to negate their being the grain, nor anything to suggest they are some kind of graphic display convention to give an illusion of 3D, like hatchings, contouring or highlight/lowlight shading etc. Occam's razor, chaps!

[david_h]

...I see no inconsistency in the patterns to negate their being the grain..

Unless it is a very odd piece of wood we would see two sets of 'eyes', one on either side where the surface was parallel to the grain (as in the photo of the flute that is the subject of the thread. We see six sets. Three on the outside and what would be the the matching set on the opposite inner side. Where the grain 'goes down' the far side of two tone holes the lines curve down as the would if what we see on the outer surface from 'draped' on the shape. If it was a density effect I think we would see on the cross section (as someone said above), maybe like this http://www.xrayinspectionservice.com/ap ... -labs/wood.

For me Occam's razor has it as what it looks like to me - an applied bitmap, like Doug's vinyl (but more stretchy).