How do you judge the quality of workmanship on a flute?

[spittle]

Fascinating answers so far.......

Loren

Is that condenscention, Loren? I'm sure not, but with the latest posts, I could certainly see why . My stomach hurts from Gary's post - brilliant! Mouldering animal heads aside, I think Gary's post is quite concise in a way ; a good flute should rock you visually. It should look as beautiful as it plays and be a joy to the ear, eye and hand.

Things that rock me (not an exhaustive list):

FINE timber (sometimes only time reveals this) and a finish that exposes the timber's fineness. Should be as silky to the fingers as Real Ale to the tongue.

Sockets that fit snug (but not too snug!) like broken-in calfskin driving gloves.

Wood-sheathed tuning slide (just a classy-touch that I like). The socket shoulders having NO gaps to the next body peice when assembled.

Tuning slide which moves like the lightly-oiled piston of a German car engine.

Keywork perfection - both functional and aesthetic - think Swiss Watch, but needing less maintenance.

Crown-adjustable cork (with the same precision feel of German engine\Swiss-watch).


I'm not sure what else to add to the above other than judging the workmanship also gets into realms of subjectivty that can be hard to quantify to the layman player. I.E. If Pat Olwell and Bryan Byrne were having a discussion on what they considered to be quality workmanship, it would likely be a very different conversation from two new flute players who got the cheapest flutes they could afford from makers with the shortest waiting list.

[Loren]

Fascinating answers so far.......

Loren

Is that condenscention, Loren? I'm sure not, but with the latest posts, I could certainly see why .

Nope, not condescention, condensation,

Seriously though, as an instrument maker, my perspective differs somewhat, so I simply find it very interesting to hear what "quality" means to the end user. As you say....

If Pat Olwell and Bryan Byrne were having a discussion on what they considered to be quality workmanship, it would likely be a very different conversation from two new flute players who got the cheapest flutes they could afford from makers with the shortest waiting list.

And I couldn't agree more. This is neither good or bad, just different perspectives.

Loren[/quote]

[brianormond]

-Good craftsmanship makes the instrument handle, play and last better. I weight sound quality of a flute over its appearance, but have no objection to beauty if it comes along for the ride. A flute shouldn't be so ugly as to put one off playing it-after all, its hard to play the thing with a bag over its head. OTOH, close your eyes during a soulful passage and the flute can take on any appearance imaginable.

-Flute: "Oh, Stop that! I just know you're thinking of that 6-key at the party last night! She's out of your class and has a 20-year waiting list!"

[peeplj]

To me, my the workmanship on my Hamilton flute is head and shoulders above any other flute I own. It's visually a work of art as well as being a wonderful flute.

That said, if you are standing six feet from me, unless you are a flutist yourself you'd have no prayer of knowing which of my Irish flutes I was playing. And even if you were a flutist, it would still be quite a challenge to tell.

Workmanship as it applies to visual appearance is only eye-candy. Workmanship as it applies to design and execution can make or break a flute, however, because that is the workmanship that determines how it actually plays.

--James

[I.D.10-t]

Saw this (actually did in a store) and thought quality workmanship. Good balance, does the job etc. wonderful workmanship.
Price $105


Does it really matter if your hatchet is well made?

Does it matter if it has great workmanship and doesn’t work?

[Loren]

Saw this (actually did in a store) and thought quality workmanship. Good balance, does the job etc. wonderful workmanship.
Price $105


Does it really matter if your hatchet is well made?

Does it matter if it has great workmanship and doesn’t work?

Actually, it does - have you ever had the handle break or the head fly off while you were using a hatchet? I dunno about you, but having had it happen once, it certainly matters to ME if my hatchet is well made.

Besides, it's so much easier to tune and voice flutes with a well made hatchet.

[Loren]

BTW,

One of the things I've found most interesting about this thread is how many people tend to view "craftsmanship/workmanship" as being, more or less, a visual, rather than functional thing.

I say I find this interesting because much of what folks seem to think are purely cosmetic issues are, in fact, also performance related details: Smoothness of the bore, well finished tone holes, sockets and tenons concentric with the bore, etc. all these things do have an effect, to some degree or another, on the tone and responsiveness of a flute, and the effects are, typically, cumulative.

Loren

[GaryKelly]

That's a great shot up there of Paddy McChudd's workshop!

[Loren]

That's a great shot up there of Paddy McChudd's workshop!

Yeah, the really fooled me at my last job, making me think I'd need a shop full of expensive tools to keep really tight tolerances: Turns out, all I needed was this $104. "McChudd All-In One Flute Making Tool", in order to whittle me some fine A$$ flutes. Come to find out it also Dice, Slices, and Juliennes!

Combinded with my Ginsu Knife for making silver rings, I'm all set!

Loren

[Dana]

...much of what folks seem to think are purely cosmetic issues are, in fact, also performance related details: Smoothness of the bore, well finished tone holes, sockets and tenons concentric with the bore, etc. all these things do have an effect, to some degree or another, on the tone and responsiveness of a flute, and the effects are, typically, cumulative.

Agreed.